Thesis/Dissertation Consultant
The Thesis/Dissertation Consultant reviews formatting requirements for all theses and dissertations prepared at UT Knoxville. These requirements must be met in order for theses and dissertations to be accepted by the university as a condition of graduation. Graduate students who are writing theses and dissertations should plan to meet with the consultant at least three or four times during the writing and revision process, including a Preliminary Review and Final Submittal. In particular, it is important to have the Consultant review your Approval Sheet before getting it signed.
HEADLINES
Summer Schedule and Deadlines: Because the summer is a relatively short term, our schedule gets very crowded very quickly; the consultant's office is dealing with a backlog of appointment queries; regular appointments (e.g., preliminary reviews) are only available 1-2 weeks in advance, at the soonest. Please also make sure you are keeping up with the Deadlines for graduation! Please review the information on this website carefully, in particular the guidelines and examples for the approval sheet. If you missed the Thesis/Dissertation Workshops, or if you would like a review, you can find the workshop slides here. (The next workshops will be held Sept. 11 and 12.)
New ways to get in touch! Click on the meebo instant-messaging box on the right of this page to send a message to the Thesis Consultant! In case I'm away from my desk, allow a few minutes for a response. You may also find us on MySpace and facebook (Group: Theses and Dissertations at the University of Tennessee).
They're all Electronic: All theses and dissertations must be submitted in electronic format. Please disregard any of the previously published guidelines that state they are specifically for "paper" submittal (such as mirror margins). We'll cover submittal requirements at our Thesis/Dissertation Workshops each semester, and you can find more information on electronic theses and dissertations here. The Office of Information Technology offers a very helpful class in preparing electronic theses and dissertations, specifically how to distill a word processing document into the required .pdf format (including various tips to make that document more navigable and effective). Find infomation on the OIT workshops here!
Deadlines and Other Important Dates for Summer 2008:
If you are planning to graduate in August, you should already have submitted your Admission to Candidacy form and your Graduation Application. Doctoral students should already have turned in their Doctoral Committee Appointment form. (These and other forms can be found on the Graduate School Forms website.) If you have not submitted these forms, please contact the Graduate School as soon as possible. Complete deadline date information is available here.
Deadlines for summer graduation:
- July 11: Last day to submit Scheduling of Defense form (doctoral students only)
- July 18: Last day to defend thesis or dissertation
- July 28-August 1: Walk-in period in the Consultant's office. No appointments this week; all students seen on a first-come, first-served basis, 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
- Aug. 1: Submit final copy of thesis/dissertation, which must be approved and accepted by the Thesis/Dissertation Consultant by 5:00 p.m. (no exceptions), P-105 Andy Holt Tower.
- Aug. 1: Submit Report of Final Examination ("Pass/Fail") form by 5:00 p.m. (no exceptions) to The Graduate School, P-105 Andy Holt Tower.
"Second" Deadlines for submittal for Fall graduation:
- August 7: Last day to defend thesis or dissertation
- August 11-15: Walk-in period in the Consultant's office. No appointments this week; all students seen on a first-come, first-served basis, 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
- August 15: Submit final copy of thesis/dissertation, which must be approved and accepted by the Thesis/Dissertation Consultant by 5:00 p.m. (no exceptions), P-105 Andy Holt Tower.
- Aug. 15: Submit Report of Final Examination ("Pass/Fail") form by 5:00 p.m. (no exceptions) to The Graduate School, P-105 Andy Holt Tower.
Contact The Consultant
Jennifer W. Spirko
P-105 Andy Holt tower
Knoxville, TN 37996-0104
Phone: (865) 974-1337
Email (preferred): thesis@utk.edu