Steps to completing a Thesis/Dissertation

A Thesis/Dissertation takes a great deal of time and energy to complete and it can be easy to get lost in the process and become stuck with not knowing what to do next. On this page, you will find suggested steps to help you. Remember that every department at the University is different and it is important to follow guidelines provided by your specific department.

1. fORM AN IDEA AND ESTABLISH A FACULTY ADVISOR

Degree programs determine whether or not a thesis/dissertation is required for a graduate degree. A thesis/dissertation may take any of several forms, such as a scholarly essay, research report, or a creative artistic work. The format of such presentations does not need to conform to traditional standards of style where such standards are not appropriate. However, theses/dissertations that take the form of traditional research reports should follow standard manuals of style, with any supplementary guides used by the various disciplines acceptable to the departmental graduate committee. Students are strongly encouraged to review the guidelines before preparing their theses or dissertations. A copy of the guidelines are available here: Thesis & Dissertation Format Guidelines. Also, refer to our guidelines page, found here.

Common Manuals of style
Purdue OWL Resources (APA, MLA, Chicago Guide)
APA Manual
MLA Handbook
The Chicago Manual of Style
MFA Handbook
IEEE Editorial Style Manual
ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication

Once a student has an idea for a thesis/dissertation, it is important to establish a faculty advisor (who will be the student's thesis/dissertation chair) who will help the student create a project that is measurable and help the student decide who to have on the student's thesis/dissertation committee.

2. FORM A COMMITTEE

The thesis/dissertation committee oversees all aspects of a student's thesis/dissertation project. Committee members are mentors and advisors to the student and offer expertise in their area of study. Committee chairs serve as the main advisor to the student while the student works to conduct research and write the thesis/dissertation manuscript. Initially, the committee determines the feasibility of the thesis/dissertation topic and permits the student to proceed with the topic. After the project has been completed, the committee meets with the student for an oral defense and decides whether or not to approve the thesis/dissertation.

*Master's thesis committees must be composed of at least three members. The chairperson and at least two other members must hold Graduate Faculty status.

*Doctoral dissertation committees must consist of at least three members. The chairperson and at least two other members must hold Graduate Faculty status. At least one member of the dissertation committee must be from outside of the unit awarding the degree. The outside member must hold Graduate Faculty status or be approved by the Graduate Dean.

*Both master's thesis and doctoral dissertation committees may have additional members beyond the minimum of three persons. To be a voting member, the additional person(s) must have Graduate Faculty status. Committee members not holding Graduate Faculty status may serve as non-voting members of the committee.

*To determine if a faculty member holds Graduate Faculty status, please contact the College of Graduate Studies at 216-687-9370, Parker-Hannifin Hall, third floor, grad@csuohio.edu.

3. PROPOSAL

The student works closely with their thesis/dissertation committee chair on the development of a research proposal. Once the project has been developed, the student prepares a full written proposal for a formal presentation. The time and date of the proposal presentation is selected in consultation with the chairperson and committee. During this presentation, the student proposes the thesis/dissertation and the proposed research is approved or not approved. If the research is approved, the committee, department chairperson, academic college dean, and the graduate college dean signs the Thesis & Dissertation Proposal Approval Form and this form is submitted to the College of Graduate Studies. Upon final approval of the research, the student is permitted to register for thesis/dissertation credits. Thesis/Dissertations credits are unique courses and are created for the student to register for each semester.

*Note: The proposal presentation may vary based on program. Check with your program to see if a proposal presentation is required.

4. ENROLL FOR THESIS/DISSERTATION CREDITS

A student cannot be admitted to degree candidacy, or register for thesis/dissertation work, until the student is a Regular Graduate Student. Doctoral and master's students must complete the Thesis/Dissertation Proposal Approval Form and obtain the required signatures prior to thesis/dissertation registration. Once a student registers for thesis/dissertation credit, the student must register for thesis/dissertation credit each semester during the academic year (fall and spring terms) until the completion and defense of the project. The number of thesis/dissertation credits required is a departmental matter. However, the student must register for a minimum of one thesis/dissertation credit each semester until the defense.

