Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Requirements

Students submitting a thesis or dissertation need to make sure it meets both the standards established by their faculty advisors and discipline, and The Graduate School's thesis and dissertation formatting requirements (below).

The Degree Completion Assistant reviews all theses and dissertations to ensure that your document meets The Graduate School's formatting requirements. Because correct formatting is required before the thesis/dissertation receives final approval, failure to adhere to these requirements can delay your degree conferral.

Formatting Requirements

Consult the Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Instructions (PDF) for a complete guide to formatting your manuscript. The Formatting Instructions cover the following topics:

Manual of Style
General page formatting (including page margins, font size and color, hand lettering and corrections)
Sequence of pages (page order)
Page numbering
Tables and Figures
Illustrative Materials
Specific Page Layouts (Title Page, Copyright Notice, Committee Page, etc.)

The Graduate School also provides a Thesis/Dissertation Template (MS Word).

Printed Copies of Your Thesis/Dissertation

All departments/programs require a bound copy of your thesis or dissertation EXCEPT the following:

Computer Science (Master's students only)
English
Philosophy (SPEL and PPL)
School of Management

Print Quality

The manuscript should be clearly readable throughout, for both electronic and printed documents. Any photocopies should be checked to make sure they are legible. If there are questions regarding print quality, you are encouraged to consult The Graduate School.

Use single-sided (simplex) printing for your manuscript. Do not staple. Do not hole-punch.

Submission

You must submit your thesis/dissertation by the deadline indicated in the academic calendar.

Follow The Graduate School's instructions for submitting your thesis or dissertation.

Please consult your department or faculty advisor to find out whether you have to defend your thesis/dissertation before submitting it to The Graduate School.

Formatting Help

The Graduate School provides online instructions for formatting your thesis or dissertation, as well as a sample thesis/dissertation template for MS Word. If you have reviewed these documents and have questions about formatting requirements, please contact the Degree Completion Assistant.

If you need assistance with your word processing software, we recommend using online tutorials and help pages designed for your software.