nyu gsas dissertation defense

Academic Policies

Global network university sites, accelerated bachelor's-master's track, master of arts and master of science, master of fine arts, master of philosophy, doctor of philosophy, cumulative gpa, completion rate, change of grades, incomplete grades, pass/fail option, final cumulative gpa, academic good standing, annual student assessment, continuous enrollment, leave of absence, maximum allowed time to degree completion, academic probation, gsas statement on academic integrity, academic misconduct, behavioral misconduct, second offense, penalty guidelines, notification of charge of misconduct, right to file a grievance, grievances adjudicated outside gsas, grievances adjudicated by gsas, grievances concerning grades, grievances concerning academic probation or termination, grievances concerning distance education, initiation of the complaint, formal grievance, receipt of formal grievance, appeal of assistant dean's decision, appeal of the dean's decision, record keeping, internships, placement exams, residency requirements.

A student is in residence at GSAS when the student is matriculated in a GSAS program. Only credits from NYU sponsored graduate courses earned while the student is in residence at GSAS count toward fulfilling program residency requirements. 

24 credits must be earned in residence at GSAS.

32 credits must be earned in residence at GSAS.

Courses taken at the NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi campuses count as taken in residence. Courses taken at any other NYU away site count as transfer credit unless the student’s program is based in whole or part at that away site, in which case they count fully as in residence.  

Graduate courses taken by undergraduates in the College of Arts and Science who have been accepted into an accelerated Bachelor’s – Master’s track will be counted as taken in residence. 

GSAS is a participating member in several consortia including, but not limited to the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (IUDC), NYU-Jewish Theological Seminary Consortium, NYU-Hebrew Union Consortium, and the European Studies Consortium. Credits earned as part of the established GSAS consortia do not satisfy the in-residence requirement.

Graduate School Requirements

• Completion of at least 30 credits of graduate credit (at least 24 in residence at the Graduate School) and a cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or better.
• a comprehensive examination,
• a thesis, and/or
• an appropriate special project.

Programs may have more stringent standards, including a higher grade point average, a foreign language proficiency examination, and additional course work.

The Master of Fine Arts degree requires the completion of 32 graduate credits, a special project, fulfillment of the residency requirement, and a GPA of 3.0 or better. 

The Master of Philosophy degree is granted only to students who have been accepted as candidates in a doctoral program and who have fulfilled all requirements for the doctorate except the dissertation and its defense.

• Completion of at least 70 graduate credits (at least 32 in residence at the Graduate School) and a cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or better. Almost all Graduate School programs require 72 graduate credits. Please check individual programs for the exact requirement.
• Successful completion of comprehensive or qualifying examinations or their equivalent.
• Presentation and defense of a dissertation. The dissertation topic must receive formal departmental approval before being undertaken. The dissertation must demonstrate a sound methodology and evidence of exhaustive study of a special field and make an original contribution to that field. When the dissertation is completed and approved by the adviser and two other readers, an oral defense is scheduled before a committee of at least five members. Of the five committee members, a minimum of three must be full-time members of the Faculty of Arts and Science. A successful defense requires that no more than one member of the committee votes to not approve it.

Submitting Your Dissertation

Submission deadlines and checklists.

See Submitting Your Dissertation for current Doctoral dissertation deadlines and checklists.

Note: GSAS submission deadlines are earlier than   University Graduation Deadlines .

Please Note: The Office of the Registrar takes up to a month AFTER the graduation date to fully process all degrees. DO NOT count on being able to demonstrate completion of your degree on or soon after the graduation date simply because you turned everything in by the deadline. If you need proof of degree completion, please plan to get all your materials submitted and defend your dissertation well before the final deadline. Please also contact the Office of Academic and Student Affairs at the email address below so we are aware that you may need your degree requirements reviewed in an expedited manner. If you wait to tell us until after the deadline, we will not be able to do much to help speed the process for you.

Dissertation Formatting Requirements and Other Informational Guides

• Doctoral Dissertation Formatting Requirements
• A Formatting Guide for Successful Completion of the Doctoral Dissertation
• Proquest's Author Guide: Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission
• Sample PhD Dissertation Template
• Helpful Information for Doctoral Students

Dissertation Submission In Six Steps

The following guide presents the necessary steps involved in a doctoral candidate's dissertation submission as required by the Graduate School of Arts and Science. All candidates should check with their dissertation adviser and department administrator regarding additional departmental requirements.  Some additional helpful information regarding these steps and other graduation related issues that we are frequently asked about may be found in this  document .

