Thesis Defense & Submission

The deadline to submit for the August degree conferral has passed. The deadline to submit for the December degree conferral is noon CDT on Friday, December 6, 2024. Be sure to upload your Signed Title Page and Original Approval of Candidacy form at the website here after submitting your thesis through thesis.rice.edu.

Students must submit the final thesis to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies no later than six months from the date of the defense. However, in order to qualify for a specific degree conferral date, the submission deadline for that semester must be met. See the academic calendar for deadlines. The General Announcements has complete information on thesis defense.

Administrative Things to do before the defense

• Review the committee members with your graduate administrator. If the committee has changed since the student petitioned for candidacy, then a committee revision form must be sent to GPS prior to the defense (the earlier, the better)

• Register the defense! The thesis announcement must be entered here: https://events.rice.edu/rgs/

  • Doctoral students must announce the defense at least 14 calendar days before the defense

  • Masters students must announce the defense at least 7 calendar days before the defense

• Provide copies of the thesis to the committee members

  • Doctoral students give the thesis to their commitee at least 14 calendar days before the defense

  • Masters students give the thesis to their committee at least 7 calendar days before the defense

What happens before the Defense

A couple of days before the defense the student will receive via email an Adobe Sign link containing 2 forms: an approval of candidacy form and a thesis title page. These forms are to be signed after the completion of the successful defense and they get signed in order. The approval of candidacy form is the committee signing/approving that the defense was passed. The title page is the committee signing/approving the final version of the thesis.

The Defense

The thesis is presented to the committee and it goes great!

Doctoral students can stop by the Tiebrary in the GPS office (Sewall Hall 370) to pick out a tie to take to Valhalla to celebrate!

The Tiebrary is open Monday - Friday 9:00 am - noon and 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Thesis Submission Process

There are 2 online portals that the student will submit items for the thesis submission. The thesis portal and the online thesis submission form. The thesis portal is where the student will upload the defended version of the thesis, final version of the thesis with the signed thesis title page and the signed approval of candidacy form. Doctoral students will also need to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates and upload the certificate that is received after completing the survey. The online thesis submission form portal is where the student uploads the signed approval of candidacy form and the signed thesis title page. This portal is where and how the thesis submission gets approved.

After the successful defense, the student will come back to the Adobe Sign link and fill out the approval of candidacy form and this will go to the committee members for their signatures. They can sign in parallel. The student and the student's graduate administrator will be notified of each signature. Once the last committee member signs the approval of candidacy form, the form will come back to the student to edit the thesis title page. Once this is filled out and signed, the form goes back around to the committee for their signatures. More information on the Adobe Sign process can be found here.

Depending on the feedback form the committee after the defense, below is how the student will proceed with the thesis submission into the thesis portal and the online thesis submission form:

• If your thesis is defended but not complete (e.g., you need to make changes), follow the instructions in Part 1 within one weeks of your defense.
• If your thesis is defended and all changes have been made, submit your thesis using Part 2 below within six months of your defense or before the thesis submission deadline for the upcoming degree conferral
• If your thesis is defended and no changes were necessary, complete all of the steps in Part 1 and Part 2

Part 1: Within a week of your defense

Step 1: Login to thesis.rice.edu

• Navigate to thesis.rice.edu
• Click "Start your submission"
• Login with your NetID and password
• Follow the instructions on the site, using the guides for assistance

Step 2: Verify your information

Verify that all the information is accurate before moving forward.

Step 3: Read the License and UMI Publication Agreements

Assent to the terms of the agreement by checking the appropriate boxes.

Step 4: Provide information about your thesis and committee

• Enter your thesis title, graduation date, abstract, and keywords. The information entered here should match the information in your document.
• Supply the names of your committee members.

Step 5: Upload your signed documents

If you’ve used the online thesis submission process, once all your committee members have signed virtually, you will receive the PDF of the Original Approval of Candidacy form. Print this form, digitally separate the two pages and upload them to thesis.rice.edu:

• The Original Approval of Candidacy is uploaded as an administrative file, and
• The defended version of the manuscript is uploaded as the "Manuscript in PDF".
• The title page should not be signed or submitted until the advisor confirms that the thesis is in its final form and ready to submit.

For guidelines on supplemental files, please click here.

Step 6: Confirm and submit

• Confirm that your information is correct and click the "Confirm and Submit Button".
• This initial submission (Part 1) is not final. Your submission will be sent to GPS for an initial review. You will still be able to edit your submission, thesis, and uploaded documents following the GPS review, typically within two business days.
• If you need to make changes to your submission at this point, do not start a new submission. Contact graduate@rice.edu to have your thesis status changed so you can make edits.

Important Information

• Once GPS acknowledges your defense, your status will be changed to "Defended, Not Final." Please review the thesis format guidelines if you have not already done so prior to submitting the final copy of your thesis.
• Within six months of your defense, you must upload and submit the final copy of your thesis and all supplemental documents. This is Part 2. Once you submit a final copy of your thesis and your signatures have been received, and you’ve completed the required electronic Thesis Submission webform (see Part 2), you will not be permitted to alter your thesis.
• Please make all corrections prior to submitting your thesis. The online webform referenced above replaces the visit to GPS and the Office of the Registrar.

Part 2: Changes made, ready to submit

Step 1: Prepare files for upload

Please note all thesis and administrative files must be PDFs.

• Create a single PDF of your thesis, including the signed electronic Thesis Title Page form. Please review the thesis format guidelines if you have not already done so.
• Separate your electronic Original Approval of Candidacy.
• Doctoral only: complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates and create PDF of the certificate you'll receive upon completion. The certificate will come via email to you.

Step 2: Login to thesis.rice.edu

• Open http://thesis.rice.edu in your web browser.
• Select "Start your submission."
• Login with your Rice NetID and password.
• If you have already started a submission previously, select the action "Edit" or "Continue" to continue a previous submission. Otherwise, select "Start a new submission."

Step 3: View your application

If any of the information is incorrect or needs to be updated, email graduate@rice.edu.

Step 4: Upload the final version of your thesis

• Upload defended and corrected copy of your thesis as your primary document. This action will archive the defended version.
• You must include your signed electronic Thesis Title Page form as the first page of your final version of your thesis.

Step 5: Upload your administrative and supplemental files

Upload the following required documents as ADMINISTRATIVE FILES:

• Your signed Original Approval of Candidacy
• Survey of Earned Doctorates Certificate (Doctoral only)
• Supplemental files are optional and may include non-PDF materials, such as videos, that complement your thesis.

For guidelines on supplemental files, please click here.

Step 6: Send a message (optional)

Add a note here if there have been any changes in your thesis submission data.

Step 7: Once your corrections are complete and all files are uploaded, click the "Complete Corrections" button

Verify that all the information is accurate before moving forward.

Step 8: Complete the online Thesis Submission Form

• Complete the webform here. This replaces what is normally a visit to GPS and the Office of the Registrar for final submission.
• GPS will review the thesis submission and sign the form accordingly.
• You'll receive the form back as a receipt once complete.
• GPS will also sign the Original Approval of Candidacy form, and you and your graduate program administrator will receive a copy.
• The thesis will be published with the electronic title page if there are no embargoes.

Updated July 2024