Are you on target with your paperwork for Spring 2012 Graduation (Plan A or Plan B Thesis or Dissertation)?

Fall Semester:  If you are planning to graduate in Spring 2012, you should have the following done by end of the Fall semester:

1. Supervisory Committee Form (See http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-my-supervisory-committee-and.html)
2. Program of Study Form (see http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-program-of-study-form-and-why.html
3. Proposal Defense Form, if you are doing a Plan A thesis or Dissertation. If you are doing a Plan B thesis, you need to have a defense meeting with your committee, but there is no paperwork that needs to go to the grad school.  http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-is-thesisdissertation-proposal.html
4. PhDs:  Complete Application for Candidacy form ( http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/degree_completion/pdf/App_Candidacy.pdf)
5. Recommended:  To get up-to-date on Grad School’s formatting requirements, attend one of the Thesis Workshops. (See http://www.usu.edu/calendar/event.cfm?eventID=7867&show=today&day=16&month=11&year=2011)

Spring Semester Deadlines:

1. If you are doing a Plan C, you need to have in your Plan C Program Completion for to Grad school by Feb 15. (see http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/degree_completion/pdf/Comp_Req_PlanC.pdf)
2. If you are doing a Plan C, your committee needs to schedule your comp exam for sometime during Spring semester.
3. If you are planning on an MA (rather than an MS), you need to complete language requirements and fill out for before March 1 (see http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-are-language-requirements.html)
4. If you are writing a Plan A thesis or a PhD dissertation, you need to schedule and hold your thesis/dissertation defense on or before April 4 (if you plan to have your name appear in commencement records).  If you want to participate in commencement, but you don’t care if your name appears in the program, that defense date can be as late as April 27.  HOWEVER, please be aware that a minimum of two weeks before this date (March 21 or April 13), you need to have your paperwork to schedule the exam plus all committee signtures submitted to the School of Grad Studies. This is called the “Appointment for Examination” Form http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-do-i-schedule-and-prepare-for-my.html. This is a hard deadline, and the grad school holds to it.  
5. You should allow your committee a MINIMUM of two weeks to read your thesis or dissertation before the defense.  Your chair will need to approve your thesis or dissertation before you can ask for the defense, so allow yourself plenty of time to get the chair’s go-ahead on your final draft. (Talk to your chair. They may expect you to submit a final draft of your thesis or dissertation for their approval as early as February).  
6. All students: Graduation paperwork done with School of Graduate studies by April 4 (payment form, student survey, commencement data card, alumni file card—see grad school website)

For the Grad Schools Completion and Commencement Deadlines, see:
http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/commencement/pdf/Commencement_Deadlines.pdf
Commencement info:
http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/commencement/