Departmental Table for the Final Year

At least six months in advance of planned departure, the student should meet with the thesis committee for a review of progress toward completion of the thesis. At this meeting the student is expected to provide a detailed outline for the proposed thesis, indicating which portions of the research are completed and which remain to be done. If the committee does not already include a member from outside MCDB, plans should be made at this time to recruit an outside reader to be included in all activities of the committee until the final acceptance of the thesis. The reader must be a member of the graduate faculty of the University (temporary appointments may be made for other qualified individuals). At this meeting the committee may also wish to discuss expectations about the format and timing of the final defense. To qualify for consideration of graduation in a given semester, the student must submit the thesis to the committee no less than one month in advance of the University thesis deadline for graduation and three weeks in advance of the planned date for the oral defense. This is to ensure adequate time for revisions if needed. The Graduate Student Office should be notified when the complete thesis is circulated so the office can track the progress of the defense and aid the student in scheduling the defense.

Within two weeks after receiving it, the committee will either approve the content and format of the thesis as adequate for proceeding with the oral defense or notify the student of any revisions required, or both. Final scheduling of the oral defense requires approval of the committee.

The oral defense (Final Examination) includes presentation of a public seminar on the thesis research, followed immediately by a meeting between the student and the thesis committee. Other members of the Faculty may attend this meeting if they choose. The candidate may be questioned about the thesis and about areas of science related to the thesis. A successful thesis defense requires the affirmative vote of at least four of the five committee members