Preparation and Submission of Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Papers
It is recommended that students submit their thesis or dissertation as early as possible once the document has been approved by the committee and the department chair. The thesis or dissertation should be publication-ready and contain minimal errors. All students submitting a dissertation or thesis are required to have it read by the Graduate Reader/Editor for quality and professionalism. Theses and dissertations are reviewed in the order in which they are received. The degree will not be conferred until the student completes the Graduate Reader/Editor's corrections and uploads the document to the ETD/Vireo system. Late submissions will not be considered for that term's graduation (see deadlines).
For students submitting a thesis or dissertation, the Graduate School provides formatting assistance with style manual formatting, assistance with graduate school requirements, corresponding forms, and any applicable requirements. Contact information and hours of availability can be found on the Graduate School website under Thesis and Dissertation Consultation.
Students, not committee chairs, must submit/upload their own thesis/dissertation to Vireo.
Additionally, the graduate school provides a "Thesis, Dissertation, & Professional Paper Technical Manual".
The Graduate Reader/Editor reviews dissertations and theses for formatting, general spelling, grammar and citations once they have been successfully defended.
Digital submission: Students enrolling in thesis or dissertation credit hours are required to use the digital submission format wherein a digital copy is uploaded to the Texas Digital Library (TDL). Paper copies of documents are not accepted by the Graduate School.
Submission Deadlines for Theses and Dissertations
The submission date for theses and dissertations will be as follows:
- Fall: Due 5 weeks prior to graduation
- Spring: Due 5 weeks prior to graduation
- Summer: Due 4 weeks prior to graduation
Dissertations requiring changes or corrections after being reviewed by the Graduate Reader/Editor must have corrections made one week (5 working days) after being returned to the student (or prior to the graduation date if shorter) to be allowed to graduate that term. Dissertations with multiple significant errors will be returned to the student prior to completing the review, and the student will be informed that they will need to reapply to graduate the next semester.
