Final Defense
The final defense is an oral examination open to the
public, during which the author of a thesis or dissertation
demonstrates to his or her committee satisfactory command
of all aspects of the work presented and other related
subjects, if applicable.
The defense must be one hour or more in length. It
may be scheduled between 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on any work
day, during both instructional and non-instructional
periods.
The student must submit the completed manuscript to
the committee by the deadline set by his or her graduate
program, or no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled
defense.
Please note:
| |
Thesis |
Dissertation |
| Final Defense |
Optional. At the discretion
of the graduate program. |
Required |
| Defense Announcement |
Optional |
Required. Submit announcement
to Graduate Records Office no later than two weeks
prior to defense. Announcement must be signed
by the committee chair.
|
Committee Participation
Physical presence of the committee chair and the outside
member at the defense is mandatory. In the event that
another committee member is unable to participate physically
in the final defense, the alternatives are, in order
of preference:
| 1. |
Postpone the defense. |
| 2. |
Use video- or teleconferencing
— Under special circumstances, a committee
member may participate via video- or teleconferencing,
if certain conditions are met:
- Advance written agreement of the student
and all committee members has been obtained
and submitted to the Graduate Records Office
(use Petition for Remote Committee Participation
Form);
- All materials, including any visual aids,
have been distributed in advance to the remote
member;
- The remote member participates in the entire
and complete course of the meeting;
- The committee chair has accepted responsibility
for the oversight of any logistical arrangements
necessary; and
- Any costs associated with video- or teleconferencing
have been accounted for in advance. Such costs
are not the responsibility of the Graduate Division.
|
| 3. |
Restructure the committee. |
| 4. |
Use proxy member.
As a general rule, the Graduate Division discourages
the use of proxy committee members for the defense.
However, the use of a proxy member may occasionally
be the only feasible solution that does not unduly
penalize the student.
A proxy cannot be used for the chair or the outside
member. When Graduate Division grants permission
for a faculty member to serve as a proxy for a
committee member, the proxy is expected to act
in full capacity of the committee member he or
she replaces. The proxy may ask any questions
he or she deems appropriate. The proxy may require
the student to revise, add or delete portions
of the thesis or dissertation. Finally, the proxy
must indicate approval or disapproval of the defense
by completing and signing Form
III. |
Committee Approval
Committee members are required to indicate their approval/disapproval
of the manuscript and the defense on the manuscript's
signature page and Form III. Submit
both forms to the Graduate Records Office by the appropriate
deadline. Please note:
| |
Signature
Page |
Form III
|
| Purpose |
Used by
committee members to indicate approval of both
the content and the form of the manuscript. |
Used by
committee members to indicate approval or disapproval
of the content of the manuscript and the student's
ability to defend it. |
| Required Signatures |
To be signed
only by committee members who have read and approved
the manuscript, including any committee member(s)
who may be physically absent at the final defense. |
To be signed
only by committee members who participate in the
final defense, including any proxy members. |
| Submission Deadline |
Submit
along with manuscript by the thesis/dissertation
due date (See Calendar). |
Submit
after the defense or no later than three weeks
prior to the thesis/dissertation due date (See
Calendar). |
A majority of the committee, including the chair, must
approve of the defense in order for the student to pass.
Should a member of the committee voting in the minority
wish to have the majority decision reviewed, he or she
may do so by submitting a written request to the Graduate
Division. The request must state specific reasons. Upon
approval of the request, the review will be undertaken
by the Graduate Council.
A student failing the final defense for the first time
may repeat it only with approval from both the graduate
program and the Graduate Division. A student failing
for the second time is dismissed from both the graduate
program and the Graduate Division. |
