Timeline and Procedures for the Thesis/Dissertation Process
1. Work with the program director and faculty to determine a committee of graduate faculty. The chair must be a full member of the graduate faculty from the home program. Additional committee members may have “affiliate” status.
2. Prepare and present your thesis/dissertation idea via a prospectus or summary. The individual program determines the style and length of your prospectus. Consult with your advisor for more information.
3. Find out what style you need to use and review the thesis/dissertation handbook. Your program may require you to utilize a style that is also used in a journal in your field. In such case, please provide guidelines for this style when you submit your thesis to the Graduate School. If your program/advisor does not have a particular style required of you, we recommend using APA.
4. Acquire IRB/IACUC approval (if needed) for research involving humans, animals or hazardous materials. You may NOT collect any data until you receive approval.
5. Submit your prospectus (or summary) AND the thesis/dissertation committee form to the Graduate School for approval. You may not register for thesis/ dissertation hours (5999, 6999, or 7999) until you have completed all components of your submission. Refer to graduate.appstate.edu/about-us/forms.
6. Apply for funding if needed (see Office of Student Research). There are several different programs, each with different deadlines.
7. Begin and/or continue the hard work of conducting/gathering your research.
8. Attend a workshop offered through Learning Technology Services if you need assistance with using Microsoft Word to typeset manuscripts.
9. Typeset the manuscript, with input on organization and format from your committee. Refer to your discipline style guide and also the Thesis and Dissertation links on graduate.appstate.edu.
10. Have your chair announce your defense to the department, academic dean, and Dean of the Graduate School. Your defense must take place at least 10 calendar days before the last day of classes.
11. Have the Graduate School staff double check the format of your front pages (especially the signature page). We suggest that you have your signature page checked by Sharron Grimes in the School of Graduate Studies before you obtain the signatures at your defense.
12. Publically defend your work (again, recommended at least 10 calendar days prior to the last day of classes), taking your signature pages with you (as many as you want bound copies).
13. Make any changes that the committee requires, and make sure all signature pages are signed (each committee member must sign for him/herself).
14. Submit signed signature pages (on bond paper) AND one copy of the manuscript on regular paper at least 7 calendar days prior to the last day of regular classes to the School of Graduate Studies. Make your submission to Sharron Grimes in the School of Graduate Studies. (Note: The summer "semester" last class day is on the last day of the second summer session.)
15. The graduate school will review your manuscript (plan on 10-14 days). You will be contacted via email, by Sharron Grimes, as soon as your manuscript has been reviewed. In the case that a manuscript is submitted to the Graduate School and is found to have egregious errors, it will be returned to you, the student, without reader feedback from the Graduate School.
16. Once you have received your reviewed manuscript, complete any edits and return the manuscript on regular paper to Sharron Grimes at the School of Graduate Studies.
17. The graduate school will check your edits (expect 1-2 days) and ensure they have been completed. Once you have been cleared to print your final manuscript, you will then receive an email from Sharron Grimes with further instructions.
18. At this time you may submit to Sharron Grimes in the School of Graduate Studies:
1) copies of your final manuscript to be bound,
2) a PDF of your manuscript,
3) the index form,
4) the release form,
5) the routing form,
6) a copy of the student accounts receipt showing you paid the binding fee,
19. At this time, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will sign your thesis/dissertation signature pages. The Office of Graduate Records, Charity Martinez, will be notified to change your thesis grade to "S," and your thesis/dissertation process is complete. The Graduate School will submit your copies for binding.
20. Once we receive your bound copies back from the Library Bindery, the library will send bound copies to your department (and will contact you for pick up, if applicable), and post your thesis/dissertation in the online repository, which is indexed by WorldCat. Note: binding is less expensive because it is bundled into bulk shipments, so it may be a couple of months before the bound copies are ready.