It is important to communicate early and often with your faculty adviser regarding your anticipated time in the program and their expectations for meeting graduation requirements.
This is a summary of the final steps required to graduate with a Ph.D. in MSE. See complete Graduate School dates and deadlines outlined per quarter.
International students: In addition, refer to the Graduation: Final Year Checklist from International Student Services for additional requirements.
| # | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm Reading Committee with the Graduate Program Adviser (GPA), who will update your student record. | The sooner, the better. |
| 2 | Secure a date and time that works for the committee for the final exam and schedule a meeting either via conference room or via zoom depending on committee’s preference. |
At least two weeks prior to your final exam. |
| 3 | Schedule final exam via MyGrad. | A minimum of 24 hours after Reading Committee confirmation. |
| 4 | Consult with your faculty advisor about inviting additional attendees to attend your presentation. Send them the meeting room location or Zoom link information. | The sooner, the better. |
| 5 | Review the details for preparing your dissertation including formatting and submission requirements. | |
| 6 | Send electronic copies of your dissertation and final defense slides to the Supervisory Committee. (Although the Reading Committee is responsible for supporting you with the dissertation, it is a courtesy to send this information to the full committee.) | At least two weeks prior to your final defense. |
| 7 | Complete a Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), save the Certificate of Completion at the end of the survey, and email it to uwgrad@uw.edu. | The sooner the better. |
| 8 | Plan for your final exam which should last approximately 60 minutes and an additional 30 minutes for Q&A. | At least two weeks before your presentation. |
| 9 | Submit your dissertation following the UW Graduate School's Final Submission of Your Thesis formatting and submission instructions. | Last day of the quarter. |
| 10 | If you complete your final exam, but need more time to submit your dissertation, you may submit a Graduate Registration Waiver. The waiver allows you to submit your dissertation up to two weeks following the last day of the quarter. There is a $250 fee and you will graduate the following quarter, but you do not need to enroll in the following quarter. |
Note: Following your exam, your committee will need to approve your dissertation via MyGrad Committee View.