• The candidate must meet with their dissertation adviser to discuss research goals, timeframes, and scheduling of an oral defense. If an outside reader is being considered as part of the dissertation committee, the candidate's department must complete and sign the  Outside Dissertation Reader Approval Form  to include in the candidate's graduation file. 
• The candidate is required to register for graduation on  Albert  at least 3 months prior to the expected date of graduation. Application deadlines may be found  here . Preliminary Dissertation Filing Steps
• One copy of the Title Page, unsigned. If you will need to have this electronically signed, please also submit to us the name and official University email address of your adviser and we will have this done. If you are gathering a physical signature, then only the unsigned Title Page is needed.
• Survey of Earned Doctorates, submit the completion certificate
• Dissertation Publishing Agreement submitted on the  ProQuest  site when you submit your preliminary dissertation. We do not need to receive a separate copy.
• Dissertation Abstract submitted on the  ProQuest  site when you submit your preliminary dissertation. We do not need to receive a separate copy.
• A candidate must upload their dissertation to  ProQuest  by the preliminary dissertation submission deadline. The preliminary dissertation submission will be reviewed for adherence to the formatting requirements, not content. (The dissertation adviser oversees content review.) Once the preliminary dissertation is reviewed, the candidate will receive an email notification that details formatting changes that need to be made before final submission. However, candidate do not have to wait for the preliminary dissertation review email, and should upload any new revision to their ProQuest account when it's ready. The latest revision on ProQuest will be reviewed.  Final Dissertation Filing Steps
• The candidate is advised to take the  Doctoral Thesis Oral Defense Form  to the oral defense. The dissertation committee Chair and members sign the  Doctoral Thesis Oral Defense Form  according to the result of the oral defense in the spaces provided and return it to the department administrator, by the final dissertation deadline. You may not handle this form once committee members begin to sign. If gathering some or all physical signatures is not possible, the department administrator will help gather the remaining digital signature(s). The department administrator will then forward the  Doctoral Thesis Oral Defense Form  to Office of the Registrar. If revisions to the dissertation are required by dissertation committee member(s), the Chair will retain the form until the revisions are made. 
• After editing the text to ensure it is consistent with the comments made during the defense and and any comments you may have received from the review of the preliminary dissertation upload, the candidate must upload a final dissertation to  ProQuest  by the final dissertation deadline, using the link provided after the preliminary dissertation review or by login to your ProQuest account. Occasionally such a large volume of dissertations may be submitted that we are unable to review the formatting for everyone before the final deadline date. The final dissertation filing date is for content only, so whether or not you have received formatting revisions, make sure you have uploaded the final version of your dissertation in regards to content by this date. If you and your committee are satisfied with the content of your initial upload, then there is no need to upload again until you have made any requested formatting corrections. You will have plenty of time to correct any formatting issues after the final deadline should you need it. If you elected to get a physical signature on your Title Page, you must also submit a signed copy at this time. Steps beyond dissertation submission
• The candidate should check with his/her department to ensure all degree requirements have been met, and the department have submitted the signed  Doctoral Thesis Oral Defense Form  to the Office of the Registrar by the  graduation deadline .
• The candidate should contact the  Office of the Bursar  to confirm that his/her account is not in arrears.
• The candidate should review his/her permanent address on  Albert . Diplomas will be mailed to this address, unless the candidate indicated a specific diploma address. You may also elect to have your official or preferred name on your diploma at this time.

Note: Completion of these steps does not guarantee conferral of a candidate's degree. The final conferral decision rests with the Graduate School of Arts and Science and New York University's Office of the Registrar. After completing the final dissertation submission, candidates should contact the Office of the Registrar at [email protected] if there are any questions regarding graduation status or degree conferral.

Additional Resources

• Copyright for Authors & Creators

The Office of Academic and Student Affairs is located at 6 Washington Square North, 2nd Floor. Questions regarding the dissertation submission procedure should be directed to Academic Affairs at [email protected] or by phone at 212-998-8060.

Transfer & Articulation Agreements

 GSAS programs accept transfer credit from accredited graduate institutions.

A student must apply for transfer credit, for courses taken prior to admission, within the first academic year of attendance as a matriculated student. 

Students may transfer credit for courses taken at another institution while matriculated at NYU as long as the DGS has given written approval for the course(s) to be transferred in prior to the student’s enrollment in those courses. 

Courses counted towards any degree that has been awarded and is not part of a registered dual degree program may not be applied toward a GSAS master's degree.  

Courses counted toward any doctoral level degree, including but not limited to the JD and the EdD, that has been awarded and is not part of a registered dual degree program may not be applied to a GSAS doctoral degree. 

For doctoral students, when a prior graduate program is comparable to that of the department’s master’s program requirements, blanket credit equal to the number of credits required for the departmental master’s will be awarded. Otherwise each course will be considered separately for transfer credit up to a maximum of 40 credits.

A grade below B is not eligible for transfer credit.   

A pass/fail type grade such as P or S will be accepted for transfer at the discretion of the DGS. 

If courses are transferred individually, credits will be transferred credit for credit (e.g., if transfer is requested for a three-credit course at another institution, then only a maximum of three credits will be granted by NYU) up to the maximum amount allowed.

An external credit earned on the quarter system is worth two-thirds of an NYU credit. Individual courses must be rounded down to the nearest half point. 

GSAS awards international transfer credit in accordance with current guidelines regarding equivalency as determined annually by Graduate Enrollment Services. 

NYU graduate courses taken prior to enrollment in a GSAS program, and not used to earn another degree, are eligible to count toward the degree and will not be counted as transfer credits with regard to the maximum level of transfer credit allowed or the minimum grade requirement. The Director of Graduate Studies will be the final arbiter of which of these courses will count toward the degree. 

Transfer of credit for individual courses older than ten years for master’s students and fifteen years for doctoral students will not be allowed. 

The maximum transfer credit allowed may not exceed the difference between the number of credits required for the degree and the 24-point residency requirement. (e.g., in a 32-credit required program, the maximum the student may transfer is 32 – 24 = 8 credits.). An absolute maximum of 12 credits may be transferred. 

The maximum transfer credit allowed is 40 credits. 

