GSAS strongly advises that students distribute final copies of the dissertation to defense committee members at least four weeks before the anticipated defense date, to allow adequate time for committee members to review the dissertation thoroughly. GSAS expects that the defense will take place within two months after distribution. Students who wish to defend and deposit in time for a particular degree conferral date (February, May, October) should keep this timing in mind when planning their final distribution.
The department/program approves the dissertation for distribution by submitting an Application for Dissertation Defense to GSAS at least two weeks prior to the planned defense date. Per GSAS policy, students must be continuously registered up to and including the semester in which they distribute. Please review the registration requirements for distribution.
The final dissertation should be distributed to the examiners either in digital format or printed on paper, depending on the preference of the individual examiners. The dissertation must be complete, including bibliography, footnotes, abstract, and table of contents, and should conform to the norms of the student's field. The Dissertation Office does not examine distribution copies for compliance with formatting.
