Thesis Submission

No later than six months from the date of the examination, candidates who successfully passed the oral examination in defense of the thesis must submit two signed copies of the thesis to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. If the thesis is not ready for final signature by the end of the six-month period, the “pass” will be revoked and an additional oral defense will need to be scheduled. Applications for an extension without reexamination must be made by the candidate with the unanimous support of the thesis committee, endorsed by the school dean, and approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Extensions of this six-month period for completion without reexamination will be granted only in rare circumstances.

Checklist for Master's Thesis Submission 

Checklist for Doctoral Thesis Submission

All Forms

Procedures

6. Complete a University Microfilms Inc. (UMI) Dissertation Agreement Form.  The doctoral UMI Agreement form is also located here; the master's UMI agreement form is also located here.   

   NOTE: UMI offers a number of optional services to the candidate. These include an offer to provide either hardcover or soft cover copies of the thesis, an offer to file a claim of US copyright, as well as open access publishing via UMI. Rice University does not require the candidate's acceptance of any of these optional services. The candidate is required only to provide the information related to the thesis requested on the front of Agreement Form (this includes your present and future mailing address) and to sign the Dissertation Agreement on the back.

   Additional Copies of Thesis

   UMI provides "One-time Only Author Discount Copies."  These copies are typically delivered within a year of the summer following the student's graduation.  A listing of other bookbinders is also available. 
   

   Copyright  
   

   Candidates who desire to have UMI file a claim of copyright for their thesis must obtain a certified check or money order (no personal checks) for $65, made payable to University Microfilm Inc., and attach it to the agreement. In that case, the following copyright notice must appear on a separate page preceding the title page in every copy of the thesis:

   Copyright
   Writer's Name (name as it appears on title page)
   Year (year of graduation)

   A student who wishes to copyright should discuss the possibility of doing so with the directing professor early in the research project, since the terms of some grants and contracts prohibit copyrighting of thesis materials developed under their sponsorship.  Additional information on copyrighting your thesis here. 

   Open Access Publishing 

   Rice University's Center for Digital Scholarship offers Open Access publishing free of charge.  This is accomplished separate from the thesis submission process.  For information on open access thesis publishing please e-mail dli@rice.edu for assistance.
   

7. For the doctorate only:  Complete a Survey of Earned Doctorates questionnaire.
8. Pay the Cashier (First floor, Allen Center) for binding two copies of the thesis (one to be kept in the Rice University library and one for your department) and for the other services listed in the fee schedule.  
   Fee Schedule
   

   Thesis binding, two copies	$38.50
   Microfiche for Rice archives	$17.00
   Required services provided by University Microfilm Inc. (UMI), including publication of the abstract in Dissertation Abstracts International or Masters Abstracts:
   for doctorate for master's	$65.00 $55.00
   Open Access Publishing (optional selection in UMI agreement) Map pockets, if needed	$95.00 $2 per volume
   Total fees for traditional publication of a Doctoral thesis: Total fees for traditional publication of a Master's thesis: Total fees for open access publication of a Doctoral thesis (this is also available free of charge): Total fees for open access publication of a Master's thesis (this is also available free of charge):	$120.50 $110.50 $215.50 $205.50

   OPTIONAL: Copyright fee: $65 (certified check or money order to University Microfilm Inc.)  

   NOTE: The Cashier will issue a receipt for the above payment that will also be used to validate the acceptance of your thesis. You can pay by cash or check. The Cashier's office is unable to accept credit card or online payments for thesis processing fees. When you submit the final copy of the thesis, the receipt will be signed by the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to indicate that the thesis procedures have been followed. Later it will be signed by a representative of the Woodson Research Center to signify that your thesis has been received by the library for safekeeping. The receipt will also be signed by the registrar’s office. Please take care of this receipt.

When the four tasks listed above (Items 6-9) have been completed:

10. Submit the final copies (2) of your thesis (together with the items listed below) to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.

    NOTE: In order to graduate in any particular year, the final thesis must be submitted to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies by the deadline listed in the academic calendar in the General Announcements. This deadline is absolute and cannot be extended. The thesis submission deadline for May 2009 degree conferral is NOON on April 17, 2009.

    The designated hours for submitting a thesis are 1:30-3:30PM, Monday–Friday or by appointment (713-348-4002). Hours will be extended in the two weeks prior to the end of each semester (This semester's extended hours are: Nov 23rd - Dec 3rd - 8:30AM-4PM and Dec 4th - 8:30AM-NOON.)