The following grades may be assigned in GSAS courses: 

The cumulative grade point average (GPA) is an essential component of academic good standing and is computed in the following way: for each course receiving a standard letter grade or “F” if taken Pass/Fail and counting toward the degree, the GPA value per point is multiplied by the number of credits for the course. The sum of these products is divided by the sum of the number of hours for each course taken under the standard grading system. Courses that have not been awarded a grade, were awarded a grade of “P”, do not count toward the degree program, or have an incomplete grade are excluded from the GPA calculation.  

The completion rate is an essential component of academic good standing and is calculated in the following way: the number of “earned hours” is calculated by summing the credits for all courses that count toward the degree and in which a grade in the standard grade system or the pass/fail system has been awarded. Courses in which an “F” has been awarded are excluded. Next, the number of “attempted hours” is calculated by summing the credits of all courses that count toward the degree and in which a grade in the standard grade system or the pass/fail system has been awarded. For this calculation “F” and “incomplete” grades are included, but courses from the most recent completed semester for which grades are yet to be assigned are excluded. The completion rate is defined as the number of earned hours divided by the number of attempted hours. 

Only an incomplete grade, “I” or “NR” may be changed unless the original grade resulted from a departmental clerical error in recording. No change of grade will be awarded to any student: 

• For work submitted after graduating, withdrawing from the University, or being terminated;
• For submitting additional coursework;
• Who audits the course, officially or unofficially, after a grade has been submitted

An unresolved grade, “I”, reverts to “F” one year after the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken unless an extension of the incomplete grade has been approved by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA). An unresolved grade, “NR”, reverts to “F” one year after the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken and no extension will be allowed. 

At the request of the departmental Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and with the approval of the course instructor, OASA will review requests for an extension of an incomplete “I” grade. 

A request for an extension of incomplete must be submitted before the end of one year from the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken. 

An extension of an incomplete grade may be requested for a period of up to, but not exceeding, one year.

Only one one-year extension of an incomplete may be granted. 

Students may not audit the course, officially or unofficially, as a means of completing an incomplete grade. 

If a student is approved for a leave of absence any time the student spends on that leave of absence will not count toward the time allowed for completion of the coursework when a grade of “I” has been submitted.

If a student is permanently separating from their program either through withdrawing or graduating, the department may request that the student be withdrawn from any course in which the student has an incomplete grade, “I” or “NR”, at the time of the withdrawal. Such a request may only be filed within one semester of the student’s separation.

GSAS students may opt to take a course set up with standard letter grading under pass/fail grading with the permission of the student’s program. The department must submit the Pass/Fail Form to OASA prior to the end of the ninth week of the semester to have pass/fail grading for a fall or spring term course and prior to the ninth meeting of a summer or special session course. The pass grade “P” counts for credit but does not affect the GPA. The fail grade “F” is identical to an “F” in the standard letter grading system with regard to credit and GPA.  

Students matriculated in GSAS apply for the pass/fail option through GSAS regardless of the school offering the course. A student matriculated in another school at NYU must apply through their home school for and abide by the rules of the home school governing the pass/fail option if they wish to take a GSAS course under pass/fail grading.

Once a student has been approved to take a course pass/fail, any request by the student to have the course returned to standard letter grading will be denied. 

Students who are found in violation of the GSAS Statement on Academic Integrity with regard to actions in a particular course may not then elect to take that course pass/fail. A previously granted pass/fail approval for such a course may be rescinded at the request of that student’s home department. 

Students officially auditing a GSAS course pay full tuition for the course but receive neither a grade nor academic credit. Enrolled students (See 6.1) may sit in on a GSAS course only with the permission of the instructor and the student’s adviser. Individuals who are not officially enrolled at NYU may not attend GSAS courses in any manner. 

GPA is final after the degree requirements for coursework have been met. Grades earned beyond those that satisfy the course-work requirements for the degree will not be entered into the computation of the final GPA. The only exceptions to this rule are as follows: 

Retaking Courses: With permission of the Department Chair or the DGS, a student may be allowed to retake a course and have only the new grade count toward the GPA. In this case, only the credits for the retaken course will count toward the degree requirement. Permission will be granted for this only when the student can demonstrate that the previously earned grade was the result of factors outside the student’s control. A tuition scholarship will not be awarded for courses that are retaken. A student may retake a specific course only once. 

Extra Courses: With the permission of the Department Chair or the DGS and of the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, students may take as many as two additional departmental courses in order to meet the degree GPA requirement. Permission should only be granted when the reasons for the low GPA were at least partially beyond the student’s control and when it is considered likely that the degree GPA requirement will be satisfied by taking additional courses. A tuition scholarship will not be awarded for extra courses. 

Academic Standing & Progress

GSAS requires students to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and successfully complete at least two thirds of credits attempted at NYU, excluding the current semester. Courses with grades of “I”, “N”, “NR”, “W”, and “F” are not considered successfully completed. Students also must be within time to candidacy and time to degree limits. These GSAS standards are minimal requirements for academic good standing. Departments may impose additional requirements and/or set stricter standards including but not limited to, higher GPA requirements, higher completion rate requirements and degree progress requirements. Any additional requirements for academic good standing particular to a program must be outlined in the department’s student handbook.

 GSAS requires that faculty assess progress for each student enrolled in the programs they oversee at least once per year. As part of the assessment process:

• Faculty must meet with each student to discuss the outcomes of the assessment;
• The student’s transcript and any other relevant document detailing academic progress must be reviewed;
• The assessment process and outcomes must be documented each year and included in the student’s academic file;
• Departments must provide written notification to each student regarding the results of the assessment, including any credits in which the student has been found lacking and what the student must do to return to program standards.  

