To: All Graduate Students, Supervisors, and Department Coordinators From: College of Graduate Studies
As part of our commitment to the continuity of academic programs, the College of Graduate Studies has established the following mandatory procedures for Master’s and PhD students completing their research and defenses remotely. Please ensure strict adherence to these steps:
Phase 1: Supervision & Pre-Defense Requirements
- Continuous Communication: Students must maintain ongoing communication with their supervisors, who are required to submit periodic evaluation reports using the approved forms.
- Financial Clearance: Students must complete 100% payment of all tuition fees, defense fees, and administrative charges.
- Thesis Revision: Students must submit the thesis to the supervisor to prepare a revised electronic version in PDF format, which is then sent to the department coordinator.
- Readiness Certificate: The supervisor must issue a formal certificate confirming the research meets the requirements for the final examination. This is sent to the college registrar and the coordinator.
- Official Thesis Submission: Students must prepare an electronic copy of the thesis adhering to graduate studies methodology and officially submit it to the coordinator, head of the department, and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
Phase 2: Committee Formation & Scheduling
- Committee Formation: The examination committee will be formed according to graduate studies regulations and approved electronically by the department coordinator.
- Document Distribution: The coordinator will forward the electronic thesis and evaluation forms to all examination committee members.
- Logistics: The coordinator will liaise with the College Registrar to finalize all electronic requirements for the defense and arrange suitable dates with the committee members.
- Student Follow-Up: Students must proactively follow up with the department coordinator to receive their defense date and required forms.
Phase 3: Post-Defense & Final Clearance
- Post-Defense Corrections: Following the defense, students must make all corrections requested by the examination committee and submit the revised thesis to the supervisor (or an appointed delegate) for final verification.
- Degree Completion: Once verified, the head of the department will submit a formal report to the dean confirming that all requirements for the award of the degree have been met.
- Archiving: The college registrar will receive and archive all defense-related documents and provide copies to the assistant dean.
- Final Hard Copies: During university clearance procedures, students must prepare and submit three (3) hard copies and one (1) electronic copy of the final thesis, strictly formatted according to the Graduate Studies printing guidelines.
All faculty and students are requested to follow this workflow to ensure a smooth and efficient remote defense process. Please direct any inquiries to your respective department coordinators.