General procedures and deadlines

Information regarding graduation deadlines and procedures is available on our Graduation Deadlines web site and on the  Graduate College web site. It is your responsibility to know and follow these deadlines and procedures imposed by both the English Department and the Graduate College.

Application for Graduation (Diploma Slip)

The Application for Graduation (Diploma Slip) deadline for each semester varies. To avoid any problems, it is best to file the Application for Graduation near the end of the semester before you intend to graduate.

Final oral examination

There is a deadline each term for the completion of final oral examinations. Remember, you must be registered for two or more credit hours the semester you take your final oral exam. Any graduate or undergraduate course for two or more credit hours, including GR ST 600 (Examination Only; Credit R), will fulfill this registration requirement. Other conditions must also be met before the Graduate College will approve your request to have your final oral examination (e.g., approved POS committee and POS form, full admission status, English requirement met, not on academic probation, time limit not exceeded, preliminary examinations passed if applicable, no I’s except 599/699).

Getting your committee together

When your creative component, thesis or dissertation is near completion, consult with your POS committee members about convenient meeting times. The earlier you can do this, the better, since it can be difficult to arrange a time when three or more faculty members are all available (especially in the summer). All committee members must be present for the final oral exam. Graduate College approval must be granted (prior to the exam) for POS committee substitutes or replacements by submitting a Request to Change Committee Appointment form. The Graduate College can be petitioned for permission to have a committee member participate at a distance if necessary by the major professor notifying the Graduate College Dean in writing (prior to the exam) and indicating who will sign for the distant committee member at the conclusion of the exam.

Reserving a meeting room is the student’s responsibility and can be done through the department’s online reservation system (online at http://reserve.engl.iastate.edu).

Request for Final Oral Examination form

After the meeting time is established, obtain a Request for Final Oral Examination form from the Graduate English Office, 403 Ross Hall (this form is not downloadable). You must file this form with the Graduate College at least three weeks before your examination. If you have to delay your final oral examination for some reason, refer to the section entitled Possible delays.

Report of Final Oral Examination form

The Graduate College will send the Report of Final Oral Examination form to the Graduate English Office. The Graduate Secretary will prepare this form and forward it to the chair of your POS committee (major professor). It is always a good idea to courteously remind all committee members of the date, time, and place of your final oral exam.

The Graduate College copy (yellow) of the Report of Final Oral Examination form must be submitted to the Graduate College immediately after the examination. Doing so is your responsibility. The department copy (pink) should be turned in to the Graduate English Office in 403 Ross Hall.

Thesis/Dissertation submission

The deadline for final submission of theses or dissertations to the Thesis Office is around two weeks before graduation. You must pay careful attention to the methods used to produce the final submission of the thesis or dissertation. In establishing standards for thesis or dissertation production, objectives are permanence, legibility and readability, uniformity, and reproducibility.

Refer to the ISU Graduate College Thesis Manual and information regarding the electronic submission process on the Graduate College Thesis Requirements Web site. Use the ETD Format Checklist and the Thesis (ETD) Final Submission and Graduation Checklist as your guides in preparing your submission. The submission process involves 1) getting signatures on the Thesis/Dissertation Submission Request Form from your major professor and the Director of Graduate Education before submitting it to the Thesis Office, 2) signing on to the ProQuest Web site by the deadline to submit a single PDF file for Thesis Office review, and 3) making any changes required by the Thesis Office in order to meet format requirements.

Copy for English Department library (creative components only)

You must provide one bound, single-sided copy of your creative component for the English Department library. Please turn it in to the Graduate English Office, 403 Ross Hall, or the Director of Graduate Education who will not sign your Graduate Student Approval Slip for Graduation until this copy is received.

Exit Information form and Exit Survey

As part of the graduation approval process, students must complete the Graduate Student Exit Information form for the English Department and submit both hard copy and electronic copy. This form contains basic information, including the title of the thesis, creative component, or dissertation and its abstract. Students are asked to complete both the Exit Information form (required) and the Exit Survey for Graduate Programs (optional), which asks students to evaluate their graduate experience. This survey is an essential component in our programmatic assessment and improvement initiatives.

Graduate Student Approval Slip for Graduation

Each candidate for an advanced degree is required to complete a Graduate Student Approval Slip for Graduation. This form is sent to the Graduate English Office for each student after the Request for Final Oral Examination form is received and approved by the Graduate College. Signatures are required from the department’s Director of Graduate Education, the Thesis Office, and the Graduate College. The Director of Graduate Education will not sign until the English Department has received its bound copy of your creative component if applicable as well as the Graduate Student Exit Information form. Final clearance of academic requirements will be made when current term grades have been submitted and evaluated by the Graduate College.

Graduation exercises

Cap and gown rental

You should arrange to purchase or rent your cap and gown about eight to ten weeks before commencement. Sources for purchase or rental of a cap and gown include the University Book Store and certain off-campus businesses. For doctoral candidates, ISU provides the doctoral hood at the ceremony, which must be returned either on stage after the ceremony or to the Graduation Requirements Office (10A Enrollment Services Bldg.; 294-2754) the week subsequent to the commencement ceremony. Information regarding the purchase of a hood may be obtained from the Graduation Requirements Office.

Diploma by mail

The Graduation Requirements Office will arrange to mail your diploma if you wish, or you may pick it up in person in 10A Enrollment Services Bldg. after the graduation ceremonies. Call 294-2754 for further information.

Possible delays

If you are not able to complete all requirements on time and must delay your graduation, you must file a new Application for Graduation (Diploma Slip) for the new intended term of graduation. If you have delayed your final oral examination, consult with your major professor to decide on a new date for your orals. This can be important, because if you take your orals on or before the first day of classes for the next term, you will not have to register and pay fees for credit. If you must delay your orals beyond the beginning of the next term, but have finished all other course work, you should register for Graduate Studies 600 (Examination Only; Credit R). You will be assessed the minimum current registration fee (2 credits) for GR ST 600.

In any case, students should remember that delays are often part of the process. In other words, having the Application for Graduation signed by your major professor does not guarantee that you will graduate that term. The submission of this form simply informs the Graduate College of your intentions.