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Requirements

Final Exam and Dissertation

Recorded Presentation – Slides

The last milestone in the Ph.D. program is the final examination and dissertation submission.

The student must:

  1. Write the dissertation.
  2. Defend it during the final examination.
  3. Complete any required revisions.
  4. Submit the final dissertation to the Graduate School

The goal of the exam and dissertation is to confirm that the student is ready to graduate and formally begin their research career.

What constitutes a passing dissertation can vary widely and is determined by the student’s committee. The Engineering Library has instructions for locating past dissertations if you would like to read potentially comparable works.

Deadlines and Time Limits

  • The target timeline to finish the final exam and dissertation is the end of a student’s fifth year. A student’s faculty advisor may deem their progress unsatisfactory if they fail to complete the exam and dissertation by this time.
  • The Graduate School allows a maximum of 10 years to complete the Ph.D.
  • The UW Graduate School sets very strict deadlines for both the final exam and dissertation submission, including revisions and digital approval from the reading committee.

Before scheduling the final exam

The student must:

  • Complete coursework requirements, including 27 credits of CSE 800.
  • Complete the TA requirement (in-progress for the final quarter is allowed)
  • Have a conversation with their advisor to make sure they understand the specific content and structure required for a passing dissertation.
  • Declare a reading committee (and make any necessary changes to the doctoral examination committee)
  • Confirm the committee’s availability
  • Reserve a room for the exam.

Details on Requirements Before Scheduling

Coursework Requirements
  • Undergraduate-level Breadth
  • 5 Breadth Courses (required from 3 of 4 groups, one waiver allowed)
  • 2 CSE++ Courses (one additional waiver allowed)
  • 27 credits of CSE 800
  • 18 graded course credits numbered 500 or above
TA Requirement
Declare a Reading Committee

The reading committee is a subset of the doctoral examination committee tasked with reading the dissertation. This is different from the committee initially set up for the General Exam.

  • Usually does not include the Graduate School Representative (GSR)
  • Optionally includes committee members external to the University

Email grad-advising@cs.washington.edu with the names of the reading committee and any changes to the doctoral examination committee prior to proceeding with scheduling.

Confirm Exam Date and Time
  • Work with the committee to choose a date and time early.
  • Reserve a room (if desired)
  • Set up a video conferencing link (for all presentations).
  • Confirm that the committee, including the GSR, will be available to:
    • Attend the exam.
    • Approve the Committee Signature Form via email following the exam
    • Reading Committee only: Sign off on the dissertation using MyGrad Program before the last day of the quarter

If Grad Advising is unable to get a committee member’s signature on time, the student may not graduate.

Scheduling the final exam

Once the student and their committee agree on a date and time for the exam:

  • The student schedules the exam using MyGradProgram (doctoral exams tab), including entering the date, time, and location. Include the video conferencing link in the location field along with the room.
  • The student sends calendar invitations to the committee and reminds them via email a few days before the exam.

You cannot schedule or take a final exam in any quarter (including Summer) without being enrolled, no exceptions.

Students may opt out of having their exam announced to the Allen School community or appearing on the grad calendar by checking the “opt-out” box in MyCSE immediately after scheduling their exam. All exams are required to be advertised to the Allen School faculty.

If a student needs to update the date, time, location, or title of an exam, please email grad-advising@cs.washington.edu as MyGrad Program will not let students change this themselves.

Final Examination Steps

Two weeks before the exam

  • Use MyCSE to update the abstract. Announcements for exams without title or abstracts are automatically sent using placeholder text.
  • Send the dissertation to the committee by email.

Present the Final Examination

The final examination is similar in format to the general examination. The exam period typically lasts 90 minutes. The exam begins with the student offering a 40-minute long presentation by the student on the work of the dissertation. This presentation is open to faculty (and the public by default), who may ask questions. 

After the public portion, a closed session follows—this is limited to the student’s committee members and possibly other faculty. 

University policy requires that at least four committee members attend the exam either in-person or remotely:

  • The committee chair
  • The Graduate School Representative (GSR)
  • At least two additional committee members
Possible Exam Outcomes
  • Pass
    The student successfully completed the final examination and may submit a finalized dissertation to earn the Ph.D.
  • Reexam
    The student must be reexamined after a further period of study. Requires rescheduling the final exam with the Graduate School.
  • Fail
    The student has not passed. In this case:
    • A student that fails the final examination will be immediately moved to Final Academic Alert. Failing a second time results in being dropped from the program for failure to sustain satisfactory progress (Grad School Policy 3.7.5).

