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Overview

Successfully defending your dissertation - also called the Final Oral Examination - is a requirement for the Ph.D. (UT Graduate Catalog). Before your defense, you should talk with your supervisor to clarify expectations, including how the meeting will be structured. We also recommend reviewing the Graduate School's Final Oral guidelines early in the process.

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Once you and your supervisor have set a date, you will:

  • Submit your Dissertation to your Committee for review

  • Schedule a room through EDP

Submitting your Dissertation: Your committee needs time to review your work before your defense. You must provide your committee a copy of your dissertation at least one month before your defense. Some faculty will not sign off without adequate review time. Be sure to:

  • Ask whether each member prefers a hard copy or electronic version

  • Encourage members to share any major concerns early

Booking a Room: You will book a room for your defense through the EDP Department. Note these scheduling requirements:

  • Final Orals must be held on campus and during regular business hours

  • They cannot be scheduled after noon on Fridays without prior Department Chair approval.

  • At least 4 committee members, including your supervisor, must be present

  • In-person attendance is not required, but if you are defending in person, you and your supervisor must be in the same room

  • If any member cannot attend (in person or remotely), list them on Page 2 of the Final Oral Request Form. 

Request for Final Oral Form (RFO)

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There are two ways to collect signatures for your RFO:

  • Electronically (recommended): instructions below

    Expand
    titleInstructions

    Electronic RFO Instructions (DocuSign)

    Before starting, notify your committee members that they will receive the RFO form via DocuSign for signature.  

    What You'll Need (gather this before starting the form!):

    • Name and emails for your: Supervisor, Co-Supervisor or Member 2, Members 3 & 4, EDP Graduate Adviser. (Members 5-7 are optional).

    • Final Oral exam details: date, time, building and room number

    • IRB approval details (if applicable): mark "yes" and include your IRB study number

    Step 1: Start the DocuSign Form

    Use this link to begin: DocuSign Request for Final Oral Form

    Step 2: Track the Form

    After submitting, DocuSign automatically sends the form to your committee for signatures. You can track and monitor the signature progress via DocuSign.

    Step 3: Submit to the Graduate School

    Once all signatures are complete:

    • Open the final email from DocuSign and click "View Completed Document"

    • On the DocuSign site, click "Download" and choose "Combined PDF" (this includes the certificate of completion)

    • Save the file, and email the PDF to the Graduate School at gradstudentsvcs@austin.utexas.edu

  • 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, 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.

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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:

  • All committee members must sign the Report of Dissertation Committee Form (RODC). No proxies are permitted, and all signatures must be on the same form.

  • The GSC Chair 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.

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