To successfully complete your thesis or dissertation, specific documents must be submitted at designated stages of the process. Please use the checklist below to stay on track.
Before Your Defense
These forms must be completed and submitted before you hold your defense:
1. Application for Admission to Candidacy
- Purpose: To verify that you have met all the necessary requirements for your specific graduate program.
- Deadline: Prior to the posted deadline for your desired semester of graduation (see the Academic Calendar for specific semester information).
- Action: Complete and submit electronically to the Graduate College.
2. Appointment of Supervisory Committee
- Purpose: Identifies the faculty who will guide your thesis/dissertation.
- Deadline: No later than submission of your Application for Admission to Candidacy.
- Action: Complete and submit this form electronically to the Graduate College.
3. Graduate Defense Notification
- Purpose: Officially notifies the Graduate College of your scheduled defense and triggers the public posting of your defense.
- Deadline: At least two weeks before the scheduled defense.
- Action: Submit this electronic form to apprise the Graduate College that your graduate defense has been scheduled (announcement is required and should precede the presentation by at least two weeks).
- Purpose: Documents official approval from your committee at the defense.
- Deadline: Bring this form with student information and title of thesis/dissertation filled in to your defense.
- Action: Fill in the student information and the title of your thesis or dissertation on this form. You will bring this filled in form with you to your defense. If your defense is being conducted remotely, the completed version of this form can be shared electronically with your committee.
- Dissertation students: Give a filled in version of this form to your Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR) at the defense.
- Thesis students: Give a filled in version of this form to your committee chair at the defense.
When You Upload Your Advisor-Approved Document
The following materials must be submitted when you upload the advisor-approved version of your thesis/dissertation to ProQuest:
5. Access Agreement for a Thesis or Dissertation
- Purpose: Indicates how your document can be accessed in ProQuest and Scholarworks.
- Action: Complete and submit electronically to the Graduate College. If you need to delay public access to your work, you will complete an Embargo Request (see below) instead of the Access Agreement.
6. Embargo Request for a Thesis or Dissertation (Optional)
- Purpose: Allows you to delay public access to your work due to sensitive information, publication rights, to maintain intellectual property during the patent application process, or other concerns.
- Action: Complete and submit electronically to the Graduate College, only if requesting an embargo.
7. Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Requirements Checklist
- Purpose: This checklist document helps you ensure your manuscript has been formatted to Boise State University Graduate College publishing requirements.
- Action: Review carefully and confirm adherence before uploading as supplemental material into ProQuest along with your thesis/dissertation document.
8. Approval Page for Electronic Copy
- Purpose: Serves as the official approval in the digital version of your work.
- Instructions: Use the correct template and ensure that all names and titles are correct. Include this page in the electronic version of your thesis or dissertation following the copyright page.
9. Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) — Doctoral students only
- Purpose: The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is an annual census of all research doctorate recipients in the United States that has been conducted since 1958. The data are collected for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Learn more about the survey and why your response is important at the SED Information Page.
- Action: Complete the online survey and submit as directed.