Thesis/Dissertation Defense

• See Forms & Procedures page ("Thesis/Dissertation" section) for information regarding faculty committee formation, PhD exams, and thesis/dissertation proposal/prospectus.

• Format your Thesis or Dissertation (ASU Graduate College).

  • • Review How to use the online Format Tool for your thesis or dissertation  ( ASU Format Wizard).

• Carefully review: About Your Defense (ASU Graduate College)

  • • Self-enroll in the new canvas course on how to prepare for your format review and defense!

    • Defenses MUST be scheduled through the iPOS/MyASU at least 10 working (business) days prior to the defense date (see 10-working-day calendar).

    • Be aware of semester graduation deadlines. 

    • Maintain continuous enrollment (see ASU Continuous Enrollment Policy). Students must be registered for a minimum of one credit hour of graduate level coursework during all phases of their graduate education, including the term in which they graduate. If you have finished all course requirements and only need to defend your thesis or dissertation, you may submit a permission request to enroll in 595/795 Continuing Registration.

• Reserve a conference room for your defense, or email scai.scheduling@asu.edu (and note your campus- Tempe or Poly) to reserve a classroom. 

  • • Also see Brickyard Resources for additional information. 

• Schedule your defense (MyASU Homepage > iPOS).

  • • Once you schedule your defense, an announcement will automatically post to ASU's Graduate College Defense Schedule. 

    • If you would like your announcement posted on LinkedIn, please use this form. We recommend you do this at least one week in advance to give users an opportunity to view the post.

    • If you would like to request an email notice of your planned defense activity be sent to all SCAI graduate students and faculty members, please use this form to request the notice. 

• Verify that your iPOS is up to date and Apply for Graduation (MyASU Homepage > My Programs).

• Carefully review: After your defense (ASU Graduate College)

  • Complete any format and/or committee revisions as needed.

  • Once all faculty members assign a result of "Pass" via the iPOS, grades will be changed to 'Y' for 599, 792, and 799 ‘Z’ ('Z' grades will remain for 595 and 795 on your transcript).

  • Upload your document to UMI/ProQuest before the posted deadline. Please note that submission to UMI/ProQuest does not complete the process – you must obtain final format approval from the Graduate College before the Graduation Office will process your degree.

  • Complete the required SCAI Graduate Alumni Survey form. This must be complete for graduation processing.

  • Check your MyASU frequently to make sure your degree posts (usually 4-6 weeks).

  • If applicable, use the Graduation Letter Request Form to request a Graduation Pending Letter or a Letter of Completion. Letter of Completion is used to notify an employer that you have graduated before your final degree has posted to your transcript.

Thesis/Dissertation Defenses – Graduate Policies and Procedures

Thesis and dissertation defenses are open to all members of the university community and the general public. The oral defense engages the supervisory committee and the candidate in a critical and analytical discussion of the research and findings of the study, as well as a review of the contribution of the research topic to advancing knowledge in that discipline. The presentation of a thesis or dissertation defense in an open forum fosters a broader awareness of the state of graduate research at ASU, promotes a wider scholarly dialogue among disciplines, and recognizes publicly the scholarly contributions of master’s or doctoral candidates.

Defenses must be scheduled through MyASU at least 10 working days in advance of the defense date. It is expected that oral defenses will be held on an ASU campus during regular business hours in order to facilitate student, faculty, and public accessibility. When there are sound educational reasons for holding a defense under different circumstances, contact the Graduate College for approval before scheduling the defense.

Students must be physically present at the oral defense of their thesis, dissertation or equivalent document. If, due to unforeseen circumstances, they cannot be physically present, then the oral defense must be rescheduled to another date when they can be physically present.

It is desirable that all members of a student’s supervisory committee be physically present with the student at the final oral defense of a thesis or dissertation. However, there are situations (e.g. faculty travel, faculty emergencies and/or faculty leave) that may necessitate holding a defense with one or more committee member(s) absent. In all cases at least 50% of the committee must be physically present. If a committee member cannot physically attend, they can tele/video conference, or they can appoint a substitute to attend in their place. The substitute should be a regular faculty member with the academic unit. The supervisory committee chair must be physically present; if there are two co-chairs, one of them may tele/video conference if needed. In either case, please email grad-gps@asu.edu with the student’s ID number and the name of the tele/videoconferencing member or with the names of the member who will be absent and the faculty member who will attend as a substitute. This information must be submitted before the defense.