5. conduct your research and write a manuscript

Once the Thesis/Dissertation approval form has been signed and submitted to the College of Graduate Studies, the student may begin conducting their research and writing their manuscript.

*Note: Students may begin conducting research for their Thesis/Dissertation before the proposal but students will only be enrolled in coursework when the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form is submitted.

*Note: Students must receive IRB approval prior to conducting research on human subjects.

For help with writing the manuscript, check out these resources:

CSU Library	Writing Help for Graduate Students
Writing Center Resources	Thesis/Dissertation Template
Graduate Student Resource Center	Thesis & Dissertation Format Guidelines
Help with Embedding Fonts and Converting to PDF	Help with Formatting
Academic Calendar	Articles, Proposals, and Theses Video

6. ESTABLISH A DEFENSE DATE

The student, in consultation with the chair and committee, sets the time and location for a defense. Thesis/Dissertation defenses may be conducted over ZOOM at the discretion of the committee.

6. DEFENSE AND APPROVAL OF DEFENSE

The student defends the dissertation before the full committee, attending graduate faculty, and other attendees. The committee approves and signs the approval form that is in your manuscript or does not approve and may request specific revisions. Acceptance of the thesis/dissertation requires that the signature of the advisor and at least two other Graduate Faculty committee members appear on the document. The student completes edits, as needed, and submits for approval from their committee. Once edits have been approved, the committee signs the approval form and the final draft can be forwarded to the department chair, academic dean, and the College of Graduate Studies. The College of Graduate Studies will conduct a format review, email the student corrections that are needed, and advise the student on submitting to OhioLink for publication.

*All doctoral dissertations require a public defense, announced to the University community with sufficient notice.

Master's theses and doctoral dissertations must receive preliminary format approval by the College of Graduate Studies office prior to acceptance of the final version for submission of the electronic version to OhioLink. This review is intended to minimize the likelihood of thesis/dissertation rejection. However, a preliminary check does not guarantee the acceptability of the final version.

Thesis/dissertation should be emailed to the College of Graduate Studies office in Word format after the thesis/dissertation committee has approved the defense of the document. To allow ample time for completing the final submission, students are to submit a preliminary electronic version well in advance of the final deposit deadline to the appropriate email address:

• Master's thesis submissions should be emailed to: masterthesis@csuohio.edu
• Doctoral dissertation submissions should be emailed to: phddissertation@csuohio.edu

The email should contain the student's name and CSU ID# in the subject line. Additionally, please include the student name, CSU ID, telephone number, and current email address in the body of the email.

• Master's students must email the College of Graduate Studies the Notice of Completion form, and the Defense Approval Form (found in your manuscript) with ink signatures.
• Doctoral students must email the College of Graduate Studies the Notice of Completion form, the Defense Approval Form (found in your manuscript) with ink signature, A copy of the Doctoral Certificate, and a receipt of the $65 UMI fee.
• General graduation information can be found here.

*Each department may have different forms to complete.

*Many students are anticipating review from the College of Graduate Studies at the end of a term, please plan accordingly! Preliminary reviews are processed in the order in which they are received.

7. FINAL COPY AND DEADLINES

The student has primary responsibility for meeting all required submission deadlines. The submission for format approval to the College of Graduate Studies should take place not less than one week prior to the last day of instruction in the semester in which the student plans to graduate. A preliminary format examination is mandatory for the thesis/dissertation prior to submission of the electronic version to OhioLink. However, a preliminary check does not guarantee the acceptability of the final version. To allow ample time for completing the final version, students are advised to schedule a format check well in advance of the deposit deadline.

*Publication deadline is typically the third week of the month following the end of the term of your anticipated graduation. Exact dates will be emailed as the deadline approaches.

*If you do not meet the established deadlines, your degree will not be conferred until the term that all requirements are met.

College of graduate studies Contact

Phone: 216-687-9370

Email: grad@csuohio.edu

Address: Parker-Hannifin Hall, third floor

2258 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115