Procedural Steps to Degree

Procedural Steps to PhD Degree

This is not a complete list of the requirements of the program, this is a list of necessary actions students must initiate to complete their degree. Please review the Policy 1.1: Graduate Degree Requirements, note any relevant deadlines on the Graduate student dates & deadlines, and the Academic Calendar.

PhD Supervisory Committee

    • The student must assemble a Supervisory Committee in consultation with their faculty advisor/chair prior to their General Exams. Please refer to Policy 4.2: Supervisory Committee for Graduate Students for a complete list of committee composition requirements. 
    • The student must submit a completed PhD Supervisory Committee Form to the GPA. The GPA will submit this request to the Graduate School via MyGrad to formally establish the Supervisory Committee. 
    • At least three members of the Supervisory Committee will also serve on the PhD dissertation Reading Committee. Students should contact the GPA if they would like to update their committee once it has been officially established.
    • Having a hard time finding your GSR? Use this search tool to help narrow down faculty: https://grad.uw.edu/programs/find-graduate-faculty/

Masters Degree Request

The Masters Degree corresponds to the completion of different events (in conjunction with the fulfillment of all UW and departmental requirements) depending on the sub-discipline. Students must submit a Masters Degree request in MyGrad in conjunction with the scheduling or completion of certain assignments: 

Steps to Submit the Masters Degree Request:

  • The student will submit a master’s degree request by logging into MyGrad, going to REQUEST DEGREE > Masters > and entering the appropriate information for a non-thesis master’s degree.
  • Once the Masters Degree request is submitted, MyGrad will generate a Warrant for the Master's Degree. The GPA will email the Warrant to the student.
  • The student will request that their advisor/chair or committee members sign the Warrant once their thesis project has been deemed satisfactory. Once signed, the student will return the form to the GPA.
  • Once the GPA is informed that this requirement has been fulfilled and the student has fulfilled all additional degree requirements, the GPA will approve the Masters request in MyGrad.
  • Notes: Only submit a Masters Degree Request during the quarter in which you intend to complete your Masters degree. Meaning, if it's currently Spring quarter and you intend to complete your degree in Autumn, wait until Autumn to submit the Masters Degree Request. Students must be registered full time when they receive their degree, full time registration is considered 10 credits during Autumn, Winter and Spring quarter or 2 credits during Summer quarter. 

     

General Exam (Candidacy) Request

The PhD Candidacy corresponds to the completion of different events (in conjunction with the fulfillment of all UW and departmental requirements) depending on the sub-discipline. Students must submit a Doctoral (General Exam) request in MyGrad in conjunction with the scheduling of certain assignments: 

Steps to Submit the Doctoral (General Exam) Request:

  • The student will submit an exam request by logging into MyGrad and going to REQUEST DEGREE > Doctoral (General Exam). 
  • Once the General Exam request is submitted, MyGrad will generate a Committee Signature Form. The GPA will email the Committee Signature Form to the student. 
  • The student will request that the Supervisory Committee members sign the Committee Signature Form. The student will return the signed form to the GPA.
  • Once the GPA is informed that this requirement has been fulfilled and the student has fulfilled all additional degree requirements, the GPA will approve the request in MyGrad.
  • Note: Only submit a Doctoral (General Exam) Request during the quarter in which you intend to complete your exam. Meaning, if it's currently Spring quarter and you intend to take your exam in Autumn, wait until Autumn to submit the Doctoral (General Exam) Request. Students must be registered full time when they take their General Exam, full time registration is considered 10 credits during Autumn, Winter and Spring quarter or 2 credits during Summer quarter. 
Screenshot of MyGrad heading which shows the Degree Request drop down menu

PhD Final Examination Request

Please review the Graduate School's policy on Final Examination: Dissertation Defense. Once the date and time of the final examination have been established, the student must submit a Doctoral (Final Exam) request in MyGrad: 

Steps to Submit the Doctoral (Final Exam) Request:

  • The student will submit an exam request by logging into MyGrad and going to REQUEST DEGREE > Doctoral (Final Exam). 
  • Once the Final Exam request is submitted, MyGrad will generate a Committee Signature Form. The GPA will email the Committee Signature Form to the student. 
  • The student will request that the Supervisory Committee members sign the Committee Signature Form. The student will return the signed form to the GPA.
  • Once the GPA is informed that this requirement has been fulfilled and the student has fulfilled all additional degree requirements, the GPA will approve the request in MyGrad.
  • Note: Only submit a Doctoral (Final Exam) Request during the quarter in which you intend to defend your dissertation. Meaning, if it's currently Spring quarter and you intend to defend in Autumn, wait until Autumn to submit the Doctoral (Final Exam) Request. Students must be registered full time when they take their Final Exam, full time registration is considered 10 credits during Autumn, Winter and Spring quarter or 2 credits during Summer quarter.

PhD Dissertation Submission 

Please review the Graduate School's policy and process on dissertation submission by visiting the Dissertation Submission page and the Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs): Overview.  The student should submit their dissertation (ETD) through the UW ETD Administrator Site by the last of day of the Final Examination Week of whichever quarter the student expects to graduate. 

  • Scheduled Final Exams include a link to the Electronic Doctoral Dissertation Approval form for the Reading Committee to approve your dissertation in MyGrad. It is the student's responsibility to ensure their committee signs their Electronic Doctoral Dissertation Approval. Reading Committee Dissertation Approval Instructions. 
  • All signatures should be received by the First day grades are posted to transcript and GPAs are available on MyUW (this is a hard deadline; it might be advisable to request the signatures from your committee by an earlier date). Students will receive email notices when online approvals are entered. Students can also check the status of approvals by logging into MyGrad Program.
  • Students will receive word from the Graduate School once their dissertation has been reviewed. Unfortunately, the Graduate School's process for approving/denying dissertations is not something the department is able to monitor.

Summer Graduation

Full-term registration is recommended for students intending to graduate during summer quarter since degrees are conferred at the end of summer, regardless of A or B term. If no additional courses are needed to fulfill degree requirements, consider registering for an independent study, masters thesis, or doctoral dissertation course since these courses are usually full term (no A or B sections). Registering for 2 credits in summer quarter is considered full time. If you'd like to know the out of pocket cost associated with summer tuition, please visit the Graduate and Professional Tuition Dashboard - Quarterly. 

Summer’s degree conferral date is the Last Day of Instruction (Full-term), formal diplomas are mailed approximately 3-4 months post-conferral date. 

Helpful Links:

  • Preparing to Graduate: This page provides graduation timelines, checklists and frequently asked questions for all students, as well as information specific to those submitting an electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD). 
  • Policy 1.1: Graduate Degree Requirements: If the Final Examination is satisfactory, the supervisory committee members who participate at the examination sign the committee signature form (formerly called a warrant) and return it to the GPA by the last day of the quarter (last day of finals week)
  • Electronic Theses & Dissertations with the UW Libraries: The University Libraries welcomes you to this self-guided course on electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) at the UW. In this five-part learning experience, you will learn a lot about the ETD process including how the submission process works, how to give and receive recognition for your work, how to find and interpret publisher policies and how to read and inspect publishing contracts.
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