Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies

The purpose of the thesis or dissertation document is to present that knowledge to the scholarly community in a clear, concise, and professional manner that is appropriate to the discipline. Students enrolled in degree programs in which they will complete a thesis or dissertation are expected to plan, execute, and report on a research project or creative endeavor that creates, analyzes, assesses, or otherwise advances knowledge in the discipline of study.

Approval of Thesis Committee and Prospectus

1. Work with your program director and faculty to determine a committee of graduate faculty. The committee chair must be a "Full Member" of the graduate faculty from the home program. Additional committee members may have "Affiliate Member" 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. Acquire IRB/IACUC/IBC approval (if needed) for research involving humans, animals, or biohazardous materials. You may NOT collect any data until you complete the appropriate training and receive the necessary approval from the Office of Research Protections, so it is important to allow sufficient time for this approval to be secured. Your committee membership form and prospectus must indicate the date on which you applied for IRB approval, and attach the IRB letter if approved. If approval is pending, you must submit an attestation verifying that data collection will not occur until IRB approval is finalized.
4. Electronically submit your prospectus (or summary), the thesis/dissertation committee form, and a copy of your IRB/IACUC/IBC approval letter or attestation (where applicable) as a single, attached PDF file to the Graduate School at thesis@appstate.edu. All committee member names MUST be listed on the committee form. Signatures on the form may be electronic or a scanned copy of "wet" signatures. You will not be cleared to register for thesis/dissertation hours (5999, 6999, or 7999) until these items are submitted and approved. If you need to change a committee member later, do not forget to inform the Graduate School by submitting a Committee Change Form.

Completing Your Research

1. Once you have received notification that your prospectus is approved, you may submit a Special Course Form to request registration in thesis or dissertation hours. 
2. Begin and/or continue gathering and analyzing your data.
3. Attend workshops if you need assistance with document layout in MS Word or with particular data analysis strategies. Your advisor can help you identify these workshops.
4. Determine what publication style you need to use and also review the Graduate School's Thesis/Dissertation Handbook. Your program may require you to use a style that is also used in a journal in your field. In such cases, please provide publication guidelines 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.
5. Format the manuscript per the Thesis/Dissertation Handbook, with input on organization and format from your committee. Also refer to your disciplinary style guide (e.g., APA, MLA). 
6. Make sure that your front matter adheres to Graduate School guidelines. 

Finalizing your Thesis/Dissertation

1. Schedule and have your committee chair announce your defense to the department, academic dean, and Dean of the Graduate School. Your defense must take place approximately six weeks prior to commencement for that term. In summer the end of the "semester" is the last day of classes in the second summer session. Please note that your department may impose an earlier deadline. ALWAYS PLAN AHEAD, ESPECIALLY IN SUMMER! Allow enough time following the defense to make any requested changes prior to the DRAFT deadline (post defense) dates listed below.
2. Have the Graduate School staff double check the format of your front pages (especially the signature page). You may submit these electronically to thesis@appstate.edu for review.
3. Publicly defend your work (ideally, at least one month prior to the last day of classes). The defense may be held in person or via Zoom.
4. Make any changes to your manuscript that the committee requires. Once the manuscript is approved by the committee, the chairperson of your committee must submit an email to thesis@appstate.edu, copying all committee members, verifying that the committee has approved the document, attaching a PDF file of the approved document, and indicating what style manual was used in preparation of the manuscript. If journal guidelines were used, a copy of (or link to) the editorial guidelines must be included.
5. The Graduate School will review your manuscript (typically, allow 10-14 days). You will be contacted via email as soon as your manuscript has been reviewed. If a manuscript submitted to the Graduate School is found to have significant errors, it will be returned to you without reader feedback, and must be revised and resubmitted.
6. Once you have received your reviewed manuscript, complete any edits and return the manuscript as an attached PDF file to thesis@appstate.edu.
7. The Graduate School will check your edits (this may take several days, depending on the volume of manuscripts) to ensure the reader's comments have been addressed. Once your final manuscript has been cleared, you will receive an email from the Graduate School requesting the following:
   • A PDF of your final, approved manuscript
   • The completed Indexing Form (this will be sent to you)
   • The completed Release Form (this will be sent to you)
8. Once all required materials are received, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will sign off on your thesis/dissertation, Graduate Records will be notified to change your thesis grade to "S," and your thesis/dissertation process is complete.