GSAS requires continuous enrollment of its students each fall and spring semester until the degree sought is granted. This can be accomplished by (1) registering for at least 1 point (or fraction thereof) each fall and spring until the degree is conferred; (2) taking an approved leave of absence, except in the semester  of graduation; or (3) registering for Maintenance of Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) during all fall and spring semesters when no course work is being taken until the degree is conferred.

A student who is obliged to withdraw temporarily for national service, serious illness, or compelling personal reasons may request a leave of absence. If granted, the leave maintains the student’s place in the Graduate School and assures continued enrollment at the end of the period of the leave. Students on leave do not have access to University, GSAS, or department facilities. For complete rules governing leaves of absence, refer to the GSAS Policies and Procedures Manual .

M.A., M.S., and M.F.A.

All requirements must be completed no later than five years from the date of initial matriculation.

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed no later than ten years from the initial date of matriculation or seven years from the time of matriculation if the student enters the PhD program having been given transfer credit for more than 23 credits. For rules concerning time to degree, refer to the GSAS Policies and Procedures Manual .

Withdrawals

The grade “W” represents official withdrawal from a course. It will appear on a student’s transcript any time a student withdraws from a course after the second week of the fall or spring semester or according to the rules of the Office of the Registrar if a special or summer term course. Dropping from a course before the deadline will purge that course from the student’s official record. A student may withdraw from a course up to the end of the ninth week during the fall and spring semesters or according to the rules of the Office of the Registrar if a special or summer term course. Students must get permission from their department and Graduate Enrollment Services to withdraw from a course after the deadline for dropping. Any tuition refund will be in accordance with the published refund schedule for that semester. A grade of “W” will not be removed or changed to any other grade once posted on a student’s transcript. 

Students receiving federal student aid who withdraw completely may be billed for remaining balances resulting from the mandatory return of funds to the U.S. government. The amount of federal aid “earned” up to that point is determined by the withdrawal date and a calculation based upon the federally prescribed formula. Generally, federal assistance is earned on a pro-rata basis.

For full details, refer to the Office of the Bursar, nyu.edu/bursar/refunds/withdrawal .

If a student’s academic performance falls below the GSAS standard for “good standing,” the student is accordingly on academic probation and must be informed by the Department with a formal probation letter. A student who has not met stated program progress requirements may also be placed on probation by the Department. 

Standards of Conduct

In creating new knowledge, scholars in all fields receive, adapt, and build on the ideas and findings of others. Responsible scholarship demands that we study, discuss, and master the work of our intellectual forbearers; it also demands that we fully acknowledge their contributions in our own scholarship.

As a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) at New York University, you have become part of a longstanding community of significant research and learning. The university understands and expects that you pursue your studies and research in ways that conform to the standards of scholarly practice both at NYU and in the greater academic community.

Plagiarism – representing the work of others as one’s own – is a very serious violation of the intellectual trust that forms the basis of this scholarship. All members of our academic community are expected to cite fully and appropriately in their own work the ideas, findings, and words of others. We are all expected to report truthfully the results of our research. And we are expected to be honest in the preparation and grading of all papers, assignments, and examinations.

GSAS and the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) do not tolerate breaches of these and other widely accepted scholarly standards. Should such a breach occur, a student or faculty member with knowledge of the facts is obligated to file a complaint with the relevant department chair or program director. A meeting with the student will be held in the department or program in which the student is enrolled and, if a violation has occurred, a sanction, ranging from censure to termination, will be issued. Should the student not agree with the determined sanction, the case will then be referred to the FAS Committee on Discipline for consideration. A repeat offense will result in termination from the Graduate School.

The full policy on issues of academic misconduct may be found in Section 9 of the Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies and Procedures Manual, available on the Graduate School’s  website . This manual outlines the rules of conduct with regard to matters of academic integrity and should inform your conduct in all academic work, including your interactions with others in academic settings. The manual does not and cannot cover all possible areas of academic integrity. Should it fall short in answering your questions, you should speak to your research adviser and/or to your department faculty and staff to obtain the information that you need to represent yourself and your work in accordance with the highest standards of academic integrity.

All students in GSAS are expected to follow the University’s policies on Academic Integrity for Students at NYU and the Principles and Procedures for Dealing with Allegations of Research Misconduct . Academic integrity violations include, but are not limited to, offenses such as plagiarism, cheating, possession or use of any prohibited notes, reference resources, or data processing or other devices in any class or examination, and misrepresentation of academic credentials. Research integrity violations include, but are not limited to, fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reporting research results.

Behavioral misconduct includes conduct that impedes, obstructs or threatens the maintenance of the public order, interferes with or disrupts the regular operations and activities of the University, or constitutes a denial of or an unreasonable interference with the complainant’s rights.  When activities undertaken by registered student organizations constitute a violation of this provision or violation of University rules or of public laws and regulations, a complaint may also be brought against such organizations as well as against the individual students belonging to such organizations. 

Disciplinary Measures

Filing of a departmental complaint.

If a student engages in any form of academic misconduct, the individual with knowledge of the facts shall file a complaint with the Department Chair. 

Student Notification by Department

The Department Chair shall provide notice of the filing of the complaint to the student in writing within one (1) week of receipt of the complaint.

