Doctoral Students

Fall 2019 semester

• September 4, 2019
  • Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.
  • All doctoral students must be enrolled for a minimum of one credit of dissertation research after coursework and research credits are complete. Students should refer to continuous enrollment policy in the Graduate Catalog.   
• September 27, 2019
  • Final date for graduate students to submit the online application for graduation for Fall 2019 semester. 
• November 1, 2019
  • Last day to defend thesis, dissertation or DScPT report
    • The doctoral dissertation defense announcement form must be submitted 2 weeks prior to your scheduled defense. If you do not defend by this date, you will be denied graduation for Fall 2019 and must update your graduation semester.
• November 8, 2019
  • Last day to obtain Thesis/Dissertation or DScPT report format approval from the Graduate School
    • You must meet with the thesis/dissertation coordinator for final draft review.
    • You must complete all format corrections and attain format approval from the Graduate School, no later than NOVEMBER 8. 
• November 15, 2019
  • Last day to submit required copies of approved thesis, dissertation or DScPT report to the Graduate School for binding in fulfillment of degree requirements. 
• December 7, 2019
  • Classes end at 10:00 p.m.  

Winter 2020 semester

• January 6, 2020
  • Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.
  • All doctoral students must be enrolled for a minimum of one credit of dissertation research after coursework and research credits are complete. Students should refer to continuous enrollment policy in the Graduate Catalog.   
• January 31, 2020
  • Final date for graduate students to submit the online application for graduation for Winter 2020 semester. 
• March 13, 2020
  • Last day to defend Thesis, Dissertation or DScPT report
    • The doctoral dissertation defense announcement form must be submitted 2 weeks prior to your scheduled defense. If you do not defend by this date, you will be denied graduation for Winter 2020 and must update your graduation semester.
• March 20, 2020
  • Last day to obtain thesis/dissertation or DScPT report format approval from the Graduate School.
    • You must meet with the thesis/dissertation coordinator for final draft review.
    • You must complete all format corrections and attain format approval from the Graduate School, no later than MARCH 20. 
• March 27, 2020
  • Last day to submit required copies of approved thesis, dissertation or DScPT report to the Graduate School for binding in fulfillment of degree requirements. 
• April 18, 2020
  • Classes end at 10:00 p.m.  

Summer 2020 semester

• May 4, 2020
  • Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.
  • All doctoral students must be enrolled for a minimum of one credit of dissertation research after coursework and research credits are complete. Students should refer to continuous enrollment policy in the Graduate Catalog.   
• May 31, 2020
  • Final date for graduate students to submit the online application for graduation for Summer 2020 semester. 
• July 10, 2020
  • Last day to defend thesis, dissertation or DScPT report
    • The doctoral dissertation defense announcement form must be submitted 2 weeks prior to your scheduled defense. If you do not defend by this date, you will be denied graduation for Summer 2020 and must update your graduation semester.
• July 17, 2020
  • Last day to obtain Thesis/Dissertation or DScPT report format approval from the Graduate School
    • You must meet with the thesis/dissertation coordinator for final draft review.
    • You must complete all format corrections and attain format approval from the Graduate School, no later than JULY 17. 
• July 24, 2020
  • Last day to submit required copies of approved thesis, dissertation or DScPT report to the Graduate School for binding in fulfillment of degree requirements. 
• August 15, 2020
  • Classes end at 10:00 p.m.  

When submitting a thesis or dissertation, you must meet with the thesis and dissertation coordinator three times. Once for format review, once for format approval, and once to submit your approved, printed copies for binding. Meetings are by appointment only; no walk-ins are accepted. Review the guide for the preparation of theses and dissertations prior to your appointment. You should also review the dissertation process flow.

First Appointment - Format Review

Your first appointment is for an initial format review. This appointment must take place before your defense and the posted review deadline. Before your review appointment, you should thoroughly examine your thesis or dissertation for format compliance with the Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations and make sure any formatting errors have been resolved. During your format review appointment, the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator will review all sections of your thesis or dissertation (preliminary pages, chapters, appendices and references) and identify any formatting revisions that need to be made prior to your second appointment. Please bring the following to your first appointment:

• Any formatting questions you have for the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator 
• A printed pdf copy of your thesis or dissertation
  • It can be in black and white and double-sided for this appointment
• An electronic copy of your thesis or dissertation, saved as a Word document. You can bring your laptop with your thesis or dissertation on it, or a flash drive with the file on it. 
  • If you have written your thesis or dissertation using Latek, your electronic copy should be the PDF you exported from Latek. 

