Thesis or Dissertation

The first step to completing your thesis or dissertation is enrolling in the course. You will need to look at your degree requirements to know which course to enroll in. Be sure to consult with your advisor so you can map out the timeline before submitting everything to the Graduate Studies office.

You'll complete a thesis or dissertation under the supervision of a major professor and committee. The committee includes a Major Advisor (UW-Green Bay faculty member from your degree program) and two additional faculty members with appropriate degrees or expertise. These professors will help guide, advise and approve the thesis or dissertation defense and manuscript. All members of the committee must have graduate faculty status to participate.

Ready to finish your degree? Your application for graduation is due at least one semester before graduation. 

Apply to Graduate

Consult the Format Policy & Manual (pdf) as well as the Style Format & Checklist (pdf) to ensure you're following requirements.

After you select your committee, you'll submit your project proposal to the Graduate Studies office.

• Research Proposal (GR-2) for Masters Students
• Dissertation Proposal (GR-2) for Doctoral Students

Use the following templates as you develop the project.

• Preliminary Pages
• Chapters and References
• Applied Leadership Ed.D. Dissertation Title Page
• FNED Dissertation Title Page 
• Thesis Title Page

Get online, 24/7 writing support with Brainfuse, offered by the Learning Center. Brainfuse experts will read over your work and help polish your project.

When you're ready to defend your thesis or dissertation, work with your specific program to follow any specific procedures that may exist. Defenses should be open to the public, and you can choose between in-person, virtual or hybrid models.

1. Schedule the defense and submit your presentations (GR-3). Schedule a day and time with committee members one semester prior to your graduation term. The day of your defense must be before the final day of your graduation term. You'll need to submit presentations to the committee at least two weeks before the defense. Here are the master's and doctoral GR-3 presentation forms to schedule the defense:
   • Master's Degree Thesis Defense/Project Presentations (GR-3)
   • Doctoral Degree Dissertation Defenses (GR-3)
2. Present your defense. Due before the final day of your graduation term
3. Submit approval forms (GR-4): after your defense, you must submit approval forms, where the committee members will document their approval of the defense, by the last day of your graduation term.
   • Master’s Degree Thesis Defense/Project Approval Form (GR-4)
   • Doctoral Degree Dissertation Approval Form (GR-4)
4. Find out if it was successful. Members of the committee preside over the defense and notify the student in a private meeting following the presentation whether the defense was successful.

Successful completion of a defense does not equal degree completion. You'll need to work through revisions requested by committee members and format and style revisions requested by Graduate Studies. Both substantive and formatting revisions must be completed before you earn your degree.

• Contact gradstu@uwgb.edu for specific dates the review needs to occur.
• Before the review can begin, you must file a GR-4 in the Graduate Studies office.
• Deadline for Review: A final, committee-approved draft is due to Graduate Studies by the last day of your graduation term.

Share your final manuscript with local and global research communities. After your faculty committee and Grad Studies approve your final version, we will send you step-by-step instructions on how to upload your thesis or dissertation to ProQuest. Please complete the following:

• Upload a pdf (one continuous file) of your thesis, dissertation or project. This document must meet digital accessibility standards.
• Include the signed title page in your pdf (Graduate Studies will assist with this during the format review process).
• Complete the Grant of Permission & Copyright Form.
• Deadline to submit final version of project: within 20 calendar days after the last day of your graduation term.