After the exam, the Committee Signature Form is signed by the examining committee, a copy is placed in the academic file, and the results are conveyed to the Graduate School.

Dissertation Submission

After passing the final exam: 

  • The student completes all requested revisions to the satisfaction of the reading committee
  • The reading committee approves the dissertation using MyGrad Committee View
  • The student uploads the final dissertation to the Electronic Doctoral Dissertation (ETD) system.

All steps must be completed by the last day of the quarter in which the student intends to graduate. Remember that summer quarter ends in mid-August.

The Graduate School has a comprehensive guide to dissertation policies and requirements that the student should review.

Upload the dissertation

The final copy of the dissertation must be uploaded by the last day of the quarter. To submit the dissertation:

The Graduate School provides a list of ETD Frequently Asked Questions with more information.

Graduate Registration Waiver Fee

If the student has completed all degree requirements in a particular quarter, but has not submitted their dissertation before the end of that same quarter, they can obtain a 14 day extension by paying the Graduation Registration Waiver Fee ($250). In such a case, they will officially graduate in the following quarter.

However, if they cannot meet the 14 day deadline, they must register for at least 2 credits in the quarter in which they submit the dissertation.

For example, if a student won’t make the deadline for Spring and uses the Graduate Registration Waiver:

The student officially graduates at the end of summer quarter.

The dissertation must be submitted within 14 days after Spring quarter ends (see the Graduate School dates & deadlines page).

The Graduation Registration Waiver Fee must be paid by the last day of summer quarter.

Accessible Accordion

Coursework Requirements

  • Undergraduate-level Breadth
  • 5 Breadth Courses (required from 3 of 4 groups, one waiver permitted)
  • 2 CSE++ Courses (one waiver permitted in addition to breadth waiver)

    • HCDE 544 and INSC 571 cannot both be used towards completion of the required coursework.

    HCDE 545 and INSC 572 cannot both be used towards completion of the required coursework.

Committee Requirements

  • Chair (your advisor or co-advisors)
  • CSE faculty from inside your area (co-advisor counts)
  • CSE faculty from outside your area
  • Graduate School Representative from outside CSE
  • You must declare a “reading committee” to evaluate the dissertation, which is typically your generals committee minus the GSR.

TA Requirement

You are required to complete two quarters of teaching assistantship within the school. For further information:

Credit Requirements

  • 90 total credits with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Within these 90 credits:
  • 40 credits must be in 500-level courses or above
  • 27 credits must be CSE 800 (Dissertation)
  • 45 credits must be from CSE curriculum
  • 15 credits may be in supporting fields (such as CSE++ courses)

  1. Review the Graduate School’s Graduation Checklist. This contains links you’ll need throughout the process.
    International students: Review the OPT process and consider when you should begin an OPT application (OPT typically takes at least 90 days to process, often longer).
  2. Confirm enrollment. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 credits in the quarter in which they take their final exam. These can not be solely CPT credits.
  3. Declare your reading committee by emailing members’ names to grad-advising@cs.washington.edu.Your reading committee is made of the folks who will read your dissertation and evaluate it. If a member of your reading committee does not have a UW NetID, they will be asked to create one. Every member on your committee needs to read and approve your dissertation. While industry partners from your doctoral committee are welcome, you may find it unnecessary to add them to this committee.
  4. Schedule the exam via MyGrad Program. You’ll need to check with your committee early to ensure they have a shared time available. Be sure to include a self-hosted Zoom link in the location field if you have a virtual or hybrid presentation. Don’t forget to reserve a room if you’re presenting in person! You can find deadlines for this process on the Graduate School website. You should try to schedule your exam far enough in advance to handle revisions before the end of the quarter. Remember that summer quarter ends earlier than the start of fall quarter! You cannot schedule or take a final exam in the Summer without being enrolled. No exceptions.
  5. Confirm that your doctoral committee, including your GSR, will be available to 1) attend the exam; 2) approve the exam via Docusign sent to the email address we have on file; 3) sign off on the dissertation when you plan on submitting if they are on the reading committee. Be explicit with your expected dates, especially if you expect your committee to have to sign off in the summer. If we can’t get a hold of that committee member’s signature, you don’t graduate.
  6. Optional: Opt-out of exam announcements. Using MyCSE, you can edit your exam entry. There is a checkbox option to opt-out of public exam announcements. Check this box if you do not want your exam announced to Allen School mailing lists./li>
  7. Give your committee your exam document. This needs to happen no later than 2 weeks prior to your exam in order to give the committee time to read and reflect on your work before the presentation. If you have time, requesting feedback at this stage may reduce the number of revisions you need to make to your dissertation after your exam.
  8. Update your abstract in MyCSE. This also needs to happen no later than two (2) weeks prior to your exam in order to have notifications sent out to the school on your behalf. Any exam announcements without title and abstract will have placeholders in your announcement.
  9. Present your final examination. You’re almost there!
  10. If you passed, Remind your committee to sign the “Committee Approval Form” via Docusign. This was previously called a “warrant” and is sent to your committee members on the morning of your exam.
  11. BUT YOU’RE NOT DONE YET! Please review “Student Steps for Dissertation” below. The final exam and dissertation submission are treated by the University as two separate events.

