Office of Graduate Education

Master's Thesis Checklist

Registrar:

• Registration for the semester in which the degree will be conferred is required.
• A Degree Application Form, for the semester you plan to graduate, must be on file with the Registrar's Office.

Office of Graduate Education:

PART I:Prior to submission, the items below must already be on file in the Office of Graduate Education.

• An approved Plan of Study must be on file with the Registrar's Office and a copy on file with the Office of Graduate Education. Courses listed on the Plan of Study must agree with courses shown on your transcript.
• An approved Nomination of Master’s Thesis Committee, Provisional Thesis Title and Degree Designation form must be on file with the Office of Graduate Education.

PART II:The items listed below must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Education before a formal review of the thesis will be conducted. In order to complete the review process and notify the Registrar’s Office that your thesis requirement has been met, it is highly recommended that your submission is completed before the thesis submission deadline (but no later than the published deadline).

• A Record of Master’s Presentation form with original signatures of your Examining Committee must be provided to the Office of Graduate Education. Once your thesis has been reviewed and officially approved, this form is signed by the Dean of Graduate Education and sent to the Registrar's Office.
• A completed Graduate Student Exit Survey.
• We ask that you please take a moment to complete the First Destination Survey located at the Center for Career and Professional Development website. We have many employers who request compensation guidelines for PhD graduates. This data can help strengthen salary offers for our students.

PART III:The following must be submitted electronically.

• You will need to use a credit or debit card to pay a $27.00 fee as part of the UMI ETD Administrator submission process. This fee covers the cost of UMI/ProQuest supplying a bound paper copy of your thesis to the Rensselaer Libraries for preservation. Please note that you may file for copyright registration via UMI/ProQuest for an additional $55.
• Submit the electronic copy of your thesis via UMI/ProQuest's ETD Administrator website in PDF format. The thesis submitted must already have been approved by your Committee.

PART IV:Reviews and Final Approval

• Any requests to changes to submitted theses will be communicated electronically and students will need to make adjustments as soon as possible.
• The Office of Graduate Education will approve theses once all requirements have been met and will then release to ProQuest after it is signed off by the Dean of Graduate Education.
• Please Note: To attend commencement in May you must file a degree application with the Registar's Office and attend status check. Please visit the Commencement website for more information.

Thesis Deadline Dates