Completing Your Thesis

• Formatting
• Before your Exam
• Final Copy
• Approval Pages
• Archiving Agreement
• If you have questions, call…

Formatting: You must prepare your thesis according to the guidelines in the Online Thesis Guide (PDF).

Before Your Exam: The examination copy of the thesis (the copy used for your oral examination) must be formatted according to the Online Thesis Guide (PDF), and must be furnished to all members of your examination committee, including the Graduate Council Representative, before scheduling your exam. You must submit the pre-text pages of the thesis to the Graduate School when you schedule your final exam (one week prior to the final exam for master's students; two weeks prior to the exam for doctoral students). See Online Thesis Guide (PDF) for more details.

Final Copy: Copies of all master's and doctoral theses are placed in the University Library for public access. The deadline for submitting your final copy of your thesis to the Graduate School is within six weeks after your final exam or by the end of the second week of the next term, whichever comes first, to avoid having to register the next term for a minimum of three graduate credits. Further delay may also result in re-examination. See Deadlines for the current academic year.

When you submit library copies of the thesis to the Graduate School:

• Include one acceptable reproduction of the thesis (unbound) on 25% cotton bond, 16-lb. minimum-weight paper.
• Submit one electonic copy of your thesis following step by step guidance. Answers to many questions are found in the Frequently Asked Questions page.
• Provide all original approval signatures including yours as the author. Note: It is your responsibility to obtain all required signatures (except the Graduate School Dean's signature) on the thesis.
• Submit your hard library copy in a manila clasp envelope with a copy of the title page taped to the front of the envelope.
• Provide 2 extra title pages for the certification process

If you are a doctoral student, follow the above instructions, and:

• Include an extra copy of the abstract on 25% cotton bond paper with original signatures
• Include an extra title page
• Complete the thesis microfilming form and pay an archiving fee ($65.00); submit the receipt to the Graduate School (see below for more information about microfilming).

The library may return theses that are missing pages or do not meet thesis guideline requirements.

You may limit the accessibility of your thesis to only Oregon State University faculty, staff, and students for a period of one year. If you do so, the document will not be accessible to the world via the World Wide Web for a period of one year. For more information or to request this restriction, contact the Graduate School Thesis editor.

Approval Pages: You are required to obtain all original signatures on your approval pages except for the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dean will sign the Approval Pages after your library copies satisfy all formatting requirements.

Archiving (Microfilming) Agreement (doctoral students only): All major U.S. colleges and universities have entered into an agreement with ProQuest. Under this agreement, doctoral dissertations at Oregon State University must be archived. You must pay for archiving ($65.00) and submit the completed archiving agreement and a copy of the receipt. The publishing agreement is available online at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/thesis/dissertation_publishing_agreement.pdf.

If you have questions, call the Graduate School Thesis editor at (541)737-1466.