Dissertation Defense and Electronic Deposit

• CUNY Dissertation Process Visual

The Dissertation Visual concisely outlines each step of the process, provides clear instructions, and hosts links to all required forms.

The Graduate Center Bulletin: Dissertation (p. 20)

The student must complete a dissertation that embodies original research. The dissertation must be successfully defended at an oral final examination and be deposited with The Graduate Center’s library before the degree is granted. To defend the dissertation, the student must have been advanced to candidacy. The dissertation must be submitted to ProQuest and The Graduate Center’s institutional repository for publication and archiving. Instructions for preparing and depositing the dissertation appear on The Graduate Center library’s website.

The preparation of a dissertation and its defense form the final evaluation of a candidate’s qualification for the doctoral degree within the academic program. Approval by the program is typically confirmed by action of the Graduate Council and the City University’s Board of Trustees. Dissertation committees consist of at least three members of the CUNY doctoral faculty
and are approved according to procedures detailed in the governance document of each program. The program will announce to the Provost and, by posting and/or other means, to the general public and the members of the committee the time and the date of the defense.

• Dissertation Evaluation Form

• SAMPLE Dissertation Evaluation Form

​THREE Dissertation Evaluation Forms must be received four weeks prior to the dissertation defense date in order for the Psychology Executive Office to officially notify the Provost’s Office of the defense. Outstanding Dissertation Evaluation Forms must be received by the day of the defense.

Top Section of Form: The student fills our EVERYTHING in the form before distributing it to committee members. The Advancement to Candidacy date is found at the bottom of your transcript. Be sure to complete the section for Chairperson and Evaluator and the Campus for each.

• The Dissertation Evaluation form is writable. Illegible forms will be returned.
• Original faculty signatures are not required. Electronic signatures are accepted.
• Please Note: Students should consult with their advisor about the timely distribution of Dissertation Evaluation Forms to committee members.

Please send the completed form as an email attachment to the APO of Academic Support and Student Progress (bkasinitz@gc.cuny.edu). The form may be sent to bkasinitz@gc.cuny.edu either by the student, the advisor, the committee member, or the Administrative Support person for your program.

• Report of Final Examination

Before the dissertation defense, the student will complete the top section of the Report of Final Examination form, including committee members’ names and affiliations. The form is then sent as an electronic attachment to the Committee Chair.

At the end of the dissertation defense, committee members will send an electronically signed Report of Final Examination form or an email approval of the defense to bkasinitz@gc.cuny.edu. The Committee Chair will complete the form indicating whether the exam has been passed without revisions, with minor revisions, with major revisions, or whether the student has failed the exam. The Committee Chair will then send the Report of Final Examination form with an electronic signature or email approval to bkasinitz@gc.cuny.edu.

The APO for Academic Support and Student Progress will get the Executive Officer's approval and forward the form on to the administration for further processing.

• Psychology Form/Signature Procedures

• Approval of Revised Dissertation Form

Upon completion of the required revisions to the dissertation, the student completes the top section of the Approval of Revised Dissertation Form and sends it as an email attachment to the Committee Chair for approval.

If there are minor revisions, the Approval of Revised Dissertation Form will require the electronic signature or email approval of the Committee Chair once the revisions are completed and accepted.

If there are major revisions, the Approval of Revised Dissertation Form will require the electronic signature or email approval of the Committee Chair and two other committee members once the revisions are completed and accepted.

The form should then be emailed to the APO for Academic Support and Student Progress (bkasinitz@gc.cuny.edu), who will get the Executive Officer's approval and forward the form on to the administration for further processing.

• Psychology Form/Signature Procedures

Dissertation Deposit Procedure

If minor or major revisions are needed, students can start the deposit procedure after all revisions are completed and approved. If no revisions were needed, students can start the deposit process after they defend.
 
The electronic deposit is complete when student has completed all steps outlined by the library's website (linked above) and has received confirmation from Roxanne Shirazi that their deposit is complete.

If you want to order personal bound print copies of your dissertation, you may either place an order through ProQuest (the option will be presented to you during the upload process), or you may order directly through Acme Bookbinding [acmebinding.com], the same bindery that produced the library’s bound copies. They are located in Massachusetts and are slightly less expensive than ProQuest. The Library DOES NOT handle the orders.

Contact Information for Dissertation Librarian
Roxanne Shirazi
Dissertation Librarian
Graduate Center Library, Room 2304
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212.817.7069
rshirazi@gc.cuny.edu
deposit@gc.cuny.edu​

• Graduation Dates and Deadlines

• Instructions on How to Apply for Graduation in CUNYfirst

Please be sure to apply for graduation in CUNYfirst. To do so, log in to CUNYfirst and select Student Center from the main menu. Under Academics, click on My Academics and select "Apply for Graduation.” Click on the “Apply for Graduation” link located next to your current Graduate Center degree program. You will be prompted to select a graduation term. Students filing for the February degree date should select the preceding Fall term; students filing for the May/June degree should select the current Spring term; students filing for the September degree should select the Summer term. This will notify various offices at The Graduate Center, including the Library, that you plan to deposit a dissertation, thesis, or capstone project for the next degree date. Students can “View Graduation Status” to see when each program has been applied, approved (all degree requirements met), or awarded (degree has been conferred).