The General Announcements states, "All oral thesis defenses must take place on the Rice University campus with the candidate and all thesis committee members in physical attendance." The requirement that thesis defenses must take place in-person is suspended through the 2021-2022 school year. Students should register their defenses with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies via events.rice.edu/rgs as before and must include the zoom link for the defense below the abstract.

While virtual defenses are permitted without additional permissions, students may also plan for an in-person or hybrid defense, following campus COVID protocols as posted at coronavirus.rice.edu.

For tips on how to approach an online thesis defense, click here.

Updated December 2021