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Dissertation Defense

Contact the graduate coordinator at econphdadvising@ucsd.edu to review your doctoral committee and to discuss the process for scheduling your defense. The doctoral dissertation/thesis should be submitted to each member of the doctoral committee at least four weeks before the final defense.

defense-timeline

San Diego Senate Regulation 715, requires that the doctoral committee conduct the dissertation defense. The Graduate Council approved the following rules for the scheduling and administration of doctoral defenses.

Effective Fall 2022:
The default method for the doctoral and master’s committee to conduct graduate examinations (doctoral qualifying examination and final dissertation/ thesis defense) is when the student and all members of the committee are physically present in the same room.
The Graduate Council recognizes, however, that practical exigencies do not always make this possible. Therefore, the Graduate Council will defer to the graduate programs (Department Chair or Program Director) to review requests for exceptions and to make decisions to allow remote participation. The graduate program must ensure that when an exam is approved to be held entirely remote or in a hybrid format (i.e., some members are physically present and some are remote) that the student has agreed to this format.
It is expected that there will be synchronous participation by all committee members in the scheduled exam. If an unavoidable situation arises that affects a committee member’s ability to participate synchronously, the committee chair (or co-chairs) may decide how to proceed. There must be sufficient expertise among present members to examine the student. If a committee member must be absent for the scheduled exam, it is permissible for one absent committee member to examine the candidate on a separate date. The committee chair, or one co-chair, must participate synchronously in the scheduled exam. 

SCHEDULE AND PREP FOR YOUR DEFENSE

You will be required to provide the title of your dissertation, an abstract, a zoom link, date, time, and location at least one week prior to your defense to econphdadvising@ucsd.edu. The dissertation defense usually lasts 90 minutes. You should reserve a room for two hours and reserve an OWL five business days in advance by emailing econfacilities@ucsd.edu. The graduate coordinator will make an announcement to the Economics department 24 hours prior to your dissertation defense. You are encouraged to invite guests. 

 

PRIOR TO DEFENSE

Students who plan to graduate in the current quarter must fill out the online form in Kuali, “File for Doctoral/Master’s (Thesis) Degree Form.”

  • Step 1: Submit File for Doctoral/Master’s (Thesis) Degree Form
    • Fill out the form and submit by Friday of week 4 to indicate your intent to file for degree completion in the current quarter. (Submission after week 4 may result in not being approved for completion  in the current quarter.) 
  • Step 2: “Academic History Review”
    • A GEPA Academic Affairs Advisor will review the “File for Degree” request within 1 week and conduct an Academic History Review. You will be notified via email when the review of your academic history is complete. 
    • Review the “Academic History Review” form (link provided in the email). 
    • Resolve any actions indicated. If there are none indicated, go to the next step.
    • Acknowledge receipt and review of the Academic History Review form by clicking the “I have reviewed all items” button on the form. 
    • You may view your submission by logging into Kuali at https://ucsd.kualibuild.com/.

The next step is described in the "Final Review" section below.  

[Although a preliminary appointment is no longer required, students may request one if needed. After submitting the "File for Degree Form, " request a preliminary appointment at the GEPA Online Calendar. A Zoom link will be emailed to you prior to your appointment.]

 

AFTER THE DEFENSE - FINAL REVIEW

After following Steps 1 and 2, described in the section above, follow Step 3 below.

  • Step 3: “Final Degree Checklist”
    • Use this checklist to identify and track all required actions/items for degree completion. You may save the form to mark your progress as each item is completed.
    • You may view your submission by logging into Kuali at https://ucsd.kualibuild.com/.
    • Once all items are completed, click “Mark Complete” at the top. The form will then route to GEPA for the Final Review. (Refer to the form for a complete list of items) 
      • Dissertation/Thesis release form is signed by you and your committee chair and uploaded to ProQuest under "Administrative Documents".
      • If applicable, co-author permission letters are uploaded to Kuali Link. See permission letter and cover letter Template Link, and guidelines for acceptable signatures link.
      • Successful defense of the dissertation/thesis is completed.
      • Department/program has submitted the Final Report Form in DocuSign. The Final Report Form must be received by GEPA by the 11th Friday of the quarter. 
      • SDSU JDP students only: initiate the signature page in DocuSign at this link. Once all committee members have signed the signature page, it will be electronically routed to GEPA Academic Affairs. 
    • The deadline to submit the Final Degree Checklist to GEPA is the 11th Friday of the quarter or early September for summer graduation (see general deadlines and the Registrar’s Enrollment and Registration Calendar for more information on deadlines and specific dates). If the deadline is missed the degree will be awarded in the next quarter. The degree conferral date is always the last day of the given quarter (see the Registrar's Enrollment and Registration Calendar for specific dates). 
    • Once submitted, your GEPA Academic Affairs Advisor will be notified and will review your final forms within 1-2 weeks (for submissions received by the filing deadline to earn a degree for the current term). 

Fees:

  • Filing Fee/Readmission Fee/Readvancement Fee (if applicable): Students may need to pay the filing fee/readmission fee/readvancement fee. Any fees will be discussed during the preliminary appointment and marked on the Final Report Form. Fees will be assessed to Tritonlink once the degree is processed, after the end of the quarter. A billing statement will be emailed when fees are assessed.

 

RECEIVING YOUR DIPLOMA

It will take about one to two months after the end of the quarter for the degree to post on your transcript. The actual diploma will be delivered to your permanent mailing address about three to six months after the end of the quarter.

 

IMPORTANT LINKS

Degree Completion   |   Dissertation and Thesis Submission Manual   |   Room Reservations