Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines
Many Master’s students at N.C. A&T complete a thesis and all Ph.D. students must complete a dissertation. The main purpose of writing a thesis or dissertation is to develop original research and scholarship into a well-crafted document that can be shared with peers and colleagues. The Graduate College is responsible for ensuring that theses and dissertations written by our graduates adhere to consistent formatting and quality guidelines. Following graduation, the final thesis/dissertation document will be published electronically to the ProQuest/UMI Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Database.
Below, you will find official Thesis/Dissertation deadlines, the submission process, and numerous resources to help you successfully write and format your document, including the Thesis/Dissertation Handbook, Word Template, and additional online resources.
NOTE: The student must have applied for graduation before the thesis/dissertation can be reviewed. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the deadline to apply for graduation.
- Monday, March 22: DEFENSE DEADLINE (Last day to defend Thesis/Dissertation)
- Thursday, March 25: SUBMISSION DEADLINE (Last day for Major Professor to send the three submission documents by email. See section “Submission of Documents to Graduate College” below for details.)
- Tuesday, April 13: SIGNATURE PAGE DUE (Last day to submit final copy of Signature Page complete with original signatures of major professor, committee members, and department chairperson. This marks the completion of the thesis/dissertation submission process.)
NOTE: The student must have applied for graduation before the thesis/dissertation can be reviewed. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the deadline to apply for graduation.
- Thursday, May 27: DEFENSE DEADLINE (Last day to defend Thesis/Dissertation)
- Thursday, June 3: SUBMISSION DEADLINE (Last day for Major Professor to send the three submission documents by email. See section “Submission of Documents to Graduate College” below for details.)
- Thursday, June 24: SIGNATURE PAGE DUE (Last day to submit final copy of Signature Page complete with original signatures of major professor, committee members, and department chairperson. This marks the completion of the thesis/dissertation submission process.)
NOTE: The student must have applied for graduation before the thesis/dissertation can be reviewed. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the deadline to apply for graduation.
- Thursday, July 1: DEFENSE DEADLINE (Last day to defend Thesis/Dissertation)
- Thursday, July 8: SUBMISSION DEADLINE (Last day for Major Professor to send the three submission documents by email. See section “Submission of Documents to Graduate College” below for details.)
- Thursday, July 29: SIGNATURE PAGE DUE (Last day to submit final copy of Signature Page complete with original signatures of major professor, committee members, and department chairperson. This marks the completion of the thesis/dissertation submission process.)
How to Submit Thesis/Dissertation to the Graduate College
The thesis/dissertation process has been updated (effective August 2020). Please start by carefully reading the Process Overview documents below.
START HERE: Dissertation Process Overview
START HERE: Thesis Process Overview
Note: Forms & Graduate Faculty List
Thesis/dissertation committee and defense forms can be found on the Graduate College Forms page. The list of graduate faculty should be used to determine committee member eligibility.
Note: Research Clearance Letter
As indicated in the Overview documents, thesis and dissertation research must receive formal clearance from the Office of Research Compliance & Ethics. To obtain the research clearance letter, the student should go to the Graduate Student Research Clearance Page, read the instructions, and submit the form as directed. Please allow at least a week for a response. The Office of Research Compliance & Ethics will send the Research Clearance Letter to the student’s email.
Resources
- Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Handbook
- Thesis/Dissertation Template (Microsoft Word version) -- updated May 2018
- Alternative Version of Word Template (use this if you want chapter-based figure/table numbering): Available Here
- Sample Signature Page (4 total entries, including the Graduate Dean)
- Sample Signature Page (5 total entries)
- Sample Signature Page (6 total entries)
- Sample Signature Page (7 total entries)
- Alternative Version of Word Template (use this if you want chapter-based figure/table numbering): Available Here
- LaTeX-based Thesis/Dissertation Template (LaTeX version, created by Lee Redfearn; note that some components of this template--including the SIGNATURE PAGE--are OUT OF DATE and that the Graduate College cannot provide technical assistance with this LaTeX template. This is just a model to help you get started.)
- Thesis and Dissertation Submission Checklist
Additional Writing Resources
- NC A&T THESIS/DISSERTATION FORMATTING HELP
- NC A&T University Writing Center (309 General Classroom Building; 336-334-7764; schedule appointments at https://ncat.mywconline.com/)
- NC A&T - How to Submit Your Electronic Thesis/Dissertation to ProQuest
- NC A&T Thesis/Dissertation Writing Process Workshop (Video -- and associated Slides)
If you have additional questions, please contact the Director of Graduate Writing Services, Dr. Shea Bigsby, at sbigsby@ncat.edu.
