Fall 2021 Deadline and Policy Reminders

Below are important reminders regarding fall 2021 graduation deadlines and timeframes for graduate students.  Please email us at graduate-dean@umd.edu if you have any questions.

September 24: Nomination of Dissertation Committee Form due to the Office of the Registrar.

October 1: Nomination of Thesis Committee Form due to the Office of the Registrar.

October 29: Request for Report of Examining Committee (REC) form for dissertation defenses dueto the Graduate School. All requests should be made at least ten days prior to the oral defense date.

November 12: Final date to submit dissertation forms via the ETD System and the electronic publication to the Office of the Registrar.

November 17: Request for Report of Examining Committee (REC) form for thesis defenses due to the Graduate School. All requests should be made at least ten days prior to the oral defense date.

December 1: Final date to submit master’s thesis forms via the ETD System and the electronic publication to the Office of the Registrar.

REMOTE DEFENSES
Current Graduate School policy allows for a committee member to request permission to participate in a thesis or dissertation defense remotely, and only in exceptional cases would remote participation be permitted for the student, a committee chair, and/or Dean’s Representative (for dissertation defenses).

We have streamlined the remote defense request process to better clarify what exemptions are currently supported by policy.  All requests must be submitted within 10 business days of the oral defense date. Please note that all defenses, regardless if they are remote or in person must request the Report of Examining Committee (REC). For more information about the REC request process, please go here. 

NOMINATION OF COMMITTEE
Nomination of Committee Forms are due to the Office of the Registrar (OoR) 6 weeks ahead of a defense.  Emergency committee changes can be made up to 24 hours ahead of the oral defense. Emergency committee changes (within 24 hours of the oral defense) are processed by the Graduate School and should be submitted via this form. 

REPORT OF EXAMINING COMMITTEE (REC)
The committee chair is required to submit a Report of Examining Committee (REC) request form at least 10 business days ahead of the oral defense date. The Graduate School sends the REC form via Adobe Sign to the entire committee 3-5 business days before the oral defense to the email addresses submitted on the request form. As of fall 2021, the old hardcopy of the REC will no longer be accepted.  REC’s must be signed/approved and processed using Adobe Sign.