Ph.D. Thesis Defense

Your dissertation defense presentation must take place at least one month before the commencement date. The length of your presentation should be about 40 to 45 minutes in length. It is best to concentrate on your research and not on a big introduction. The completed dissertation must be handed in to your Ph.D. Committee at least one month prior to the defense date. The student should schedule the date and time of defense suitable to his committee members and arrange for the room and any necessary material. The dissertation must be complete in all details when submitted to the committee. The changes requested or recommended by the committee should be and submitted to the thesis advisor with a cover sheet included. A sample cover sheet will provided to you as you near thesis completion. It is the advisor's signature on the thesis cover sheet that completes your written requirement. Once you have received the advisor's signature, you must submit two copies of your thesis with the cover sheet to the Department. Carnegie Mellon subscribes to the UMI Dissertation Information Service which is designed to disseminate your thesis research through a program of publishing, bibliographic, abstracts and copy services.

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