MFA Milestone #3 Thesis Defense

Scheduling Thesis Defense: Thesis defenses can occur in person or virtually. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule their defense with their chair and committee members. Students should confirm the date with their chair, then reach out to other members of their committee. As soon as the defense is scheduled, let the MFA Program Coordinator know the day and time; they will help reserve a room, if needed. Defenses may take place throughout the year but remember, faculty are generally unavailable during the summer and over the winter break. Timing should be discussed with the thesis chair. Students are encouraged to schedule their defenses as far in advance as possible. There are advantages to not waiting until the final semester to defend as one will have more time to incorporate input on revisions and advice for publication that come out of the defense. To ensure a May 2024 graduation, the thesis defense must occur by the April 2024 deadline. Defenses that take place after the deadline will have a September 1, 2024 graduation date.

Distribute Manuscript: The final manuscript, including the introduction, must be submitted to all members of the committee at least two weeks prior to the scheduled defense. The introduction is mandatory for the defense, but optional for submission to the Graduate School. Students should speak with their thesis committee chairs for questions regarding the introduction. The manuscript should be paginated, include a table of contents, and single-sided. A prose thesis should be double-spaced with one-inch margins in a 12-point font. The thesis is distributed in hard copy by the student to the members of the committee.

Thesis Signature Pages: Prior to a student’s scheduled defense, the MFA Program Coordinator will send all committee members an electronic copy of the thesis signature page via DocuSign. All members must digitally sign after the defense. The MFA Program Coordinator will submit it to the Graduate School when all required signatures have been received. Please note: The submitted thesis must include a blank signature page. The MFA Program Coordinator will email students this page before their defense.