STEPS TO GRADUATION — CHECKLIST

Ph.D. Students 

All Graduate School paperwork is due to the Graduate Office 3 business days prior to the Graduate School's official deadlines and these deadlines could be earlier than listed below so be sure to check them*  

Preparing for your dissertation defense

• Check Graduation Deadlines
• Apply for Graduation through Testudo by the first week of the semester in which you plan to graduate. (If you do not graduate this rolls over)  

• Submit the Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee Form to the Graduate Office during the first month of the semester in which you plan to defend; if you need to nominate a Special Member to sit on your committee, please fill out this Google Form at least 3 weeks before the deadline for submitting the nomination form.

• After the student’s committee is approved by the Office of the Registrar, the committee chair (or designee) will submit a request for the Electronic Report of Examining Committee (REC)* 

Scheduling Your Defense: Rules & Processes

Graduate Office suggests defending no later than 2 weeks before the deadline to submit your final dissertation.

• Determine the date and time of your defense
• Book a room for your defense
  • Here is the list of Rooms for Graduate Students (during Wing 1 Renovation)
  • Our department Resource Booking System can be accessed here
• Announce your Ph.D. defense

Please fill out the linked form with the requested information and email Erin or chem-gradoffice@umd.edu if you have any questions or concerns (failing to do this could result in the cancellation of your defense).  

Dissertation Seminar and Defense  

• Provide a copy of your completed dissertation to your committee at least 10 business days before the defense.
• Your committee should fill out the Graduate Outcome Assessment form 

Graduate Outcome Assessment-Dissertation Defense Evaluation (CHEM) 

Graduate Outcome Assessment-Dissertation Defense Evaluation (BCHM)

• Student files and paperwork (finished or not) should be returned at the end of the meeting. Your advisor should NOT keep the paperwork.

Report of Examining Committee Signatures

• This should occur no less than 3 days prior to the final Graduate School deadline
• Finish all revisions to the dissertation and get final approval from your advisor and/or Committee
• Remind your advisor to sign off the REC form
• Check with the Graduate Office to see if your REC form is complete

Submit Defended & Approved Dissertation  

• Submit the Final Dissertation to the Graduate School using ProQuest ETD by the Graduate School deadline
• Students may place an embargo of up to two years on electronic access to their document through ProQuest's Digital Dissertations and DRUM without approval from the Graduate School
• You may submit a Dissertation Embargo Request if you’d like to place an embargo that’s more than 2 years.

After submitting your dissertation:

• Complete the Graduate School Surveys
• Pay any balance on your student account  – required before you can receive your diploma.
• Confirm your address is accurate in the UMD system
• You are technically a student until the conferral date. You cannot move to a non-student appointment on campus until after that date, nor should you register for OPT to begin before that.
• Fill this form to provide Graduate Office with your permanent contact information and any placement information.
• If necessary, request a Certification of Completion letter from the Registrar’s Office. This is primarily used during the job search if you defend early in a semester and need to prove you are finished.
• Register for CMNS Commencement (Mid-Semester, Fall & Spring). Check the CMNS website for Commencement information