Meeting in Department

The Department Chair or his/her departmental faculty designee shall meet with the student against whom a complaint has been filed, describe the complaint, and offer the student an opportunity to respond.  The student shall be informed of their right to accept or reject a departmental resolution.  After considering all relevant information, the Department Chair may inform the student of the terms, including where appropriate the imposition of a sanction upon which the Department is willing to resolve the matter.  Where the student agrees in writing to the terms of a departmental resolution, a binding consensual resolution shall exist between GSAS and the student.  Where the Chair is unable to resolve the complaint by consensual resolution, the Chair shall forward the complaint to the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, in which case the following procedures will apply if the student is a GSAS student or if the student is not a GSAS student.

Referral of the Complaint to the FAS Committee on Student Discipline

Where the Department or Program is unable to resolve the complaint of academic misconduct by consensual resolution, the student is notified that the complaint shall be forwarded to the  FAS Committee on Student Discipline  no less than one (1) week from the notification date.  During the period between the notice to the student and the complaint being forwarded to the FAS Committee on Student Discipline (the “Mediation Period”), the student will have the opportunity to meet with the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs or their designee.  The Assistant Dean or designee shall, upon request, meet with the student, discuss the evidence of misconduct, and provide the student with information about the procedures of the FAS Committee on Student Discipline.  No additional information will be gathered or considered during this period.  The Assistant Dean or designees may not revise the terms for a resolution, but the Department or Program may offer revised terms and the student may change their decision about a consensual resolution on the terms offered by the Department or Program.  If a consensual resolution is not reached during the Mediation Period, the matter will be referred to the FAS Committee on Student Discipline.

Misconduct by non-GSAS Student

Where the Department or Program is unable to resolve the complaint of academic misconduct by consensual resolution with a non-GSAS student, the student is notified that the complaint shall be forwarded to the Dean of Students, or equivalent, of that student’s home school. The student’s home school policies on academic discipline will then be employed. GSAS will abide by the findings of the student’s home school. 

Filing of a Complaint

 In the case of behavioral misconduct a complaint shall be filed in writing with the Assistant Dean for Students by the Department in which the alleged misconduct occurred or by any member of the GSAS community who claims to have been injured or affected by the alleged misconduct. 

Notification by the Assistant Dean for Students

 The Assistant Dean for Students shall provide notice of the filing of the complaint to the student in writing within one (1) week of receipt of the complaint. When such a complaint is received, the Assistant Dean will notify the NYU Office of Student Conduct, who will investigate the complaint and, if the student is found guilty, impose whatever sanction deemed appropriate to the offense. 

The penalty for a repeat offense to a specific complaint will be termination from the graduate program. 

Because of the wide range of seriousness of offenses of any given general type, no specific penalties are suggested for first occurrences.  Each case must be judged independently, taking into account the seriousness of the offense, aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and the general desirability of treating similarly situated students similarly.  In all cases, it should be determined whether or not notice of the penalty should be placed on the student’s record.  As a guide to assessing the penalty to be applied, some possible considerations are outlined in the NYU Student Conduct Procedures for various general offenses. 

Notification to the student of a charge of misconduct must be made formally. At a minimum, students should receive an electronic document containing the charge and the resulting process. Simple email notification is not sufficient, but may be used as an initial, quick notification to students as long as it is followed up by a formal notification in a timely manner. 

Redress of Grievances

Any student registered in GSAS courses or otherwise formally involved in GSAS programs has the right to file a grievance. Certain types of grievances must be adjudicated within GSAS, while others must be adjudicated at the University level. The following rules are designed to provide GSAS students with a mechanism of redress. 

 In the following cases, grievances must be adjudicated outside GSAS. Questions about whether or not grievances fall within these guidelines should be addressed to either of the Assistant Deans, for Students or for Academic Affairs, in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA). 

Harassment, Discrimination, Sexual Misconduct

If the matter involves alleged harassment, discrimination, or sexual misconduct in violation of either the University’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedures for Students or the University’s Sexual Misconduct, Relationship Violence, and Stalking Policy , grievances should be filed promptly with the Office of Equal Opportunity. 

Grievance Arising in Other School or College

 If the student’s grievance concerns a student, faculty or staff member whose primary affiliation is with another school or college, the student shall consult and follow that school or college’s procedures. In addition, the student shall submit copies of the written grievance to either of the OASA Assistant Deans and the comparable office in the other school or college.  

In the following cases, grievances can be adjudicated within GSAS: 

• The student believes that they have been subject to treatment which is in violation of a GSAS or FAS rule, procedure or policy
• The student believes that they are being affected by an unfair and/or incomplete GSAS or FAS rule, procedure or policy or implementation of same

A student may file a grievance concerning a grade on the basis of inequitable or prejudicial practices or administrative or clerical errors if he or she believes a grade to be incorrect. No other reason can form the basis for a grievance regarding a grade. 

Students may not issue a grievance against an academic probation or termination or the terms therein. If a student believes that an academic probation or termination decision, or the terms thereof, is in violation of an NYU or GSAS rule, the appeal process should be employed. 

 Students who wish to file a grievance against some aspect of an online program or course must first follow the procedure below. However, if they move through the entire GSAS process and are not satisfied with the decision of the Dean students may then reference NYU's state authorization website for further information detailing the applicable complaint process rather than proceeding to the University Judicial Board. Students should contact the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs with any questions regarding this process. 