  1. Assist with forming a reading committee. Your student may need some guidance. Every person on the reading committee must read the dissertation and approve it through a UW system. Help your student determine if an industry partner needs to be involved at the level of the dissertation (as opposed to the exam).
  2. Assist with scheduling the exam. You can find deadlines for this process on the Graduate School website. Encourage your student to schedule your exam far enough in advance to handle revisions before the end of the quarter. Remember that summer quarter ends earlier than the start of fall quarter!
  3. Review the exam document. Your student should submit this no later than 2 weeks prior to their exam in order to give the committee time to read and reflect on their work before the presentation. Offering feedback at this stage may reduce the need for revisions following the exam.
  4. Attend the final examination. You’re almost there!
  5. If the student passes, sign the “Committee Approval Form” via Docusign. Keep an eye on your email! We are unable to process the student’s exam without your electronic signature on the form. If the student doesn’t pass, contact grad-advising@cs. This form should be received from the Docusign tool on the morning of the exam.
  6. BUT YOU’RE NOT DONE YET! Please review “Faculty Steps for Dissertation” below. The final exam and dissertation submission are treated by the University as two separate events.

  1. Complete revisions given to you by the committee. After your exam, it is common to receive revisions. You’ll need to complete these before final approval of your dissertation. You can find deadlines for this process on the Graduate School website.
  2. Confirm enrollment. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 credits in the quarter in which they take their final exam. CPT credits do not count toward this requirement.
  3. Complete the Graduate School graduation checklist for doctoral students. This includes steps for submitting your dissertation, completing the Survey of Earned Doctorates, and the links you’ll need to do so.
  4. Remind your reading committee to approve your dissertation. This is a separate step from approving your exam. Direct the members of your reading committee to this to MGP Faculty page, You will receive email when each committee member approves the dissertation. You can also check in MyGrad Program. This step must be completed by the last day of the quarter in which you intend to graduate.
  5. Upload your final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate School. The Graduate School refers to this as the “ETD” or “Electronic Doctoral Dissertation approval.” Review the Graduate School website for more details. The ETD must be uploaded and approved by the last day of the quarter — and remember that summer ends in mid-August!
  6. Not going to make the deadline? It’s (mostly) OK. For $250, you can graduate in the first two weeks of the following quarter by using the “Graduate Registration Waiver Fee.” If you fail to meet this second deadline, you will need to enroll for another quarter of studies.
  7. Need degree verification? Your future employer may want to verify that you earned a degree. However, the process of getting degrees posted often takes longer than employers would like. If you need verification before your degree is posted, fill out and submit this form to the Graduate School. They will not issue the letter unless you have met all of your degree requirements, including the final approvals from your reading committee.
  8. Complete the “Saying Goodbye to CSE” checklist. We’re sad to see you go and hope you’ll stay in touch!

  1. Give your student any remaining revisions to be made on the dissertation. Please be mindful that all revisions and final reading committee approval need to be completed by 11:59pm on the last day of the quarter. Remember that summer quarter ends earlier than the start of fall quarter
  2. Approve the final dissertation. Once the student has satisfactorily completed revisions, approve the dissertation through the Graduate School interface This step needs to be completed by 11:59pm on the last day of the quarter.
  3. Remind the rest of the reading committee to sign off on the form. This is especially important for faculty members outside the Allen School. Please use the MGP Faculty page. This step needs to be completed by 11:59pm on the last day of the quarter.
  4. Congratulate your newly minted doctor! Not only is it kind, but it also helps your student know that they don’t have to manage anything else on the faculty end.

UW Graduate School Dissertation Resources