Final Dissertation Defense - Graduate Handbook

Content

• The Final Dissertation Defense consists of two parts: a written Dissertation and an oral examination in which you present and defend your Dissertation.
• Details on formatting guidelines are available from the Graduate School. Templates can be downloaded from OIT: https://www.umass.edu/graduate/documents/guidelines-masters-theses-and-doctoral-dissertations
• Plan to use “paper format” in which each of your publications is formatted into a chapter, with summarizing introduction/conclusion sections. Include a table of abbreviations. A sample outline follows:
  • Chapter 1 – introduction (if written, a review paper can serve as the introduction)
  • Chapter 2 – first publication
  • Chapter 3 – second publication
  • ….
  • Chapter X – overall conclusions, and recommendation for future work on topic
• The format of the Dissertation will be a 30-40 minute prepared presentation of the Dissertation. The presentation will be open, followed by general audience questions. After the open question period, the audience will leave and the committee will ask addition questions.
• Your advisor may help with organizing the presentation outline, but will not thoroughly edit the presentation – the presentation itself is part of the exam.
• Be able to verbally defend HOW and WHY you did every aspect of your research. It cannot be over-emphasized that you need to know what and why you did everything you present.

Timeline

• A memo requesting announcement of the defense must be submitted to the graduate school one month before the defense date. The advisor should send following information to GPD:
  • Student’s full name & identification number, the degree, day of week/date/time/place of the exam, major, and title of dissertation. Once submitted, the defense is announced in the UMass News & Media Relations, and the final checklists of degree requirements are emailed to the student.
• Once your advisor approves your written draft dissertation, it must be submitted to the committee before the defense (typically 1-2 weeks prior to defense date).
• Student requests Moriah to send defense notification in the department 1-2 days prior to scheduled defense.
• The dissertation defense should be the last step in getting the Ph.D. This means that you should have submitted first drafts of each publication you intend to submit prior to defending your dissertation.
• There are three deadlines per year for awarding of PhDs (posted on the graduate school website). Generally, mid-December for a February degree; mid-April for a May degree; and the last working day of August for a September degree. These deadlines are firm.
  
  However, you can defend your dissertation on any date – this just means if you submit your final paperwork in January, you will have a May date on your diploma. This doesn’t mean you have to stay in Amherst until May.

Notes

• The Dissertation defense committee will be the same as your Prospectus/Outline exam committee members.
• After passing the Dissertation defense, the signature page of the Dissertation must be signed by all committee members and the department head or graduate program director, and submitted to the graduate school. This must be on acid-free, 20 lb weight, white, 8.5 x 11” paper.
• The dissertation must be submitted electronically to the graduate school (see the graduate school website for details).
• Student should prepare the doctoral Degree Eligibility Form must be completed including signatures of the Department Head and Graduate Program Director, and then submit it to the graduate school.
• A bound copy of your dissertation should be given to your committee chair (optional). Binding can be done through Copy Cat, acmebook.com, UMI, or a number of book binderies.
• More information can be found: http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/current- students/doctoral-degree- requirements-and-dissertation-information.