The final culminating experiences for graduate degrees vary by program. In many master's degree programs a thesis is required, in other programs the culminating experience is an applied or professional project. In all Ph.D. programs, as well as in most professional doctoral programs, dissertations are required. Theses and dissertations are officially documented and archived. Dissertations are deposited with University Microfilms International (UMI) which makes their content available to the public. Information on the dissertation later appears in Dissertation Abstracts International. For this reason, all theses and dissertations must undergo Graduate College format review. The Graduate College dean reviews the content to affirm the quality and originality of the scholarly work.
Thesis and Dissertation Format Review
Prior to the defense, students must prepare their thesis or dissertation for submission to the university. This requires that the document meet format guidelines, as outlined in the Formal Manual, for readability, consistency, and binding. Copies of the Format Manual are available in the Graduate College and at graduate.asu.edu/formatmanual.
To help ensure these guidelines are met, students are required to submit a complete copy of the thesis or dissertation to the Graduate College for format review at least 10 working days before the proposed date of the oral defense. It is very important that students familiarize themselves with format requirements before beginning the thesis/dissertation process. They should check with their degree program to make sure they have no specific additional requirements on formatting.
Doctoral students are responsible for the University Microfilms International (UMI) microfilming fee, which covers the expense of having the document sent to UMI, where it is microfilmed and cataloged.
Thesis and Dissertation Defenses
Thesis and dissertation defenses are open to all members of the university community and the general public. The oral defense engages the supervisory committee and the candidate in a critical and analytical discussion of the research and findings of the study, as well as a review of the contribution of the research topic to advancing knowledge in that discipline. The presentation of a thesis or dissertation defense in an open forum fosters a broader awareness of the state of graduate research at ASU, promotes a wider scholarly dialogue among disciplines, and recognizes publicly the scholarly contributions of master's or doctoral candidates.
Defenses must be scheduled with the Graduate College at least 10 working days in advance of the defense date. It is expected that oral defenses will be held on an ASU campus during regular business hours in order to facilitate student, faculty, and public accessibility. When there are sound educational reasons for holding a defense under different circumstances, contact the Graduate College for approval before scheduling the defense.
It is desirable that all members of a student's supervisory committee be physically present with the student at the final oral defense of a thesis or dissertation. However, there are situations (e.g. faculty travel, faculty emergencies and/or faculty leave) that may necessitate holding a defense with one or more committee member(s) absent. Contact the Student Academic Services (SAS) office in the Graduate College for additional information. The forms to schedule the defense are found at graduate.asu.edu/forms/index.html and must be submitted when the thesis/dissertation is presented for format review to the Graduate College.
Graduation
Students must apply for graduation in accordance with the University Registrar policies. See Application for Graduation. Students must meet all University and Graduate College degree requirements prior to the conferral of their degree.
The graduation deadlines and procedures are set by the Graduate College and are available online at graduate.asu.edu/graddeadlines.html. Deadline dates vary slightly depending on the calendar year, so students should check them carefully in advance of the semester they plan to defend their thesis/dissertation. It is very important that students become familiar with these deadlines so that graduation can occur during the expected term.