Thesis Procedures

Thesis Formatting Requirements

• All theses must have a 1.5 inch margin on the left side; to accommodate binding of the thesis.
• All thesis title pages must reflect the information and format of the sample page - use TitleCase to assist with correct capitalization
  • Sample Title Page - Word Template 
• A thesis may have a second title page that follows the writing style used or academic unit convention.
• Please carefully review your submission for clarity, spelling and graduate school requirements.
  • Documents that adhere to the published Graduate School requirements, process faster through our office.
• DO NOT SUBMIT SIGNATURE PAGES
• In matters of style and documentation, the custom of the discipline shall be followed.  The three most commonly used at UMSL are:
  • American Psychological Association
  • Chicago Style Manual
  • Modern Language Association (MLA)

Abstracts

• Abstracts are not required for theses submitted to the Graduate School.
• The abstract for the IRL@UMSL site must be no longer than 350 words, if included.

Schedule Defense Announcement

• Submit the M2, Part A form to approve your thesis committee.
• Work with your committee to choose a date that is at least 3 weeks away.
• Schedule a room that is appropriate for the defense.
• Consult the Graduation Deadlines to determine your graduating semester and the timeline for submitting final documents.

The following packet must arrive, with all signatures, in the Graduate School queue 3 weeks before the oral defense.

• M3 form - the item below is to be submitted as together with this form to gradschoolforms@umsl.edu.
  
  • A nearly final copy of your thesis
    • sample title page

Oral Defense

• Submit the M2, Part B after your defense - this confirms the results of your defense.
  • Part A should already be approved.
  • You will need to circulate the form to each member of your committee, and then to your chairperson for signatures.
• The chairperson will sign, then it should be sent to the Graduate Program Director, then to the Graduate School with the final version of your thesis.
• Once the Graduate School signs the M2, we will send you instructions to upload to IRL@UMSL.  Please ensure that you have made all required formatting changes and committee requested changes to your thesis prior to uploading.

Submit Final Thesis

After the defense and all committee recommended changes have been implemented, students must upload their dissertation to IRL@UMSL. Please be sure that you have made all required formatting changes and committee requested changes to your thesis prior to uploading - so that it can be reviewed quickly.

• IRL@UMSL -  Upload Instructions

After the Graduate School confirms title page and margins, your thesis will be sent to your thesis committee chairperson for their approval. After your advisor approves, the thesis will return to the Graduate School for final approval, after all graduation requirements are met.

If you need to delay availability in the UMSL library, please indicate this request within your upload to  IRL@UMSL. The embargos are subject to Graduate School policies. Please contact the Graduate School if your dissertation needs to be withheld from the public for up to 60 months.

Checklist for Final Degree Approval

The Graduate School will give final approval of your graduate degree after:

• All courses on transcript have letter grades [no DL or IP grades]
• Chairperson approval of final thesis
• All posted requirements have been met