All Students must complete the Graduation Intent form on their YES Student Landing page. Students will receive an email notification when the Intent becomes available for the current term. All Ph.D. candidates must schedule their defense in Kuali at least two weeks prior to the exam. Students may bring the Title Page & Abstract to the defense to obtain advisor signature (for abstract) and committee signatures (for title page). Students should submit their defense results in Kuali to their Director of Graduate Studies who should then forward on these results via Kuali to the Graduate School for final approval. Link to Doctoral Actions
Thesis and Dissertation Requirements
Students will create a profile in VIREO to submit the following thesis and dissertation requirements.
Master’s Thesis Requirements
Format Review
A format review is required before thesis approval. Review will take place through VIREO when you first upload your document. Allow at least a week before the deadline for review and revisions. Students should use the template (link below) and consult the Format Guidelines which contain essential information about how to format the thesis. Students who use LATEX may modify the title page of the approved LATEX template for dissertations to prepare their master’s thesis. To request the MS Word version of the template, or for any other questions, please contact etdadmin@vanderbilt.edu.
Master’s Thesis TemplateTitle Page and Abstract
Title Pages and Abstracts may be signed electronically and/or digitally, or in person, and should then be uploaded to Vireo as an administrative file, title page first.
Ph.D. Dissertation Requirements
Format Review
A format review is required before thesis or dissertation approval. Review will take place through VIREO when you first upload your document. Allow at least two weeks before the deadline for review and revisions. Students should use the template (links below) and consult the Format Guidelines which contain essential information about how to format the dissertation. To request the MS Word version of the template, or for any other questions, please contact etdadmin@vanderbilt.edu.
Title Page and Abstract
Title Pages and Abstracts may be signed electronically and/or digitally, or in person, and should then be uploaded to Vireo as an administrative file, title page first.
Survey of Earned Doctorates Completion Certificate (SED)
Students finishing a doctorate degree are required to complete the SED survey. Information provided to the National Opinion Research Council remains confidential and will be used for research or statistical purposes. Submit the Certificate of Completion with your VIREO submission as an administrative file.
Curriculum Vitae
Submit your CV in VIREO as an administrative file.
Spring 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 Graduation Dates and Deadlines
Spring 2025
- January 13, 2025 – Graduation Intent for Spring graduation opens in YES
- February 23, 2025 – Last day to submit Graduation Intent for Spring graduation in YES
- March 24, 2025 – Deadline to submit theses and dissertations for Spring graduation
(*A final defense or submission of thesis/dissertation to the Graduate School beyond this date will result in graduation the next semester) - May 9, 2025 – Graduation for spring graduates; Commencement
Summer 2025
- June 2, 2025 – Graduation Intent for Summer graduation opens in YES
- July 11, 2025 – Last day to submit Graduation Intent for Summer graduation in YES
- July 14, 2025 – Deadline to submit theses and dissertations for Summer graduation
(*A final defense or submission of thesis/dissertation to the Graduate School beyond this date will result in graduation the next semester) - August 8, 2025 – Graduation date for Summer graduates
Fall 2025
- September 15, 2025 – Graduation Intent for Fall graduation opens in YES
- November 2 2025 – Last day to submit Graduation Intent for Fall graduation in YES
- November 14, 2025 – Deadline to submit theses and dissertations for Fall graduation
(*A final defense or submission of thesis/dissertation to the Graduate School beyond this date will result in graduation the next semester) - December 13, 2025 – Graduation date for Fall graduates
Spring 2026
- January 12, 2026 – Graduation Intent for Spring graduation opens in YES
- February 22, 2026 – Last day to submit Graduation Intent for Spring graduation in YES
- March 23, 2026 – Deadline to submit theses and dissertations for Spring graduation
(*A final defense or submission of thesis/dissertation to the Graduate School beyond this date will result in graduation the next semester) - May 8, 2026 – Graduation date for Spring graduates