Complaint proceedings concerning events or conditions within GSAS or FAS may be initiated in two ways: 

• If the event or condition occurred within a departmental context, the student shall notify the Department Chair or Program Director within thirty (30) days of the occurrence of the event or occurrence being grieved. The Chair or Director shall investigate the complaint and respond to the student within fifteen (15) days of notification. The student may be offered terms which, if accepted, will constitute a binding consensual agreement in resolution of the issue.
• If the event or condition occurred outside the departmental context but still within GSAS, the student shall contact the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs within thirty (30) days of the occurrence of the event or occurrence being grieved. The Assistant Dean will arrange meetings within fifteen (15) days of notification as appropriate, attend such meeting(s), and attempt to aid in the resolution of the complaint. The student may be offered terms which, if accepted, will constitute a binding consensual agreement in resolution of the issue. 

 If the complaint is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction through means outlined above, and the complaint is one defined to be adjudicated by GSAS, the student may bring a formal grievance to either of the OASA Assistant Deans within fifteen (15) days after the conclusion of the initiation of the complaint. In this case, the student must submit a formal written grievance to either of the Assistant Deans. The grievant shall state the grounds for the grievance, specifying departmental, GSAS, or FAS policy, rules, or procedures in question, describe the facts and evidence supporting the grievance, indicate what redress the grievant seeks, provide a brief history of the attempts to resolve the grievance, and identify any individuals who can be contacted for relevant information. Students may request a restriction of the investigation or attempted resolution of a grievance based on concerns about privacy or conflict of interest. The OASA Assistant Deans will determine which Assistant Dean will oversee the grievance and will notify the student of their decision. 

Upon receipt of a formal grievance, the Assistant Dean overseeing the grievance will promptly schedule a meeting with the grievant.  One person may accompany and advise the grievant, but cannot directly participate in the meeting. The Assistant Dean or the student may request the presence of the other OASA Assistant Dean or the Director of the Master’s College at the meeting. The student or the Assistant Dean may request that the meeting be recorded. The Assistant Dean may contact such other persons as the Assistant Dean deems appropriate, subject to the restrictions of the grievant, for the purpose of ascertaining the facts and evidence in the case.  The Assistant Dean shall render a written decision on the grievance to the grievant, the respondent, and, if the matter had previously been addressed in the department, to the department.

Notification of Results of Grievance

The Assistant Dean is required to provide written notification to a student of the results of their grievance within the time limits set above. The notification must address each point of contention raised in the student’s grievance and include the further grievance process available to the student. 

 The student may appeal in writing the decision of the Assistant Dean to the Dean of GSAS within two weeks of receipt of the Assistant Dean’s decision. The Dean will review only the process resulting in the Assistant Dean’s finding to determine if it was fair and impartial and followed the rules and policies of the Graduate School. No new information beyond what was reported to the Assistant Dean will be considered. The Dean will render a written decision to the student within thirty (30) days of receipt of the appeal. The Dean’s decision shall be final for GSAS and its departments. 

The Dean is required to provide written notification to a student of the results of their grievance within the time limits set above. The notification must address each point of contention raised in the student’s grievance and include the further grievance process available to the student. 

Students wishing to appeal the Dean’s decision should consult the University’s Student Grievance Procedure . GSAS procedures cover Articles I through III of the University’s procedures, so any appeal would start with Article IV, the University Judicial Board. 

The Office of the Dean of GSAS shall retain a copy of any grievance formally submitted to the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs or to the Dean, any amended grievance, and any decision of the Assistant Dean and/or Dean for five (5) calendar years following the date on which the grievance is resolved.  

GSAS students may elect to engage in internships that they arrange on their own with organizations or businesses. GSAS students are encouraged to evaluate internships carefully and to consult the internship guidelines prepared by the Wasserman Center as they consider whether to pursue internship experiences. ( Important Considerations Before Accepting a Job or Internship ) In some cases GSAS departments and programs may identify non‐credit internship experiences and make them known to graduate students. Programs and departments will typically not monitor student participation in non‐credit internship experiences, although some monitoring will take place when such internships are required components of specific GSAS programs. In order to be eligible as a credit‐bearing activity, an internship must comply with the following guidelines. It must be closely related to a student’s academic program. There must be clearly defined learning objectives and goals. There must also be supervision: both onsite supervision by a person with education and training in a relevant field and supervision by a faculty member who agrees to serve as the instructor of record. The on‐site supervisor will provide the department or program with a written evaluation of the student’s effort, and the faculty member will be responsible for submitting a grade. Academic credit for an internship is awarded through enrollment in one of two kinds of courses:

• A department or program may offer an Internship course for enrollment on an individual basis by a student. As with Directed Readings or Directed Research courses, enrollment in an individual Internship course requires signature by a supervising faculty member and approval by the program’s DGS. Directed Readings or Directed Research designations should not be used to enroll students for internships for academic credit. 
• A department or program may propose and sponsor a course for credit that involves a significant internship component. Depending on the number of credits associated with the course, students may be required to attend class in addition to their internship experiences and engage in classroom and other academic exercises in addition to their internship experiences.

GSAS procedures for the awarding of academic credit for an internship include the following:

• An internship experience must be listed in Albert in one of the two ways described above and with the department or program’s numbering designation.
• An internship course may not be done in excess of a program’s required credit.
• A maximum of two internship courses may be taken for credit if an internship experience is not required in the academic program.
• A maximum of six credits in internship courses may be taken for academic credit toward a GSAS degree.
• An internship course may be graded with letter grades or as Pass/Fail. The grading scale must be specified and agreed upon at the time of the student’s registration in an internship course.
• Each internship experience connected with a course must include a learning agreement that outlines the mutually agreed‐upon description of the student’s activities in the internship, the duration and hours of the internship, and the site supervisor’s commitment to provide at least one written evaluation of the student’s effort to his/her program or department.
• Internship duties cannot exceed 20 hours per week during the Fall and Spring academic semesters. Full‐time internships are permitted during the summer semester.

