A final public examination is held under the auspices of the committee in charge of the candidate's course of study. At this examination, the candidate must defend the dissertation and otherwise satisfy the committee and other faculty members in attendance that he or she is qualified to receive the degree of doctor of philosophy.
At the time of the final examination, the student is responsible for obtaining from the Office of the Dean the candidacy application upon which the result of the qualifying examination is recorded. The committee members complete this application at the final examination and sign the title page of the dissertation to signify their acceptance of it.
Once the program director certifies that all program requirements have been completed for the degree of doctor of philosophy, the candidate must return the candidacy application to the Office of the Dean. Additional materials to be submitted at this time include one original and one photocopy of the dissertation on 100 percent cotton-content bond paper, two copies of the title page and abstract, the receipted payment form for microfilming, the microfilming agreement form, and additional survey forms as required. All of the above materials must be submitted to the Office of the Dean no later than the announced deadlines for completing degree requirements. The names of those failing to meet these deadlines are removed automatically from the commencement list for that degree date.
