Ph.D. / M.S. Thesis Format Review Guidelines

• Complete the CS Department format review by the posted deadline for the term. Please refer to the Thesis Office requirements for formatting instructions and "Steps for Deposit" for their electronic deposit guidelines. Allow a week to submit your electronic deposit for the Thesis Office review prior to their deadline. This will allow them to review your thesis and respond back to you with any required changes before their final posted deposit deadline.
• The departmental format review is completed by Jennifer Comstock (PhD dissertations) and Cassandra Phelps (MS theses) in the Academic Office. No appointment is necessary. The CS Department formatting requirements are the same as the Thesis Office requirements. (Students planning to use a template can request a copy from Jennifer Comstock or Cassandra Phelps. Please do not use templates prepared for other departments.) To complete your Ph.D. dissertation format review, please email your dissertation in PDF format to Jennifer Comstock.  MS theses must be sent as a PDF file to Cassandra Phelps.
• Download as appropriate, the Masters Thesis /Dissertation Approval (TDA) form or the Ph.D. Thesis /Dissertation Approval (TDA) form. For MS student, the Thesis Advisor will sign as Director of Research. For PhD TDAs, the entire committee signs the form and the Academic Office will assist you in obtaining an electronic signature from the external committee member. However, please allow additional time for the approvals to be returned in time to meet all deadlines.

  You must type in the information on the TDA form. Information cannot be hand-written on the form. Student name must match how it appears in the Banner system.  Title Page guidelines and samples are available from the Graduate College. Students can also check with Jennifer Comstock in the Academic Office. It is very important to have a Title Page check done in the Graduate College Thesis Office prior to having this form signed. The Thesis Office can now review your title page by email (thesis@illinois.edu). Students should attach a PDF or MS Word document and include the words "title page" in the subject line. Please allow up to two business days for the Graduate College Thesis Office to review your title page.

• Review the options to release your thesis/dissertation to IDEALS and ProQuest (for doctoral dissertations only) at the Graduate College.
• If a thesis needs to be withheld from public release to protect materials or for patents issues, the student should submit a Thesis Withholding Request Form prior to submitting the thesis for review at the Graduate College. The Thesis Office encourages students to read the Graduate College's statement on the use of previously copyrighted material in a thesis and the responsibility of students to exercise sound authorship practices.
• Upload any copyright permission letters (if needed) with your thesis submission.
• PhD students need to complete the Doctoral Exit Survey and the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
• Complete the CS Graduate Release form. You will need to log in with your netID and active directory password.
• If you are planning on participating in the graduation ceremonies, please refer to the Commencement Office website for complete deadlines and details. Hooding ceremonies for the PhD and MS students will be held at May graduation. In addition, the Graduate College organizes a December doctoral hooding ceremony for doctoral degree recipients whose degrees are conferred in December. PhD students graduating in the Fall term can participate in the Graduate College doctoral hooding ceremony and/or the May graduating ceremonies.

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Students on Assistantships and Fellowships:

Students holding fellowships must notify the Graduate College Fellowship Office in advance of thesis deposit. Depositing your thesis when holding a fellowship may result in a change in the terms of the fellowship award, including its termination. Effective Spring 2008, students with assistantship appointments (RA, TA, GA, PPGA) are eligible to hold their assistantships through the end of the semester in which they deposit, regardless of the deposit date during that semester.

For additional information on campus fellowship and assistantship policies, please refer to Chapter 8 of the Graduate College Handbook (Note: Graduate students on fellowships should pay close attention to "Thesis Deposit / Graduation for Fellows " section of Chapter 8 in the Grad College Handbook). Questions regarding these policies should be addressed to the Graduate College Fellowship Office.