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There are two ways to collect signatures for your RFO:

  • Electronically (recommended): instructions below

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    titleInstructions

    • Request for Final Oral Exam Form Submission via DocuSign

      Before beginning the submission process, inform your committee members that you will be sending the Request for Final Oral Examination Form to them via DocuSign.

      Required Information for Request for Final Oral form

      • The names and email addresses of your Supervisor, Co-Supervisor or Member 2, Member 3, Member 4, and EDP Graduate Adviser are required. Members 5-7 are optional.
      • Planned date, time, and location (building and room number) of your Final Oral exam.
      • You will also need to indicate on the form if IRB approval is required and, if so, enter the IRB study number.

      Submit the Request for Final Oral via Docusign

      NOTE: Do not begin the process until you have all the required information listed above. If you start the form without finishing it, it will create abandoned documents in the DocuSign system. Abandoned forms cannot be accessed again and you will have to start over.

      DocuSign Request for Final Oral Examination Link: http://links.utexas.edu/bkbpwfs

      Tracking Form Progress

      Once submitted, DocuSign will automatically send the form to all committee members for their eSignature. The Graduate Adviser will be the last one to sign.

      DocuSign will send you an email with a Document Review link. Save this email and use the link to monitor the progress of your form signatures.

      Submit the Form to the Graduate School

      You will receive a final email from DocuSign when all signers have completed the signing process. Click “View Completed Document” link in that email. When the document opens on the DocuSign website, click the “Download” button at the top of the document. Select the “Combined PDF” option and save the document to your computer. A combined document includes the form and the certificate of completion. The certificate provides a full audit trail of your DocuSign transaction. Send the Request For Final Oral Exam pdf to the Graduate School at gradstudentsvcs@austin.utexas.edu.

      Electronically (recommended) via Docusign: instructions below


  • Hard copy: Download the form, collect physical signatures, and email the completed form to the Graduate School. If needed, your supervisor may sign on behalf of an absent member (with written approval from the member).

After your RFO is processed, the Graduate School will send you you'll receive a Report of Dissertation Committee (RODC) form from the Graduate School. This form is used to report your defense results and will need to be signed by all committee members after your exam.

Digitally via Docusign -

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What to Expect at the Defense

Dissertation defense meetings generally go well! Some revisions of the document are almost always requested. Be sure to leave enough time after the defense to complete any requested revisions edits and upload the final document before the semester graduation deadline to upload the dissertation to the Graduate School. 

The committee may choose other options than Pass. These include the following: Reconsideration, Not Pass, and Fail. Reconsideration indicates that extensive revision is necessary, but the committee is willing to examine the rewritten dissertation without a second final oral defense meeting. Not Pass indicates that the committee is not satisfied with the dissertation but believes it could be made satisfactory with rewriting, and another final oral is scheduled. Fail indicates that at least one member of the committee has decided the dissertation is unsatisfactory and the candidate may not rewrite. 

Report of Dissertation Committee Form

After your defense, Possible outcomes include:

  • Pass - Congratulations!
  • Reconsideration - Significant revisions needed; the committee agrees to review again without a second defense
  • Not Pass - Revisions required; a second defense must be scheduled
  • Fail - At least one committee member determines the dissertation is not acceptable, and rewriting is not permitted

After the Defense: Submitting the RODC and Dissertation 

Once your defense is complete:

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  • . No proxies are permitted, and all signatures must be on the same form.

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  • The GSC Chair

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SUBMITTING THE DISSERTATION AND RODC: Students will hold on to their signed Report of Dissertation Committee Form - as well their corrected dissertation and any other required materials -  until the semester they plan to graduate. Once they have applied to graduate, the final edited dissertation document must be uploaded through the Graduate School portal. Once the dissertation is uploaded, you will then email the Graduate School your Report of Dissertation Committee Form as well as any other required forms to gradstudentsvcs@austin.utexas.edu. 

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  • must sign the completed form.
  • Hold on to the signed RODC until you apply to graduate.

In the semester you're graduating: 

IMPORTANT: Missing the final submission deadline means you'll need to re-enroll in dissertation hours the following semester - and you may be billed for previous semesters if you received a waiver.

CP and SCCP students: if you have completed your defense and will enroll in Internship hours in subsequent semesters, contact the EDP Graduate Coordinator to request a petition to the Graduate School to waive the dissertation enrollment requirement for the subsequent semesters.Students should be careful to ensure their dissertations are ready to upload and that all materials are in the Graduate School office before the deadline. Failure to have everything turned in by the deadline means a student will have to register for dissertation hours again the following semester, and may also be subject to fees for past semesters of waived dissertation hours.