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 the Defense Exam with the Graduate School two weeks prior to the exam. Students will bring the Defense Results Form (along with the Title Page & Abstract) to the defense to obtain committee signatures. Programs will submit the final Defense Results to the Graduate School via the grad school online submissions portal.
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 Template
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.
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 (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 through your VIREO submission as an administrative file. Instructions on preparing a curriculum vitae are available here.
Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 Graduation Dates and Deadlines
Fall 2024
- September 16, 2024 – Graduation Intent for Fall graduation opens in YES
- November 3, 2024 – Last day to submit Graduation Intent for Fall graduation in YES
- November 18, 2024 – 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 14, 2024 – Graduation date for Fall graduates
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