Dissertation: Final Steps
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

• Scheduling the Final Oral
• The Final Oral
  • Final Oral Paperwork for Economics
  • Final Oral Paperwork for Public Policy
• Submitting the Digital Document
• Microfilming Your Dissertation (required)
• Copyrighting Your Dissertation (optional)
• Bound Copies of Your Dissertation
• Completing the Survey of Earned Doctorates (required)

Scheduling the Final Oral Dissertation Defense

You will present and defend your final dissertation in a public presentation that will be open to faculty and other graduate students in the program. The final oral is not an examination of the merits of the dissertation; it is a formal presentation of the results. You should be prepared to discuss and answer questions about the objectives of your research, research methods you used, major findings, conclusions, and implications of the findings. If you have been meeting regularly with your chair and committee members, there should be no surprises at the final oral. Once you and your chair believe your dissertation is in final form, a copy is circulated to each committee member for review and comments. Only after all comments have been addressed to the satisfaction of your committee should you schedule the final oral.

Your final oral defense will be announced to faculty and graduate students via email and posted on the web approximately two weeks prior to the date it is scheduled. Once you and your committee have decided on a date, it is your responsibility to notify the OAA so that a room may be scheduled and an announcement circulated. You should also assume responsibility for other procedural details, such as bringing the required paperwork, requesting any special equipment you need, and checking the conference room assigned before the exam; the room will be open for you to set up at least ½ hour before the scheduled time of the defense.

To schedule your final oral, at least two weeks prior to the date, send an e-mail to the Office of Academic Assistance, including the following information:

• date and exact time of your defense
• final title of your dissertation
• list of your dissertation committee members
• list of any special equipment or accommodations you will need such as laptop, projector, or telephone connection for conference call

(Note: If you are a Public Policy student whose "home" institution is Georgia Tech, contact the Graduate Office at Georgia Tech to schedule and announce your final oral. All final oral announcements for joint doctoral students are circulated in e-mail to graduate students and faculty at both institutions.)

The last day to hold your final oral and graduate in the same semester is normally four weeks prior to the date of Georgia State's commencement. If you have applied to graduate you will receive an email from the OAA at the beginning of your graduation semester reminding you of the last day to defend and other deadlines.

 Next: Final Steps - The Final Oral