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Dissertation & Thesis Submission

  • The doctoral dissertation/master's thesis must be submitted to each member of the doctoral/thesis committee at least four weeks before the final examination/defense. 
  • Review the requirements regarding committee participation at the defense found here for doctoral students and here for master's students
  • A student must make an appointment with the Graduate Division for a preliminary check of his/her dissertation/thesis. At that appointment the format is checked and instructions on the final preparation and submission of the dissertation/thesis are given.
  • The final version of the dissertation/thesis must conform to procedures outlined in the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses."
  • A student must schedule a final document review with the Graduate Division for the submission of all final degree paperwork and the final dissertation/thesis. Please see the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses" for detailed instructions. 
  • Please download the Dissertation/Thesis Release Form; it will be discussed during your preliminary appointment.
  • All forms and co-author permission letters are submitted electronically, via ProQuest or email.  Please review the guidelines on acceptable electronic signatures.
  • *Effective November 18, 2020: Committee member signatures are no longer collected on a signature page. Committee approval of the dissertation/thesis is now captured on a revised combined Final Report Form which contains an approval section for the dissertation/thesis. Students should check with their department/program coordinator to verify that the revised form is being used. If the revised form has not been used students should let their Graduate Division adviser know.
    • SDSU Joint Doctoral students need to continue following the process below:
    • Students initiate the dissertation/thesis signature page through DocuSign. Committee member signatures will be collected electronically through DocuSign and the form will be routed electronically to the Graduate Division. (See page 12 in the formatting manual for detailed instructions.) Students use the JDP signature page link here.
The slides from the October 21st Fall 2020 webinar can be found here. They provide an overview of the dissertation/thesis submission process and formatting guidelines. Please refer to the full formatting manual for detailed information.

Dissertation/Thesis Appointments

Request preliminary and final dissertation/thesis appointments via the online calendar

Schedule Now