Ph.D. Dissertation Defense, MSE

The information below provides procedures for the PhD student's final term, including graduation application, forms & fees, and the dissertation submission and defense process.

Note that all date references below assume that the student wishes to attend Commencement in the semester for which s/he applies to graduate. Details about End-of-Semester (i.e., after Commencement) deadlines are provided at the bottom of this page.

Registration

Please remember to register for at least three graduate credit hours in the term in which you wish to graduate. The minimum number of graduate credits in which a student must be enrolled in the term of graduation is three credits.

Apply to graduate

Complete the MSE Application to Graduate Request form
MSE students must complete an online form to request an Application to Graduate. Upon submission of this form, the MSE / WE Graduate Studies Coordinator will review the student's academic status. A Student Status Summary and further instructions on submitting an Application to Graduate will be e-mailed to the student.

Dissertation Committee

The Final Examination Committee (a.k.a. Dissertation Committee) is to consist of at least three faculty with P status in MATSCEN, as described below. These faculty will, most likely, be members of the student's Candidacy Examination Committee and Dissertation Overview Committee. 

  1. the student’s advisor who holds category P status in MATSCEN (and co‐advisor, if applicable),
  2. at least two MATSCEN faculty members who hold category “P” status in MSE *, and 
  3. [optionally, with approved petition of the MSE Graduate Studies Committee] other OSU faculty of category “P” and/or people from outside OSU. For those outside OSU, the student must file a Committee and Examination Petition through GradForms.

These committee members are to be listed on the student’s Application to Graduate.

* If the student is co-advised by two MSE faculty, this addresses the minimum required by point 2 above. In other words, two of the three Committee members from MATSCEN may be the student's co-advisors.

To this committee the Graduate School will add a Graduate School Faculty Representative. After the student submits the Application for Final Examination, the Graduate School will find a representative to sit in on the examination and represent the Graduate School and assure fairness and compliance with Graduate School rules.

Application for Final Examination and the Dissertation Defense

Submission and approval of the Application to Graduate on GradForms.osu.edu will permit the student to also file an Application for Final Examination on GradForms. This form must be filed on GradForms no later than three weeks before the proposed final examination date.

The student is to establish with his/her Ph.D. committee a date, time, and location for the final examination. If the student wishes to attend Commencement s/he should consult the Graduate School's Examination and Graduation Deadlines and plan accordingly.

Electronic submission of dissertation

All Ph.D. dissertations are required to be submitted electronically--i.e., in PDF format--through the State of Ohio library network OhioLINK (etd.ohiolink.edu). Hard-copy final approved dissertations are no longer submitted (though a hard-copy draft is to be submitted for formatting review to the Graduate School prior to any electronic submission).

  • Preparing your dissertation
    Graduate School "Dissertation and Theses" instructions
    Instructions regarding margins and formatting as well as procedures for electronic submission, including a tutorial on how to convert a document to PDF and add multimedia to the document. The Graduate School also provides information on workshops, FAQs, thesis templates, sample pages, and more.

The Electronic Thesis / Dissertation (ETD) is different from its paper predecessor in a few important aspects. First, it provides a technologically advanced medium for expressing your ideas. You may prepare an ETD by using nearly any word processor or document preparation system and by incorporating relevant multimedia objects. Second, it is less expensive for you to prepare. By creating an ETD, you avoid the requirement of submitting multiple copies on special paper. Third, ETDs promote greater access to your research. ETDs are made available to anyone that browses the web. They consume virtually no library shelf space, and never collect dust. Overall, ETDs contribute to worldwide graduate education and unlock the underutilized results of graduate research for the scholarly community.

Your dissertation should be uploaded by at least two full business days prior to the submission date listed on the Graduate School's Graduation Deadlines. This allows a minimum amount of time for Graduation Services to be notified by OhioLINK that your dissertation has been uploaded, perform a formatting review, and contact you to confirm receipt.

Commencement

OSU Commencement information

As regards specific Commencement ceremony procedures, those who have submitted an Application to Graduate by the third Friday of the semester will receive a Commencement Information Packet from the Graduate School. This will provide details on the ceremony, including your numbered assignment in the Commencement line. This packet is provided mid-semester to your OSU email address.

Any questions about the ceremony should be addressed to the Graduation Services Office within the Graduate School, 614-292-6031.

  • If you will not attend Commencement, you must inform the Graduate School on the Application for Graduation.

If you must delay graduation

Missing Commencement deadlines

You may find that you are unable to complete the final requirements in time to meet the Graduate School deadlines for submission. If so, you will not be permitted to take part in Commencement for that semester.

  • If you find you will not attend Commencement, you must inform the Graduate School.

End-of-Semester (EoS) graduates

If the Commencement submission deadlines are missed, you have until the last business day before the start of the next semester to submit all required items (forms, fees, documents, etc.). If this final deadline is met, you will receive the degree during Commencement at the end of the following term and will not be required to enroll for that term. If requested, the Graduate School can provide a verification letter confirming completion of all degree requirements.

Registration for the next term

If the required items are not submitted by the last business day before the start of the next term, you must register for at least three graduate credit hours and resubmit a department Application to Graduate Request using the MSE / WE on-line request form. The approved (by advisor and GSC Chair) Application to Graduate must be received at the Graduate School by the third Friday of that semester.

 

 

 

 

Questions?

Please contact the MSE-WE Graduate Studies Coordinator, Mark Cooper, with any questions.

You may also wish to contact the Graduation Services Office in the Graduate School, 247 University Hall, at 614-292-6031.