Graduation Process
Are you Ready to Defend and Graduate?
Students in the CEMB program who are ready to defend and graduate should follow these instructions.
Before Your Defense
- Make certain you have previously filed your Dissertation/Thesis committee form (Masters) (Doctoral)
- If not previously filed, complete the form with committee signatures
- Submit to Dr. Rhoads to sign and submit to the graduate school
- Submit your Dissertation/Thesis Title form to Dr. Rhoads to sign and submit
- Check the final thesis/dissertation submission date and schedule your defense at
least 2 weeks prior
- Doctoral students must announce their defense on the Graduate School website through the online calendar
- Announce your public seminar that precedes your defense by emailing the seminar time, location and thesis/dissertation title, to Dr. Rhoads, cemb_gas@listserv.uark.edu, and cembfac@listserv.uark.edu ,
- Format your document according to the Thesis and Dissertation Guide
- Initiate formatting pre-check process by emailing thesis/dissertation to the graduate school at gradtad@uark.edu
At Your Defense
- Print and take your Thesis/Dissertation title/signature page for your committee to sign
- (As of Fall 2022 the Record of Progress form is no longer used)
- After the defense the committee chair needs to email the Program Director including the results (pass/fail) and the date that the final dissertation was accepted. Note that this date may not be the date of your defense, if edits were required for the final thesis/dissertation.
At Least One Week Before the End of your Final Term
- Remind your department/advisor to complete your Degree Audit
- Forms that must be emailed to Dr. Rhoads, who will email the signed copies to graddegr@uark.edu, include
After Your Defense: The Submission Process
- Prepare your submission packet to be handed in person to GEAR 207/208. Pre-check must be stamped “Approved,” your digital document must be ready to upload, Currently the graduate school is accepting electronic signatures on title page, but has historically accepted only original signatures.
Your Submission Packet Should Contain The Following
- Pre-check form stamped approved
- Thesis/Dissertation title/signature page with committee signatures
- Dissertation/Thesis Title form
- Thesis/Dissertation Submission form (signed by Dr. Rhoads)
- Intellectual Property Disclosure form (signed by Dr. Rhoads)
- (Doctoral students only) Survey of Earned Doctorates Certificate
Important Information about Assistantship Termination
The University has determined that IRS rules require that students who complete all their degree requirements can no longer be a student at the conclusion of finals for that particular semester. Therefore, any assistantship must be terminated after the last date of finals. For example, for any student who completes their degree requirements during the summer term must be terminated from their assistantship at the end of the second 5 week summer session (note: this is significantly before the August 15 date we used to use). Persons terminated for the assistantship can be put on hourly for the remainder of the pay period, if those funds exist. Students are encouraged to check with their departmental fiscal support person as to the exact date of their assistantship termination, and then with their advisor about alternatives for hourly support.