1.10 Program Completion/Graduation

• Work with your Major Professor to determine a date/time and invite all members of the Academic Plan Committee.

Note: Effective Spring 2023, doctoral candidates in the ALT program, see additional information in Section 4.2.7 ALT Final Oral Defense of Dissertation (Final Oral Examination) regarding the public talk component of the Final Oral Examination.

• Determine Final Oral Examination meeting date and time when all Academic Plan  Committee members can meet (must be no later than the Graduate College Final Oral Examination deadline).
  • Exams may be held fully in person, fully remote, or hybrid.
  • ALL Academic Plan Committee members must be present in person or remotely.
  • Don’t forget to reserve a room if necessary for in person or hybrid exam meetings. In the English Department, Ross 215 and 212 are often used and can be reserved by contacting the Graduate Program Support Staff (Jennifer Kilborn; jkilborn@iastate.edu) or the English Department main office.
  • If the date of the Final Oral Examination meeting changes, notify the Graduate College (Lisa Elm; lkelm@iastate.edu; 515-294-4531) and the Graduate Program Support Staff (Jennifer Kilborn; jkilborn@iastate.edu) immediately in order to have the date corrected in the online system.
• Graduate Oral Examination must be initiated by the student in Workday no later than 3 weeks before the date of the exam.
  • The Major Professor must approve the request.
  • The Graduate College evaluates the request, the student’s record, and acts on the exam request.
• Graduate College CANCELLATION DATE
  • If the Graduate Oral Examination form is submitted close to the CANCELLATION DATE, the student should let their Major Professor know to approve the request ASAP and no later than the CANCELLATION DATE because the request must be in the Graduate College by no later than this date.
  • Students on the graduation list who have not requested the date of their final oral exam by this deadline will be dropped from the graduation list that semester by the Graduate College.
• Finish up the Dissertation/Thesis/Creative Component
  • At least 4 weeks before the final oral exam date (or sooner if required by your Major Professor), a draft of your dissertation/thesis/creative component must be given to your Major Professor to get final feedback regarding revisions.
  • At least 2 weeks before the final oral exam date, a final version of your completed dissertation/thesis/creative component must be given to your Academic Plan Committee members to prepare for the Final Oral Examination meeting; any member can cancel the exam if not received at least 2 weeks in advance.
• Final Oral Examination Meeting conducted by Major Professor
  • Major Professor is responsible for :
    • Ensuring that ALL POS Committee members are present in person or virtually.
    • Contacting the Graduate College before the exam begins if last minute arrangements are necessary due to unavoidable emergencies (Lisa Elm; lkelm@iastate.edu; 515-294-4531). The replacement must be fulfilling the same role on the POS Committee as the faculty member approved (i.e., “outside” committee member; English department member outside the major; co-major of minor representative).
  • Major Professor will submit the oral examination results within 24 hours.
    • Conditional Pass conditions must be noted (Note: conditions must be removed by the Graduate Student Approval Form deadline before graduation can be finalized).
    • The student and all Academic Plan Committee members will have 72 hours after the results are reported to dispute the results.
    • Once the 72-hour dispute period has passed, the results are final and will be recorded on the student’s record.

Finishing Up

• Dissertation/Thesis/Creative Component completion
  • Dissertation/Thesis students refer to the Dissertation / Thesis Home website and the Dissertation / Thesis Checklist to make a final review of formatting requirements which might need to be corrected prior to electronic upload and submission to ProQuest.
  • Creative Component students consult with their Major Professor to put project in final agreed upon format prior to electronic upload and submission to the ISU Digital Repository.
  • Submit FINAL version of Dissertation/Thesis/Creative Component to Major Professor for approval to submit.
• English Department’s Graduation Exit Information and Survey form is required from ALL students; complete the online Smartsheets form via the link which will be emailed to you by the Graduate Program Support Staff (Jennifer Kilborn; jkilborn@iastate.edu). They will not approve the Graduate Student Approval Form until after you have completed this survey.
• Electronic Submission to ProQuest or the ISU Library Repository
  • By the Dissertation/Thesis Upload and Submit deadline, upload and submit the final version to your ProQuest/UMI account (http://www.etdadmin.com/cgi-bin/home). Pay the appropriate processing and publication fees.
  • By the Creative Component Upload and Submit deadline (only applies to MA programs), upload and submit the final version to your ISU Digital Repository account (https://lib.dr.iastate.edu).

1.10.3 Commencement and Diplomas

• Commencement participation (optional)–Spring or Fall Commencement only. There is no summer commencement.
• Ceremony Attendance and Diploma Mailing information must be completed in Workday by the deadline indicated on the ISU Graduation and Commencement website (https://www.graduation.iastate.edu/).
• Receive Diploma 3-4 weeks after commencement if ALL ISU requirements have been met.
• Pick up your diploma in the Graduation Office unless you have requested it be mailed on the date specified. Diplomas will only be mailed or available for pick up for graduates who have met ALL ISU graduation requirements (Registrar’s Office, Accounts Receivable, Financial Aid, College Placement, Facilities Management key return, etc.)
  

  1.10.4 Job Placement

Mentoring

As you prepare your dossier to go on the job market, you should seek out advice and mentoring, particularly from your major professor as well as from other graduate faculty. If your major professor is unable to perform this mentoring, please contact the DOGE, who will put you in touch with a member of the departmental faculty who can serve as an alternate mentor.

Students looking for non-academic positions may also wish to contact LAS Career Services (131 Carver Hall, 294-8691, lascs@iastate.edu).

Job listings

Students may access the MLA Job Information List using the departmental access code. Please check with the English Department 203 Ross Hall staff to acquire access.