Meeting Graduate College Requirements

  1. Check your Academic Progress tab in Workday Student to ensure you've met Graduate College requirements for degree completion.
  2. Ensure that your Program of Study Committee and Academic Plan are accurate at the time you apply for program completion in Workday Student. 
  3. Check your Approved Academic Plan in Workday Student; make sure the list of courses is accurate and make modifications as needed.
  4. Submit an Application for Program Completion by the deadlines of the semester you plan to graduate. If you have a change of mind, withdraw by the cancellation date. Summer graduates attending Spring/Fall ceremony need to follow special deadlines.

Planning Your Thesis/Dissertation Journey

  1. Attend a Thesis/Dissertation Seminar presented by the Graduate College soon after you have formed your Committee and Academic Plan.
  2. Download the Thesis/Dissertation Deadlines and the Thesis Planning Tool or the Dissertation Planning Tool to map the Graduate College deadlines.
  3. Plan meetings with your Major Professor and Committee about your thesis/dissertation content and timeline for completion.
  4. Chart your personal deadlines using the tools.
  5. Add any additional program deadlines that are not included in the Graduate College deadlines.
  6. Review resources for Authorship Expectations.

Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation

  1. Work closely with your Major Professor and Committee as you develop ideas and content for your thesis/dissertation. They are there to guide you.
  2. Contact the Center for Communication Excellence to receive Thesis/Dissertation Consultations. Trained consultants can meet one-on-one to give helpful suggestions in the planning, composing, or revising stages of writing or assist with thesis/dissertation formatting. Make an appointment!
  3. Attend Boot Camps and Writing Retreats.
  4. Use the Templates to maintain formatting requirements.
  5. Review Thesis/Dissertation Format Requirements and watch the Video Tutorials for Formatting.

Planning Your Pre- and Post-Final Oral Exam Steps

  1. Pre-Final Oral Exam

    1. Plan final oral exam date with your Major Professor and Committee.
    2. Submit a Request for Final Oral Exam at least three weeks prior to the final oral exam.
    3. Reserve a room and inform your Major Professor and Committee.
    4. Make an appointment with the Center for Communication Excellence for a Thesis/Dissertation Format Check.
    5. Submit copies of the manuscript to your Major Professor and Committee.

  2. Post-Final Oral Exam

    1. Complete required edits to your thesis/dissertation as requested by your Major Professor and Committee.
    2. Review your thesis/dissertation formatting again since formatting may change after any edits are made.
    3. Submit the edited manuscript to your Major Professor and Committee for approval.
    4. Open your thesis/dissertation account with ProQuest and input the title of your thesis/dissertation; this information will appear in the Commencement Program. Use the same format as your title page.
    5. Submit edited manuscript:
    6. Get your Major Professor and DOGE signatures for Graduate Student Approval Form and submit the completed form to the Graduate College. (NOTE: The Graduate College cannot review your uploaded thesis/dissertation without this completed form.)

Finishing Up for Graduation

  1. Monitor email from Graduate College staff about required edits or acceptance of thesis/dissertation.
  2. Complete required edits as requested by the Graduate College staff if applicable and resubmit; this process can be repeated if required edits are not completed.
  3. Once accepted, the Graduate College staff will lock the ProQuest submission. No further changes can be made after this.
  4. Get ready to graduate! Receiving an acceptance e-mail is typically the last communication before you graduate!

ISU Thesis/Dissertation Fee

$145 (Workday U-Bill): The Thesis/Dissertation Fee (a one-time fee on your Workday U-Bill) pays for the ISU thesis/dissertationreview, processing, and thesis/dissertationsupport.

Optional U.S. Copyright Fee

$75: Optionally, ProQuest will register a U.S. Copyright for you for the additional $75