Final Defense Procedure

• 6 weeks before your anticipated defense
  • Confirm that you have met all procedural requirements to this point. (Thesis-Dissertation Committee Form, Final Course of Study, Research Proposal, Qualifying Exam results (for Ph.D.), Comprehensive Exam Results (for Ph.D.) on file)
  • Contact committee members to propose dates and times (continue conversation until a date and time are set).  Suggest to your advisor that he/she use the university's Oracle Calendar system to schedule a time.
  • Request “Ready to Defend?” form from ChBE office.

• 4 weeks before your anticipated defense
  • Reserve room, computer (if needed) and projector.  The ChBE conference room (room 175) and ChBE equipment may be reserved by appearing in person in the ChBE office.
  • Advise committee of date, time, and place of presentation.
  • Submit “Ready to Defend” form, available in the ChBE office, to the ChBE office.  Submit the Statement of Originality to the Dean's office.
  • Inform the graduate chair of the time and place of your defense, and he will  then prepare the appropriate form and submit it to the Dean's office, placing appropriate copies in your file as well.  This process formally informs the Dean's office of your intent to defend, and they will prepare the various letters to your committee members as well as public announcements.

• 14 days before your anticipated defense
  • Submit electronic copy of thesis / dissertation in PDF format (and hardcopy if requested) to each committee member personally.
  • Submit electronic copy of thesis / dissertation in PDF format to Ms. Valerie Pettit in the Dean’s Office personally.  (Ms. Pettit will initiate preliminary screening of your thesis/dissertation for plagiarism.)
  • Prepare oral presentation. (30 slides or fewer for 30 minutes or fewer)

• 1 day before your anticipated defense
  • Politely ask the department secretary to check that there are five copies of the “Defense” form in your file and ready.
  • Double-check availability of room and equipment.
  • Remind committee members via e-mail of time and place.
  • Remind advisor that he/she must pull five copies of the “Defense” form from your file for signature at the defense.
  • Practice oral presentation.

• At your defense
  • Briefly (20 to 30 minutes) present an overview of your work. 
  • Answer questions from your committee about your work and its relationship to the broader body of knowledge in the field.
  • Wait outside the examination room until the committee invites you back in to hear the decision.

• When you are ready to submit your final copy (at least 1 week before the ETD submission deadline for your graduation quarter)
  • Ask your advisor to pull THREE copies of the signed “Defense” form from your file.  Take them to Ms. Valerie Pettit in the Dean’s office along with the ETD-ready electronic version of your thesis/dissertation.  (Ms. Pettit will initiate screening of your final copy for plagiarism, and then will submit your thesis/dissertation to the ETD office on your behalf for the initial format check.)
  • From this point, you should follow the Guidelines for Submission of Electronic Theses and Dissertations, currently available here at http://www.ohio.edu/graduate/etd.cfm, to complete final submission of your thesis/dissertation.  (Final submission must be complete by the deadline for the quarter in which you graduate.)

Notes

A member of your committee may refuse to approve the thesis/dissertation if (s)he feels that the proposed work or its presentation does not meet the standard for the degree.  In such a case, the committee member must give reason for refusal.  A student having difficulty understanding the reasons for the refusal or the actions on his/her part required to resolve them may consult the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies in the department for assistance or the Department Chair if the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies is involved directly in the situation.  If the scope of work in the final document is consistent with the scope of work in the approved research proposal, insufficient scope of work will not be grounds for withholding approval. 

Any appearance of plagiarism may result in a delay of the defense, delay of submission of the final copy for ETD approval, or refusal to approve the thesis/dissertation.  Avoid problems by thorough referencing and by carefully following the Russ College Policy On Plagiarism.

This page last revised on July 27, 2008 by Daniel Gulino.