Dissertation and Defense

Dissertation and Defense

Dissertation Committee

A critical step in the progress towards the degree for doctoral students is the formation of the dissertation committee. Students should plan ahead in forming and maintaining their dissertation committee. The dissertation committee must be established by the time the student is admitted to candidacy.
 
The Division recommends that a dissertation committee consist of at least three and no more than five members. In some departments the dissertation advising structure is such that the dissertation committee may consist of two to three faculty members. The majority of the committee members must be University of Chicago faculty; any exception has to be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Department Chair. The dissertation chair must be a faculty member in the student's home department. Each doctoral program is to articulate which academic personnel are eligible to serve on a dissertation committee and make this information easily accessible to students.
 
Students are expected to discuss the composition of the dissertation committee with the dissertation chair or the Director of Graduate Studies. Students typically choose as the dissertation chair a faculty member with whom they have worked on the development of their dissertation topic. The role of the dissertation chair is to supervise the timely progress of the student's development of the dissertation topic, the research and writing of the dissertation, and to support the student in working with other dissertation committee members. The membership of the dissertation committee may be modified in consultation with the dissertation chair or the Director of Graduate Studies, as long as the dissertation committee adheres to the dissertation committee requirements stated above.
 
The role of dissertation committee members is to provide feedback on the dissertation within a reasonable time period. Generally, this means that dissertation committee members read chapters, provide written or oral responses and participate in the dissertation defense.
 

Dissertation Timing 

Starting in Autumn Quarter 2026, the quarter in which a PhD student successfully defends the dissertation will be the student’s final quarter of enrollment. The full policy is published in the Student Manual. We encourage all PhD students, and especially those who are planning to graduate next year, to review the new policy and discuss any potential implications for their defense timing and graduation planning with their dissertation committees.

In summary:

  1. The quarter in which a PhD student successfully defends the dissertation is the final quarter in which the student may be enrolled and funded, regardless of whether they graduate that quarter or in a future quarter.
  2. Students are expected to submit their approved dissertations to Knowledge@UChicago, the University’s open access repository, during the quarter in which they defend. Students who are unable to deposit their dissertation prior to deposit deadlines in the quarter of their dissertation defense are expected to meet deposit and graduation deadlines for degree completion in the following quarter, during which they will be placed in a non-registered status, which will affect student privileges. Students should consult with their Dean of Students and the Office of International Affairs to understand implications. If graduation does not occur during the quarter following the defense quarter, the student will be administratively withdrawn and must consult with their Dean of Students for appropriate processes for graduation in a future quarter.
  3. Students and dissertation committees should plan the date of defense carefully, paying attention to the Office of the Registrar’s deadlines for graduation application and the library’s deadlines for dissertation submission. 
  4. In rare cases where major revisions are required after the defense, and these required revisions will necessitate significant research and writing such that the student needs to stay enrolled beyond the quarter of defense, students may be approved by the Dean of Students for one additional quarter of enrollment.
    1. For AHD students, a request form can be submitted to the Dean of Students Office following receipt of dissertation results. Note: Submitting this form does not mean automatic approval. The Dean of Students will follow up with the student after consultation with the department/committee.

The current policy that permits students who submit their approved dissertation by Friday of the first week of a quarter to choose whether or not they wish to be registered in that quarter will be eliminated after the first week of Autumn Quarter 2026. This option originated in a time when PhD students were responsible for out-of-pocket tuition, fees, and health insurance and is outdated now that the University funds these costs for PhD students.

The revised policy does not change the fundamental principle that finalizing the dissertation and deciding on the appropriate time for defense remains a conversation between students and their committees

Dissertation Defense Process

The dissertation defense is one of the most important moments in a graduate student’s career. When a student is deemed to be ready to defend the doctoral thesis, the student is the expert in a particular research area.  At the defense the student is expected to cogently and clearly explain their research and how it fits with other scholarship in the field of study. The exact nature of the oral defense may vary by discipline and department, so it is important that the student talk to the dissertation committee chair about what to expect and how to prepare.

The defense typically lasts about two hours and may be open to the public. The defense aims to accomplish two goals. First, it will provide an occasion for the presentation and recognition of the completed doctoral work. Second, it will furnish the opportunity for discussion and formal evaluation of the dissertation.

The timing of the defense will be set by the student in consultation with the dissertation committee. Students should contact their departments to schedule the dissertation defense. Note that some departments do not schedule examinations in summer. The student should send copies of the dissertation to the members of the committee no later than three weeks prior to the defense. The time and place of the defense shall be announced on the department’s calendar of events.  

The chair of the student's dissertation committee and at least one other committee member must be present in person unless there is a reason for a remote defense should that be what the participant wants and the dept/committee approves. In the case that a committee member is unable to attend in person, the committee member may participate by Skype or other teleconference media and dissertatoin will be held in a hybrid format. The defense must be open to all faculty within the department. Broader attendance will be left to the discretion of the student in consultation with the committee.

The dissertation defense shall be an open presentation by the student on the main aspects of the research reported in the dissertation, followed by questions, comments, and discussion. The chair of the dissertation committee or a designee shall act as the moderator of this discussion and shall have discretion to decide whether questions are germane to the topic of the dissertation. After discussion is completed, the departmental faculty in attendance and the dissertation committee will decide privately whether the dissertation defense has been satisfactory.

The dissertation chair or designee will report the results as soon as possible after the dissertation defense to the Dean of Students office by submitting a signed Report of Final Examination and a Dissertation Defense Form. If the manuscript is to undergo revisions, the student will be informed of the timeframe in which the revisions are to be completed.

Dissertation Submission

A final copy of the dissertation must be submitted following the procedure outlined on the Dissertation Office website and by their timelines The defense should be held in sufficient advance of this deadline to allow revisions recommended by the student's dissertation committee.

Students should contact the Dissertation Office no later than early in the quarter in which they intend to graduate in order to resolve any questions or problems they may have in preparing the dissertation. The Dissertation Office staff is willing to look at a draft of the dissertation. Having them do so avoids both the expense and headache of having to re-format the dissertation. They offer a schedule to help students plan for a smooth process to meet these deadlines.

Additional requirements including where the dissertation must be submitted is available at: https://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/academic-policies/dissertation-requirements/

Academic departments may have additional requirements as it pertains to this policy that students must adhere to during the course of their program.

 

Contact Us

Office of the Dean of Students
ahd-dos@uchicago.edu
773.702.1552