Ph.D. Candidate Graduation Information

Dissertation Preparation Guidelines
All dissertations required as part of a degree program and that can be conventionally printed on 8 1/2" X 11" paper will be accepted ONLY in digital .pdf  format. Regulations and formatting requirements are listed in the Guidelines  for completing the dissertation. All  electronic files submitted for partial fulfillment of degree requirements must conform to the university and Library of Congress national standards before final approval is granted by the Office of Academic Assistance. This brochure explains in detail and gives specific examples of precisely how the format and typeface of the document should appear. Candidates should also follow the Doctoral Flowchart.

In addition to submitting the .pdf  file for library archiving, Ph.D. candidates MUST turn in additional documentation in order to complete the graduation process.

CD of Dissertation .pdf file
In order for secure archiving to take place at the Library of Congress, in addition to uploading the dissertation to the library catalog, candidates must turn into the Office of Academic Assistance a CD-ROM copy of the exact file loaded to the server and approved by the graduate committee.

Survey of Earned Doctorates
Every Ph.D. candidate is required by Federal Regulation to fill out this form completely and submit it at the time of dissertation submission to the Office of Academic Assistance. You can download the survey here or by visiting their website at http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/issues/docdata.htm 


This requirement is explained in the government brochure about the survey and in the pamphlet on confidentiality. Files cannot be uploaded without this paperwork.


ProQuest Publishing Agreement:
Currently, every dissertation produced at Georgia State University is required to be on file at the Library of Congress in microfilm format and available through interlibrary loan as indexed in Dissertation Abstracts. The agent for this process is ProQuest Information and Learning. All graduates must print and fill out this form and turn it into the Office of Academic Assistance with the requested materials before being cleared for graduation. A mandatory  fee is required.


Information for Commencement Program:
Every candidate is required to send to the Graduation Services Office, basic information regarding the expected Ph.D. degree along with selected curricula vitae. This information when provided will be published in the official Commencement Program, whether the candidate attends or not. Download the linked form and submit it by midterm to the appropriate office.Any questions regarding these items should be addressed to the Director, Office of Academic Assistance, College of Education.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Beginning Fall Semester, 2006 in order to continue actively in an academic program in the College of  Education, graduate students must register  for at least a total of six semester hours of course work during any period of three consecutive terms (fall, spring, summer) until completion of degree. In order to graduate, students must be actively enrolled in the program of study during the semester they finish requirements for graduation. See the official definition at  http://www.gsu.edu/es/20564.html

The semester of completion is defined as extending until the day prior to the official awarding of degrees for any semester as listed on the academic calendar published by Georgia State University Enrollment Services.

Ph.D. students in the College of Education follow the college policy of registering for at least three (3) semester hours of research during the semester of the dissertation defense. Also, this college semester hour requirement supersedes that of the university.

“IP” (in-progress) grades will require registration of at least one hour until the outstanding curriculum elements are complete. A student must also be registered to take an exit examination even if it is scored by an outside agency (such as Praxis II or GACE Content Assessments).

An “I” grade, if this is ALL a student needs to complete, will NOT require one hour of Registration.