Graduate students and graduate advisory committees should be in close communication during the thesis and publishable paper preparation and defense period. Good planning early in the term will alleviate last minute difficulties by allowing the committee members to review the thesis or publishable paper draft and to plan the defense, paper presentation or examination to suit the student and committee’s schedule. It is important to arrange for the defense or presentation in a timely manner to avoid the risk of committee members being unavailable due to finals and other obligations.

Students are encouraged to submit theses and hold defenses as early as possible. The student is responsible for finding a time where all committee members are able to attend.  Keep in mind that faculty members have many responsibilities and obligations, especially during the period approaching the end of any term and/or in the summer term. Faculty members have no obligation to accommodate students who fail to meet these deadlines, and thus, the student should schedule the thesis defense well in advance and give the committee members sufficient time to read material in advance.

The thesis defense is a public seminar. It must be scheduled and announced no later than two weeks prior to the defense date. Any extensions require a Petition to Graduate Dean [PDF], submitted to gradschool@mtech.edu, and will be granted only in exceptional circumstances.

The dates below are final deadlines. Missing the defense deadline or the final checkout deadline will require the student to register for at least one thesis credit in the following term.

THESIS DEADLINES Spring 2024
Draft thesis/product due to committee chair (suggested). March 29th
Draft thesis/product due to committee members (suggested). April 5th
Final thesis/product due to committee members (suggested). April 12th
Schedule and publicize defense: Submit draft of thesis/product to the Graduate School (at least 2 weeks prior to defense). April 12th
Final thesis/product draft check: Approved by committee, and submitted to the Graduate School for final review and upload. April 22nd
Absolute last day to defend Graduate thesis/product. April 26th
Final check-out list submitted to Graduate School. May 3rd

THESIS DEADLINES Summer 2024
Draft thesis/product due to committee chair (suggested). June 28th
Draft thesis/product due to committee members (suggested). July 5th
Final thesis/product due to committee members (suggested). July 12th
Schedule and publicize defense: Submit draft of thesis/product to the Graduate School (at least 2 weeks prior to defense). July 12th
Final thesis/product draft check: Approved by committee, and submitted to the Graduate School for final review and upload. July 26th
Absolute last day to defend Graduate thesis/product. July 26th
Final check-out list submitted to Graduate School. August 2nd
Thesis Deadlines Overview
THESIS DEADLINES Fall Spring Summer
Draft thesis due to committee chair (suggested). 4-weeks prior to defense 4-weeks prior to defense 4-weeks prior to defense
Draft thesis due to committee members (suggested). 3-weeks prior to defense 3-weeks prior to defense 3-weeks prior to defense
Final thesis due to committee members (suggested). 2-weeks prior to defense 2-weeks prior to defense 2-weeks prior to defense
Schedule and publicize defense: Submit draft of graduate product to the Graduate School (at least 2 weeks prior to defense). 3-weeks before last day of class 3-weeks before last day of class 3-weeks before last day of class
Final thesis draft, approved by committee, and submitted to the Graduate School for final review and upload. 1-week before final exams 1-week before final exams 1-week before final exams
Absolute last day to defend Graduate Product. 1-week before last day of class 1-week before last day of class 1-week before last day of class
Final check-out list submitted to Graduate School. Last day of classes Last day of classes Last day of classes
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