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Department of Political Science Poli Sci
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  4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  5. Dissertation, Defense, and Graduation

What do I need to do to defend my dissertation?

Defending the dissertation requires a series of steps you will want to become familiarized with well enough in advance to ask any pertinent questions or make alternate arrangements.  It is the student's responsibility to oversee all aspects of the process, to obtain necessary signatures, and attend all meetings.  In the event that a student in unable to attend a meeting due to extenuating circumstance, the student will be responsible for assigning a proxy and making arrangements as needed.

  • Check your status. Consult with your Graduate Coordinator if you are a student who has withdrawn or is not registered but is returning only to defend. You will follow these same procedures with an additional form and fee.
  • Review the Dissertation Manual. Read carefully over The Dissertation Manual from Graduate Division outlining what must be done in your dissertation, including a strict formatting guideline.
  • If applicable, reconstitute your committee. If you have made any changes to your committee since its last approval or if there have been any title changes or departures, you will need to reconstitute your committee.
  • Distribute your dissertation. Academic Senate policy states that a draft of the dissertation shall be given to each committee member at least four weeks before the examination date. The policy also states that the committee conducts the examination which is to be public and announced as such.
  • Coordinate a date with your committee. Find a date and time during which all of your committee members are able to meet (usually for 2-3 hours) for your oral examination. Coordinating schedules can be difficult so consider an online scheduling tool such as Doodle. All committee members must sign the form. Arrangements can be made for a committee member to be present via teleconference only under special circumstances.
  • Request a room. Email the Department of Political Science Graduate Program Coordinator to request a room for your defense.
  • If applicable, request teleconferencing support*. If you require teleconference capabilities, contact the Department of Political Science Student Services Coordinator to request support. You will be responsible for picking up the teleconference phone.
  • If applicable, request a smart TV screen**. Our conference rooms are equipped with smart TV screens. If you would like to use it, please contact the Department of Political Science Graduate Program Coordinator with the date and time of your defense. Reserve a conference room as soon as possible to ensure availability. Please be sure to indicate any special connection adapters (Mac computer).
  • Submit Online Kuali Form to GEPA. Effective January 2025, a preliminary review appointment with GEPA is no longer required. Students who plan to graduate in the current quarter must submit the online form, “File for Doctoral/Master’s (Thesis) Degree Form.” Please visit the Degree Completion page for details on the new process. The process is also described in this How to File for Degree document.
  • Coordinate paperwork with the Dept Grad Coord before the Defense. The Final Report form is now processed online through Docusign. The form is automatically routed to all members of your committee, the department chair, then on through the appropriate folks at GEPA. Contact the Department of Political Science Graduate Program Coordinator to schedule a pick-up time for your prepared Ph.D. Final Report form and your Diploma Application form, typically the day before or the morning of your defense. You will need the Ph.D. Final Report form at the defense to collect committee signatures.
  • Defend your dissertation. It is the student's responsibility to inform and remind all committee members of their scheduled defense. If your committee elects you to pass, have all members sign your Ph.D. Final Report Form and your signature page. These must have the original signatures of all committee members; proxy signatures are not acceptable. If a committee member teleconferenced in, the form must be mailed to that member for signature either beforehand or after. Graduate Council has permitted a member who plans to teleconference to examine the candidate in advance of the exam date and to then sign off on the Final Report and the Signature Page. If the absent member has questions for the committee to consider at the exam, the committee chair should then withhold signature until those questions are resolved. This procedure should not be undertaken without the department and committee chair's advance approval. The committee chair and the tenured outside member must always be present at a defense exam. Whether you plan to mail the form to the telecommuting committee member before or after the defense, please allow adequate time for the form to be sent, signed, and returned.
  • Obtain the Chair's signature. The Final Report form is now processed online through Docusign. The form is automatically routed to all members of your committee, the department chair, then on through the appropriate folks at GEPA. After you have successfully defended your dissertation, return your Ph.D. Final Report form to your Graduate Coordinator, who will acquire the Department Chair's signature and return the form to you.

*signature page – this is page iii of your dissertation. See page 18/19 of the The Dissertation Manual (PDF) for an example.

**The student is responsible for department property and maintaining its working condition and will be held accountable for any damages.

When will I receive my diploma?

Degrees are only conferred 4 times a year at the end of each quarter even if your defense date was before the end of the quarter. Diplomas take 2-4 months after the end of the quarter to issue. The date on the diploma will always be the last day of that particular quarter. The registrar does not start processing diplomas until the quarter is over. Students who finish in spring should expect to receive their diplomas sometime over the summer.

Diplomas are mailed to the permanent address on your TritonLink account (not your mailing address), so be sure to keep it up to date by updating it on TritonLink.