Dissertation Completion

For all students

Prior to scheduling the defense of their Ph.D., students are required to publish a first-author manuscript that describes original research findings. While bioRxiv submissions and first-author literature reviews are welcomed, neither is sufficient to satisfy this requirement. The process of writing, submitting, and revising a research manuscript for publication is a critical component of Ph.D. training and central to the mission of academic research.

In terms of timing of the oral defense, there are two separate dates to consider: the date of the oral defense and the semester in which the student will officially graduate, in the eyes of the graduate school. The difference between these dates is not intuitive and explained below.

The first date concerns the day of the oral defense. In order to be valid, the student must be registered in PHCO 994 during the semester in which they conduct their oral defense. A valid defense can be conducted all the way up to the very last exam day listed by the registrar.

https://registrar.unc.edu/registrar-calendars/

https://gradschool.unc.edu/academics/resources/graddeadlines/

The second date concerns the semester in which the student will officially graduate, also known as “walk”. In order to graduate in a given semester, a student must apply by the date specified by the registrar, usually 6-8 weeks before the end of the semester (link above). The student must also submit their final written dissertation to the graduate school by the date specified by the registrar, usually ~3 weeks before the end of the semester. In order to meet that second deadline, the student will have needed to have completed their oral defense and have had their written thesis already approved by their thesis committee.

The non-intuitive part: a student may complete their oral defense in one semester, and can apply to graduate the subsequent semester, without having to pay student fees or register as a student in that subsequent semester. In such a scenario, the student will still need to apply for graduation and submit their final thesis document in the subsequent semester. In that semester, the student will either have left the lab or will be paid as a postdoctoral fellow in the same lab.

We ask that students send their written document to their thesis committee at least one week prior to their oral defense.

In certain instances, students may wish to hold the defense and submit the dissertation in time to meet a deadline, even when their first-author manuscript has not been formally accepted. In this case, prior to pushing a request to the DGS, the student and advisor should discuss the plan to address reviewer comments and complete the first-author publication requirement after graduation has occurred, then schedule a thesis committee meeting (or otherwise get in touch with every member of the thesis committee) to discuss the feasibility and likelihood of success of the plan. If a majority of thesis committee members are in agreement with the plan, a request must be made in writing and signed by the student, the advisor, and the dissertation committee chair, then sent by email to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS; jmcalabr@med.unc.edu).

In the request, please include a detailed response to reviewer comments, a detailed plan and timeline for exactly how the revisions will be completed, the desired time frame for the defense, and discuss the rationale for the request along with the status of the first-author manuscript. Please also discuss any competing views, for example, if the decision to grant permission to defend was not unanimous among the committee.

The DGS will either approve or reject the plan outright, or circulate the request to the Graduate Education Executive Committee (GEEC) for further discussion. If members of the GEEC also serve on the student’s dissertation committee, then those members will recuse themselves from the evaluation process.

In rare cases, students may encounter a circumstance that requires that they defend prior to having their first-author manuscript reviewed. Please note that the GEEC will review these cases only in exceptional circumstances, and if a request is made, the exceptional circumstance will need to be clearly explained.

See also: Pre- and Post Defense Steps.