Upon the receipt of the Application for Advanced Degree, the Graduate College sends by email to the student specific directions to follow for the submission of a dissertation/thesis/portfolio/project brief as required for the degree. The following steps below are to help the student to prepare the final written project for the degree.

Step 1:

Start Preparing the Format Early

Acquire and use the UD Thesis / Dissertation Styles to set up the format for your paper. Refer to the UD Thesis / Dissertation Manual for formatting requirements for your document, including examples of proper signature pages.

Step 2:

Submit the Application for Advanced Degree

Graduate degrees are awarded at the end of fall, winter, spring and summer sessions. You must file your Application for Advanced Degree with the Graduate College to start the process.

Step 3:

Take Note of the Deadlines

There are deadlines that apply to doctoral candidacy admission, dissertation and thesis submission and advanced degree application submission. Check the submission deadlines at the bottom of this page.

Step 4:

Plan the Defense Date

Defend dissertation / education leadership portfolio /project brief (thesis if required). Doctoral students: Acquire signatures of the committee members on the Certification of Doctoral Defense form.

Step 5:

Thesis / Dissertation / Education Leadership Portfolio / Project Brief

Prepare a PDF version of your thesis/dissertation/education leadership portfolio/project brief. Submit the PDF to http://www.etdadmin.com/udel

TO Convert to PDF:

• If written in Microsoft Word, click here.
• If written in Tex or LaTex or on a Macintosh, assistance is available at the IT Help Center in Smith Hall or by calling 302-831-6000, ext. 6000.
• Click here > for help with embedding fonts in a Microsoft Word PDF.

Step 6:

SUBMITTING THE THESIS OR DISSERTATION TO THE GRADUATE COLLEGE

The Graduate College will continue to process the submission of theses/dissertations from students by remote methods during Spring 2024 and Summer 2024.  Note that electronic signatures of faculty can be used on all documents.  

For the Spring 2024 semester, the deadline for submission for a doctoral degree is April 15, 2024 and is April 22, 2024 for a master’s degree. 

For Summer 2024 semester, the deadline is July 15, 2024 for either degree. 

Thesis and Dissertation Manual

https://www.udel.edu/content/dam/udelImages/grad-college/graduate-college-pdfs/UD-Thesis-Manual-7-19.pdf

• You will be notified by email that you have been given access to run your thesis/dissertation through iThenticate between the dates of February 25, 2024 through August 15, 2024.
• Upon receiving notification that access has been given, you will receive an email from iThenticate to finish setting up your account.
• You should do the training video at https://capture.udel.edu/media/iThenticate+training+for+University+of+Delaware+October+22%2C+2021/1_b73dwkik/199615283.

 In the order given below, please follow these directions for processing your thesis/dissertation.

• For doctoral students:  As soon as you have defended, send the signed Certification of Doctoral Defense Form to GradStudentForms@udel.edu.

Dissertation defense form:  (https://www.udel.edu/content/dam/udelImages/grad-college/graduate-college-pdfs/certification_doctoral_dissertation.pdf)

• For master’s students: The procedures for master’s degrees vary in each program. Check with your advisor on the procedure in your program.  There is not a defense form that needs to be submitted for a master’s degree
• When you have the final approved version of your thesis/dissertation by your committee,  submit your thesis/dissertation to the ETD site  http://www.etdadmin.com/udel.
• When you submit to the ETD site, the dissertation goes to the Graduate College where the Graduate College will review the PDF and will let you know if there are formatting corrections to make or not.
• Once you hear of any needed formatting corrections and you make the corrections as requested, send the following to the person in your College who is listed in Step 7 so that the Dean of your  College can sign your Dean’s signature page.

You need to include two attachments:

1. A PDF of your final dissertation (no signatures on the signature pages in the PDF

2. A separate attachment in one file that includes: the title page, abstract, committee signature page (with all signatures) and the first signature page that includes the signature of the chair of your department, where the Dean of your College will sign.  Once your college dean signs, the dean’s office will then send those pages to Graduate College who will then have the Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education/Graduate College Dean sign.  You do not need to contact the Graduate College dean for his signature.

• Once the Graduate College receives the signed signature pages and the final audit of the degree is completed, you will receive a letter by email confirming the completion of the degree requirements. 
• Only for Ph.D. students:  Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates on-line at https://sed-ncses.org  (Complete “I need to register.” Once completed, an email will be sent to you with a PIN and Password to access the survey.)  This NSF survey is a requirement.

STEP 7:

WHERE TO SEND SIGNATURE PAGES

Acquire the signatures on the approval page(s), except for the Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Dean of the Graduate College. 

Do not contact the dean of the Graduate College for his signature as the Graduate College staff will do that for you.

Send the signature page signed by the Committee and the dean’s signature page signed by the chair of the department to the dean of your college.

The dean of the college will sign the dean’s page and forward all signature pages to the Graduate College.

NOTE:

• Students in the College of Arts and Sciences are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as aPDF to grad-docs@art-sci.udel.edu.
• Students in College of Engineering are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to katzmire@udel.edu.
• Students in College of Health Sciences are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to kkampe@udel.edu and gporter@udel.edu.
• Students in College of Earth, Ocean and Environment are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to kerbawy@udel.edu.
• Students in Lerner College of Business and Economics are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to  kellyc@udel.edu.
• Students in Biden School are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to spatters@udel.edu.
• Students in the College of Education and Human Development are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a pdf to cmj@udel.edu.
• Students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to kellyjs@udel.edu.
• Students in programs housed in the Graduate College are to send the signature pages and dissertation or thesis as a PDF to delightm@udel.edu.

Getting Ready to Graduate, Copyright, ProQuest and Your Thesis/Dissertation and You

Presented by Dr. Paige C. Morgan

Topics covered include:

• The author's copyright of their dissertation (copyright notice, registration, and the stakes of choosing to register or not register their copyright)
• Use of copyrighted material (how to determine copyright status, how to consider fair use potential, how to get permission, the potential for copyright infringement, and ProQuest's practices)
• Navigating copyright when a thesis or dissertation includes material that has also been (or will be) published in an external journal
• How to get help with copyright questions

View the recording

View the slides