Doctoral Degree Checklist
Graduation Deadlines
"My Graduation Checklist"
Your My Graduation Checklist Canvas site will be activated at one of these time, whichever comes first:.
- On the 20th day of classes for students who have submitted an Application for Graduation via Enroll & Pay for that semester.
- When your department submits your exam date and information for pre-approval.
- During the week after the graduation deadline, for students who have applied to graduate for the upcoming semester.
We strongly encourage students to submit an Application for Graduation prior to the 20th day of classes so that you can get access to the information and resources in your Graduation Checklist site as early as possible!
You will receive an invitation to the site via email when it has been activated for you. If you can't locate that email, you can simply Log in to Canvas and the site will be available as one of your current "courses".
If your Graduation Checklist has not been activated yet, you can utilize the Doctoral Checklist Overview below.
COGA will use your My Graduation Checklist to verify that all items on the are completed by the deadline. Any requirement not submitted or submitted after the deadline will cause graduation to be delayed. In addition to a completed My Graduation Checklist, COGA verifies the following as part of the final degree certification after the deadline: 1) the resolution of any Incomplete, Missing or Waiting grades, 2) final GPA of 3.0 or above, 3) satisfactory completion of the final exam or defense, and 4) correct formatting of the thesis.
Doctoral Checklist Overview
To be considered a degree candidate in any given semester, all degree requirements must be fulfilled and required documentation submitted no later than the University-wide Application for Graduation deadline.
The University has also established an early degree completion deadline that some students may wish to take advantage of. If a student meets all departmental and University requirements by this deadline, and was enrolled during the previous semester, they are able to graduate for that semester without having to enroll for that semester. This deadline falls approximately two weeks after the start of the Fall and Spring semesters, one week after the start of the Summer session.
The checklist below provides a general overview of requirements.
1. Apply for Graduation
Submit your application for graduation in Enroll & Pay. If you have applied to graduate in a previous term and did not meet the graduation deadline, the application for graduation does not roll over into another semester, therefore, you must re-apply.
2. Submit Signed Title & Acceptance Pages
Submit your signed title and acceptance pages via My Graduation Checklist. The title page requires a majority of committee members’ signatures. The acceptance page requires only committee chairperson’s signature. Electronic signatures will be accepted. These pages must comply with formatting guidelines.
3. Submit ETD Release Form
Review and sign the KU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Release Form. Please note, there is a separate Creative Writing ETD Release Form for reserved for students completing a program of study in creative writing. COGA provides the School/College signatures at the bottom of page one. The title of your dissertation as written on this form must match exactly the final title of the electronic dissertation submission. If you need to place an embargo on your dissertation, you must also obtain the signature of your department's Director of Graduate Studies, Chairperson, or your Committee Chair on the bottom of page two. Submit both pages of signed document via My Graduation Checklist.
4. Submit Dissertation to ProQuest
Submit the PDF version of your dissertation to the ProQuest submission site, and a copy of your confirmation email via My Graduation Checklist. It is very important to comply with dissertation formatting guidelines when preparing the submission. Your submission will be reviewed and approved by COGA after the close of the term. Your work will not be available through UMI/ProQuest until that time. You may order bound copies of your work for an additional cost. Please see the timeline and resources on the Graduating Students page or in your My Graduation Checklist course for more information.
5. Complete Doctoral Surveys
Doctoral students should complete two surveys: KU’s Doctoral Completion Survey (DCS) and the national-level Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). After completing both surveys, please submit the Certificate of Completion via My Graduation Checklist.
6. Consult with Your Graduate Coordinator/Department
Confirm that all academic requirements for the degree have been met, and your department has submitted your final exam/defense outcome online (PTD form).