The Graduate School of Arts & Science does not offer placement exams.

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ISAW warmly congratulates our May 2024 cohort of PhD graduates! We are proud of you and your achievements.

Dissertation Committee, Submission, & Defense

When the candidate's dissertation proposal has been submitted and accepted, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Supervisory Committee, in consultation with the candidate, will review the membership of the Supervisory Committee and the choice of advisor or of two coadvisors. The advisor, or at least one of the co-advisors, must be a full-time ISAW faculty member. Until the dissertation is ready to be defended the Supervisory Committee continues to serve. It will meet with the candidate at least once every academic year, normally toward the end of the second semester, and the advisor will provide a written report of the candidate's progress towards completion to the candidate, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Associate Director for Academic Affairs no later than May 15th each year. The candidate may submit a response to this report.

In the case of a permanent ISAW faculty member who retires or accepts a position elsewhere, ISAW considers the departing faculty member to be qualified as a full-time ISAW faculty member for the purpose of dissertation supervision and examination until the faculty member's advisees have completed their dissertations. If a faculty member is not already on a student’s committee, he or she may be added and counted as a full-time ISAW faculty member within five years from the date the faculty member severs ties with ISAW and serve until the dissertation is completed.

The Dissertation Examination Committee must be formed not later than the beginning of the academic term in which the dissertation will be defended. The advisor, in consultation with the core committee, is responsible for selecting the other members of the Dissertation Examination Committee.

The Dissertation Examination Committee must consist of five members, of whom at least two and no more than three must be ISAW full-time faculty. Normally the advisor or co-advisors will be members of the Committee. A full-time ISAW faculty member other than the advisor will be appointed as Committee Chair by the Director of Graduate Studies. From the whole Committee, three must be designated as core members. The core consists of the Committee Chair, the advisor, and one other member.

The Director of Graduate Studies must approve all members of the Dissertation Examination Committee.  Approval is conferred using this form .

All Dissertation Examination Committee members must have a scholarly record that is germane to the dissertation.

On the advice of the Director of Graduate Studies, the ISAW full-time faculty may remove or add Dissertation Examination Committee members for any reason, subject to the preceding regulations for the composition of the Dissertation Examination Committee.

Dissertation Submission:  A complete draft of the dissertation must be submitted to all members of the Dissertation Examination Committee at least one month prior to the  NYU preliminary dissertation deadline  and at least one month prior to the dissertation defense.

In addition, ISAW students are also required to follow the policies and procedures of NYU's Graduate School of Arts and Science regarding the  submission of the dissertation . At the time of submitting the final draft of the dissertation to ProQuest, students should also decide whether they will publish their dissertation in the  ISAW Dissertation Collection  and submit the associated  Dissertation Deposit Form and License Agreement .

Authorization to Defend: T he three core members of the Dissertation Examination Committee must provide official authorization in order for the defense to take place; they should communicate their authorization to the Associate Director for Academic Affairs via email no later than the NYU preliminary dissertation deadline .  Authorization of the defense by the three core members of the committee does not constitute final approval of the dissertation itself.

Successful Defense: Normally the oral defense will consist of a 30-minute public presentation (with 15 additional minutes for Q&A) followed by a two-hour closed session for the candidate with the Dissertation Examination Committee. After the defense, each member of the Dissertation Examination Committee shall cast a single vote of "pass," "fail," or "incomplete" on the dissertation and its defense. An abstention will be counted as a vote of "fail."  The vote is recorded on this form  via DocuSign.

If all or all but one members of the Dissertation Examination Committee cast a vote of "pass," the dissertation will be considered to have been accepted. The Committee may stipulate specific minor corrections and modifications of the dissertation, in which case a member of the Committee designated by the Director of Graduate Studies must report before deposit and within 90 days after the defense that these corrections and modifications have been made.

If two or more members cast a vote of ‘incomplete’, or one ‘fail’ and at least one ‘incomplete’, a three-person subcommittee will be selected from the Dissertation Examination Committee by the Director of Graduate Studies, or by the ISAW Director if the Director of Graduate Studies is a member of the dissertation committee, to supervise revisions. At least one person must be a full-time ISAW faculty member, and one person must be a committee member who voted ‘incomplete’. The dissertation will be considered accepted if the three-person subcommittee unanimously so recommends; otherwise it will be changed to a final grade of "fail."

If three or more votes of ‘fail’ are cast, the dissertation will be failed. If there are two votes to fail, the entire ISAW full-time faculty will review the dissertation and render a final decision. Specific minor corrections and modifications may be requested before a final verdict is rendered by either the committee or the ISAW faculty.

Finding Dissertations

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Introduction

Nyu dissertations.

The Division of Libraries maintains a non-comprehensive collection of doctoral dissertations completed at New York University. Many of the dissertations available in our collection are cataloged in the Library Catalog .  Recent dissertations completed at NYU can be found in the database  Dissertations and Theses Global .   Guidance on the use of both resources is included in this guide.

Non-NYU Institutions' Dissertations

NYU holds very few dissertations completed at other institutions. For those dissertations which are not in our collection this guide also provides guidance on how to acquire or borrow copies.

