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Dissertation Guidelines

  1. Dissertation Proposal: This is an extremely important step. The dissertation proposal is similar to a contract between the committee and the student. If the student conducts the research described in the proposal, then the research will be viewed as suitable for the dissertation. Therefore, issues raised in the defense of the dissertation will focus on whether the research was conducted as planned in the proposal, the analysis of the data, and the conclusions that the student makes from the obtained results. The dissertation proposal defense must be documented on a Departmental Proposal Defense form signed by your entire committee at the conclusion of the successful proposal meeting.
  2. IRB Protocol Approval application for dissertation research.
  3. As you near completion of your dissertation, you need to become very familiar with the Graduate School's (GS) deadlines* for the term you intend to graduate. You will need to coordinate the efforts of several people in order to complete the series of interrelated steps in a timely manner.
  4. Conduct research and write dissertation. Format must follow Guide to Theses and Dissertations available on the Graduate School's web page.
  5. Graduation Check - complete and electronically submit to the Graduate School your request for graduation check no later than the last day of the semester BEFORE the semester you intend to graduate (see Calendar for dates). If you do not graduate during the semester for which you ordered a graduation check, the graduation check will carry over from one term to the next.
  6. You must be registered for the term in which you defend your dissertation AND the term in which you graduate (if different from the term you intend to defend). If you do not register by the first day of classes you may not make it onto the graduation list (see Calendar for registration dates) The only exception to this is that students who have completed all requirements for the degree, including successful dissertation defense and submitting the final electronic dissertation to the Graduate School with the "Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval Form", and who have secured a certificate of completion from the Graduate School by the end of the semester preceding the semester in which they intend to graduate do not have to be registered during the semester in which they graduate. If you think this applies to you, call the Graduate School during the semester before the semester in which you intend to graduate to make sure.
  7. Give a copy of your dissertation draft to your committee members four weeks prior to the Dissertation First Draft Approval Form deadline (see Calendar* for dates). This is a suggested deadline. In practice, the timing of your committee's receipt of the draft in relation to the date of submission of the draft to the Graduate School (#8 below) is a detail you will need to work out with your major professor and committee.
  8. After your committee has reviewed a first draft and worked with you to resolve problems, submit the draft of the dissertation (pdf) to the Graduate School via e-mail to etdmail@auburn.edu; deliver the draft to the outside reader in the outside reader's preferred form (paper or electronic); and submit the paper Dissertation First Submission Approval Form to the Graduate School. (see Calendar* for GS deadline). The First Submission Approval Form must be signed by your entire committee. If you know who you would like to use as outside reader, your major professor should indicate the nominee on the First Submission Approval form. Once the form is completed and signed, give it to Thane Bryant - he will make a file copy and deliver the original to the Graduate School. When the Graduate School gets your pdf draft and First Submission Approval form they will e-mail the Outside Reader an electronic form on which to report his/her review of the dissertation. When the Graduate School receives the Outside Reader's report (allow about two to three weeks for the outside reader's review) they will do a format check and will e-mail to your major professor GS Form Y "Application for Final Oral Examination," which is used to officially schedule the defense.
  9. Revise Dissertation into final form incorporating feedback from outside reader and GS.
  10. Schedule Dissertation Defense (Final Oral Examination) You must use GS Form X - Application for Final Oral Examination (which the Graduate School e-mailed to your major professor following the Outside Reader's report) - to officially schedule the dissertation defense. The form must be submitted at least one week prior to the scheduled exam date (see Calendar* for term deadlines). When scheduling the exam, remember that all of your committee members plus the outside reader must attend the exam.
  11. Hold the defense. When the GS formally schedules the exam, they will send the major professor a Form Z for reporting the outcome of the defense. Make sure the professor has received the form, prints it out and brings it to the defense. Note: the GS will not provide this crucial form until the exam has been officially scheduled as described above. You should also bring to the defense the paper Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval Form for your committee to sign.
  12. Documenting the dissertation defense: At the conclusion of your dissertation defense, make sure that the entire committee (including outside reader) signs the Form Z Report on the Final Examination and, if they are willing, the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval Form. Give the signed form Z to Thane immediately. He will make a file copy and deliver the original to the Graduate School. If Thane is not available, make a file copy of the original and put the copy in his departmental mailbox with a note on it indicating when you delivered the original to the GS. Take the original to the GS yourself immediately.
  13. Make suggested changes and corrections to the dissertation.
  14. Submit the final electronic dissertation and the paper "Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval Form" to the Graduate School by the Graduate School's deadline. Submit the dissertation electronically via http://etd.auburn.edu/etd/ (see Guide to Preparation of Theses and Dissertations or consult with Julie Renfro at the GS (844-4700) if you have questions about the process). Submit the paper "Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval Form" (after it is signed by all parties) by giving it to Thane Bryant. He will make a file copy and deliver the original to the Graduate School. (see Calendar* for term deadlines)

*The deadlines in the Dissertation Calendar are for students who intend to GRADUATE with the PhD at the end of the semester. If you do not intend to GRADUATE that semester, but do intend to complete all degree requirements by the end of the semester (e.g., in order to avoid having to register and pay tuition for the following semester) you need to complete all the steps on the Calendar by the last day of the semester in which you defend AND you must apply to the Graduate School for a "Letter of Completion" by the last day of the semester in which you defend.

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Last updated March 19, 2008