Dissertation, Specialist Project and Thesis Approval Forms
Approval form instructions
- Choose the appropriate form from the menu below and save it to your hard drive or disk. You must have the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to proceed.
- Click in the "Date" field and type in the date of the defense, then tab to the next field. The signature spaces at the bottom will remain blank.
- In the next field, type your name exactly as you would like it to appear on your Thesis, Specialist Project, or Dissertation. The name and title on your manuscript must match the approval forms exactly.
- Your title will be inserted in the third field. Again, make sure that the title is typed exactly as it will appear in the manuscript. If your title exceeds the length of the first title line, place the rest of it on the second line by tabbing to or clicking on that field. If your title will not fit on two lines, please contact the Graduate College. Otherwise, tab twice to get to the Degree field. There are no quotation marks surrounding the title.
- Sometimes the program name is the same as the department name; sometimes it differs. Please fill in both fields. If you are unsure, check with your department.
- After inserting the department and program name, tab or click over to the spaces below the signature lines to insert the names of your committee members. List the name, then a comma and the abbreviation for the highest degree received, for example, Albert A. Michelson, Ph.D. Be sure to have the correct degree of your advisor.
- Your committee members will sign the forms upon their approval of the document. They may digitally sign, or sign in black or blue ink. The signature and date spaces at the bottom of the form are left blank until final approval is granted by the dean of the Graduate College.
- Proofread carefully to ensure the forms are accurate before printing for signatures. Make sure that all fields are filled in, the student name and the title of the paper are exactly the same as they appear on the title page and abstract, and that the name of the department/ program match the officially approved name of the department/ program. Do not use correction fluid, ink, or erasers to correct errors on the forms - they must be retyped. If you have a question about filling out these forms that this page doesn't answer, please contact the Graduate College well in advance of your defense. Approval forms with errors or extraneous markings will be sent back to be re-signed and resubmitted, which could delay your graduation.
- This document must be printed on a laser (or similar quality) printer. If you would like to use a heavier paper type for the approval forms, this is acceptable. For master's theses and specialist projects, print two forms. For doctoral dissertations, print three forms.