Information for Dissertation Authors

• Dissertation Authors Research Guide
• NYU Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Doctoral Dissertation Submission Guide
• Steinhardt Doctoral Dissertations Formatting Guidelines
• NYU Wagner Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines
• Information for Silver School of Social Work Ph.D candidates Doctoral dissertation formatting and submission guidelines available in the Ph.D student manual.

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Thesis Submission and Defense Process

Once the thesis proposal has been approved, students should consult regularly with their adviser, and, if possible, the other committee members. During this period students should clarify ideas and approaches and submit drafts for feedback. Students should plan ahead to ensure that they are able to meet the thesis defense deadline for the semester in which they plan to graduate ( see below for deadlines and dates ).

If you have questions about the thesis defense process, please write to [email protected] .

Selecting the Thesis Committee

As early in the process as possible , students should select the members of the thesis committee. Each thesis committee includes three panelists who will read the thesis and participate in the thesis defense. Of the three panelists, one must be the student's primary academic adviser, and at least one must be a full-time Gallatin faculty member. If the academic adviser is a full-time Gallatin faculty member, the student may opt to ask two other non-Gallatin faculty members to serve on the committee.

Students are responsible for selecting and confirming the participation of each panelist. Students should consult with their primary advisers about composing the committee. The M.A. program directors are also available to help students with this process.

Once the student has selected their committee, the student must submit this proposed committee to the MA program for approval by submitting the  Proposed Thesis Defense Committee form at least six weeks in advance of the thesis defense date. For proposed second or third readers who are not NYU faculty members, students must include a link to their CV.

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Submitting the Thesis Your Adviser, to Gallatin, and to the Thesis Defense Committee

The adviser will be reviewing drafts of the thesis with the student in an on-going fashion prior to the submission of the thesis to the defense committee.

The student will submit a final draft version of the thesis to the adviser via email no fewer than six weeks in advance of the intended thesis defense date.

After the adviser has approved the thesis and thinks the student is ready for the defense, the student will then submit the thesis to Gallatin and to the thesis committee no fewer than four weeks before the anticipated defense date.

To submit the thesis to Gallatin and to the thesis committee, students should use the online Thesis Submission form . This form will send copies of the thesis to the adviser and to the second and third reader. At this stage, Gallatin will contact the adviser to confirm their approval of the thesis. 

Students completing an artistic thesis that entails a performance, an exhibit, or a film screening must arrange to have the committee members see the performance in advance of the defense.

Scheduling the Defense

At the same time as the thesis is being submitted to Gallatin and to the thesis committee, the student will consult with all three panelists regarding the dates and times when they are available. When an acceptable date and time have been arranged, the student will complete the online Thesis Defense Registration form , which must be submitted at least four weeks prior to the defense. A defense confirmation will be emailed to the student, the adviser, the second reader, and the third reader. This confirmation email will provide an overview of what to expect in the defense for both the student and the committee.

Defending the Thesis

On the day of the defense the student will defend the thesis in a one-and-a half hour discussion with the three members of the committee.

After the defense, the adviser will complete an online form, which states the outcome of the defense and notifies the MA program of this outcome.

The possible outcomes are:

• Pass – with no revisions
• Pass – with minor revisions to be approved by the adviser 
• Pass – with major revisions to be approved by the adviser
• No Pass - Student must submit and defend the thesis at a future time

Submitting the Final Thesis

Within 30 days after the defense, the student must submit the final, corrected version of the thesis by completing the  Final Thesis Submission form .

A final version of the thesis will be added to the Gallatin Master's Thesis Archive .

Students who have passed the defense and have met all other degree requirements will be eligible for graduation. 

Thesis Defense Deadlines

In planning the date of the thesis defense, students must adhere to the deadlines below. 

Sample Thesis Scheduling Chart

Below is an example of submission deadlines based on specific defense dates. It demonstrates how students should plan for the defense.

Matriculation Policy

Students must be registered for Master's Thesis II in the semester that they are defending. Students who need additional time register for Thesis Advisement each term (including the summer, if they plan on graduating in September) until they have successfully defended the thesis. Credits for Thesis Advisement are not included in the 40-credit requirement for the master’s degree.  Thesis Advisement has a special tuition rate of $400 (plus a nonrefundable registration and services fee).

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Theses & Dissertations

Graduate students in Purdue programs at IUPUI who are depositing a thesis or a dissertation need to follow the Purdue deposit process including templates, forms and deadlines.  Click below for the full Purdue graduate student site or for the Purdue deposit process information.

Purdue Graduate Students Site

Purdue Deposit Process Page

IU Graduate Students in UGS Programs

The thesis or dissertation is the capstone work of your academic career. This is your opportunity as a graduate student to apply everything you have studied during and leading up to graduate school and contribute to the academic community.

A thesis or dissertation can take months or even years to complete, and it is one of the final steps in achieving a graduate degree.

At IUPUI, master’s degree candidates complete theses, while doctoral candidates complete dissertations. Each work comes with its own set of requirements, including formatting and deadlines , and both have multiple options for submission . A doctoral dissertation also comes with the added requirement of a defense .

By participating in The Graduate Student Writing Group , you’ll receive feedback on your work, participate in skill-building activities, discuss ideas with peers, and set aside designated time to write. Email [email protected] to join.

The IU Graduate School Indianapolis will make forms or documents available to those who cannot access them via this website. Please contact gradoff@iupui.edu to request the document you wish to see.

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