Second Appointment - Format Approval

Your second appointment is for format approval. It should take place after your defense but before the posted approval deadline. At your second appointment, bring the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator a clean, unbound copy of your thesis or dissertation that incorporates your advisory committee's and the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator's required revisions. The Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator will grant final formatting approval once she has concluded that the manuscript complies with preparation guidelines, conforms to the university's standards, and addresses all previously requested formatting changes. You may not submit your thesis or dissertation for printing until you receive format approval from the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator at the end of your second appointment. Please bring the following to your second appointment:

• A printed pdf copy of your thesis or dissertation
  • It can be in black and white and double-sided for this appointment
• An electronic copy of your thesis or dissertation in Word. You can bring your laptop with your thesis or dissertation on it, or a flash drive with the file on it.
  • If you have written your thesis or dissertation using Latek, your electronic copy should be the PDF you exported from Latek. 
• 2 copies of your cover page, based on the template the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator sends you

Third Appointment - Final Submission

Your third appointment is for the final submission of your printed thesis or dissertation for binding. It must take place before the posted submission deadline. Once the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator gives you format approval at the second meeting, you will receive instructions on how to submit your thesis or dissertation to OU printing services. You must get 1 copy printed on 25% cotton content paper for submission to the Graduate School and the Kresge Library. Please bring the following to your third appointment:

• All printed copies of your thesis or dissertation that you wish to have bound
  • This includes the 1 copy required by the Graduate School. Check with your advisor and department for department-specific requirements
• A check made out to Oakland University for the binding fee of $13.75 per bound copy requested 

Submit all materials to:

Graduate School
O’Dowd Hall, Room 520
586 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4482 
(248) 370-2700
gradstudy@oakland.edu

• Guide for the preparation of theses and dissertations 
• Microsoft word formatting tutorials
  • This document includes step-by-step how-to for formatting a thesis or dissertation in Microsoft Word. 
• Most common format errors found in theses or dissertations 
  • This document lays out the most common errors the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator finds in theses and dissertations. Once you've finished formatting your thesis or dissertation, look over this document and check for these errors. 
• Dissertation process flow 
• Dissertation cover page template 
  • Use this template to create the cover page for your dissertation. You need to submit 2 copies of this cover page to the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator at your format approval appointment. Do not include this cover page in your thesis or dissertation. 
• Dissertation preliminary pages - STEM
  • If you are writing a dissertation in a STEM area, use this template to format your preliminary pages, including your title page, table of contents, acknowledgements, and list of figures. You can begin typing your dissertation into this template at the end of the preliminary pages. 
• Dissertation preliminary pages - Non-STEM
  • If you are writing a dissertation in a Non-STEM area, use this template to format your preliminary pages, including your title page, table of contents, acknowledgements, and list of figures. You can begin typing your dissertation into this template at the end of the preliminary pages. 
• Table of contents - BIO
  • If you are earning a PhD or MS in Biology, all of your preliminary pages will follow the STEM template for your degree level. However, your table of contents will look slightly different. Refer to this template when creating your table of contents. 
• Avoid white space
  • This document shows you how to avoid white spaces in your text near images or tables. Make sure to scroll through all of the pages. 
• Appendices
  • This document shows you how to space and format appendix cover pages. 
• Chapter headings - Non-STEM
  • This document shows you how to format and space section and subsection headings according to the 6th edition of the American Psychological Association style guide. 
• Chapter Headings - STEM
  • This document shows you how to format and space section and subsection headings in STEM fields dissertations and theses. 

There are three phases to a dissertation defense:

1. Public presentation of the dissertation and defense
   • In the public lecture or presentation, the candidate is expected to share the results of his or her dissertation research with the dissertation committee and audience. This presentation may vary in length depending on the circumstances and discipline. At the end of this public presentation, members of the dissertation committee, as well as members, of the audience are encouraged to direct questions to the candidate pertaining to the research.
2. The dissertation committee's meeting with the candidate
   • At the conclusion of the public presentation and defense, the dissertation committee members will meet privately with the candidate to pose further questions about the candidate's research or to address issues related to the dissertation manuscript. The dissertation committee can ask the candidate to address these additional questions or changes to the manuscript. The chair presides at this meeting.
3. Evaluation of the Candidate's Performance
   • Upon completion of the public presentation and defense and the private meeting, the dissertation committee members, in the absence of the candidate and the audience, discuss the candidate's performance and decide whether or not she or he has passed the defense. The chair or one of the co-chairs leads the discussion and communicates the result to the candidate.