All of the items listed below must be brought to the Graduate Office (323 Allen Center) when the final copies of your thesis are submitted. If these procedures are not followed correctly, your thesis will not be accepted until the revisions are made.

1. 1. Two acceptable copies (on 100% cotton rag or 20 lb. bond paper) of the thesis. The title page of each thesis must have original signatures of all members of the Thesis Committee; typically available from Delivery Services (the post office) and the campus bookstore.  Click here for a campus map .
   2. Two 12" x 15-1/2" manila clasp envelopes; typically available from Delivery Services.
      
   3. The Cashier's receipt.
   4. Four copies of the signed title page (in addition to the copy that is attached to the Dissertation Agreement).
   5. The original Approval of Candidacy form, properly signed by members of the thesis committee to signify successful completion of the oral defense, with the exact title of the thesis typed on the appropriate line.
   6. Two labels (available in the thesis submission packets from the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies) used to identify the unbound theses while they are being stored in the Woodson Research Center of the Fondren Library. Complete the labels, but do not attach them to the clasp envelopes.

      Complete the labels by filling in-

      Name—your name, last name on the first line and first name on the second line
      Type of degree—for example M.A. or M.S. or Ph.D.
      Copy—the first copy of your thesis is copy 1, and the second is copy 2
      Volume—If your thesis is more than 1 3/4 inches thick, it must be bound in two volumes. The thesis should be split in more or less equal parts at some sensible point, such as the start of a new chapter, and each part should be packaged in a separate envelope. Label the first label Copy 1, Volume 1 of 2, the second label Copy 2, Volume 2 of 2. The third label will have Copy 2, Volume 1 of 2, and the fourth label will contain Copy 2, Volume 2 of 2. If you have only one volume, your first label will have Copy 1, Volume 1 of 1, the second label will contain Copy 2, Volume 1 of 1.
      Department—list your department

      Indicate whether or not you will be copyrighting your thesis.

   7. The University Microfilms (UMI) Dissertation Agreement (for Master's) (for Doctorate) with a cashiers check or money order to cover any optional services. One extra copy of the title page and one extra copy of the thesis abstract should be clipped to the agreement.
   8.  Statement of Responsibility. This form indicates that you are aware that your thesis cannot be distributed unless it is in good order. Please include a current address or e-mail address at which you can be contacted if there are problems with your thesis.
   9.  Access to the Library form.
   10. The Survey of Earned Doctorates questionnaire, if applicable.

       Assemble the thesis and other documents in this order-

       • · Copyright (if applicable)

         --AND--

       • · Title page (preceded by copyright notice if applicable)
       • · Abstract
       • · Acknowledgments
       • · Table of Contents
       • · List of Tables, etc., if any
       • · Preface, if any
       • · Text (The first page of the text is the first Arabic-numbered page)
       • · Notes (unless they appear on pages of text or at end of chapters)
       • · Bibliography or list of references
       • · Appendices, if any, may follow notes or bibliography.

       After your thesis is accepted by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies:

       · Deliver the two approved copies of the thesis in their envelopes, the cashier’s receipt, and a copy of the title page with the degree-granting department circled in red to the receiving agent of the Woodson Research Center of Fondren Library. (This is a good time to turn in carrel keys and overdue books and pay any outstanding library fees.

       NOTE: After the thesis has been turned in, you may not have access to it.

       · Deliver the original Approval of Candidacy form, signed by the Thesis Committee and the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and the cashier’s receipt to the Registrar’s office. The cashier’s receipt will be signed, indicating you have submitted the Candidacy form to the Registrar.  You may also submit your application for degree at this time.  

       NOTE: After the two copies of the thesis are delivered to the Woodson Research Center, it remains there until after commencement of the same school year. During this time, no one may retrieve a thesis without the written permission of the Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies Office. Within several weeks after commencement, a person from the library’s Technical Services Department retrieves the first copy of all the theses and sends them to University Microfilms, Inc. UMI microfilms and binds them and sends them back to the Fondren Library. These copies are then cataloged and sent to the stacks. The microfiche copies are stored in the Woodson Research Center. At this time the second copy is sent to a regional bindery. After binding it is returned to the Fondren Library. The degree-granting departments are contacted to pick up the second copy.