Graduation
12.1 Application for Graduation
Students expecting to graduate in a given semester must file an Application for Graduation online using Banner Student Self Service located in the MyIIT portal (my.iit.edu), which is is submitted to Academic Affairs, by the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar for the semester of graduation.
Failure to fulfill degree requirements within the first semester of application for graduation will result in the need to enroll in a continuation of graduate study course (GCS 100 or 600). Students should contact Academic Affairs for more information on GCS.
A late graduation fee will be charged to any graduate student who seeks special consideration for failing to apply for graduation by the semester deadline, as published in the Academic Calendar. A late application for graduation may only be considered when filed no later than 30 days prior to the last day of classes, as published in the Academic Calendar. The Late Application for Graduation Form should be submitted by the student to Academic Affairs to initiate this special consideration. A late graduation application fee will be charged to the student’s account.
12.2 Non-Thesis Degree
As used here, a thesis is a written document or manuscript which concerns an investigation or discourse. A non-thesis degree may require a project (course #594) and a project report; however, neither the project itself nor the project report is a thesis and cannot be deposited in the university library. Registration for course #591 cannot fulfill a requirement for a non-thesis degree. If non-thesis degree students decide to have their project report bound, they must do so privately, not through the Graduate College's Editorial Office. Storage of project reports will be at the discretion of academic departments and cannot be done in the university library.
12.3 Thesis Preparation Discussion
A mandatory thesis preparation discussion is held at the beginning of every semester to assist graduate students with the preparation of their theses. The exact date and time is announced every semester by the Graduate College (contact 312.567.3024). All students who are required to submit a thesis for graduation must attend this meeting (once), which is open to all students, faculty, and staff. The graduate students' theses must conform to the guidelines in the latest Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate Thesis Manual. The manual is available online at catalog.iit.edu/graduate-thesis-manual.
12.4 Thesis Review (Examining) Committee
Once the preliminary draft of an M.S. thesis is prepared, the M.S. student requests the academic unit head to appoint a Thesis Examining Committee of at least two full-time Illinois Institute of Technology faculty members (see the Sequence of Events).
For Ph.D. students, the academic unit head appoints a Thesis Examining Committee of at least four full-time faculty members (Form G301), at least nine weeks prior to the end of the semester of graduation. The final copy of the dissertation is subject to approval by the Thesis Examiner (Form G501) to insure that the dissertation conforms to the guidelines set forth in the latest Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate Thesis Manual.
12.5 Meetings with the Thesis Examiner
All students with theses/dissertations must make an appointment with the Thesis Examiner for the approval of the preliminary draft of theses/dissertations. At least three meetings are required, unless otherwise indicated by the Thesis Examiner. The Thesis Examiner has the authority to request additional meetings, if necessary. The first meeting with the Thesis Examiner must be scheduled at least six weeks before the end of the semester and prior to the thesis/dissertation defense. At least three weeks before the end of the semester of graduation, all students with theses/dissertations must make a second appointment with the Thesis Examiner for the approval of the final draft. The final meeting with the Thesis Examiner must take place after the thesis defense and the approval of the final hard copy by the Thesis Examining Committee. One copy of the final thesis/dissertation is then to be uploaded to ProQuest at least nine days before the end of the semester of graduation.
12.6 Reproduction of Final Document
Three copies of the final thesis/dissertation are reproduced from the online copy—bound by ProQuest, and deposited with Illinois Institute of Technology—one to be archived in Galvin Library and two to be distributed to the academic unit. Individual academic units may require additional copies, but will be responsible for placing all orders and handling all payments by directly contacting ProQuest.
12.7 Thesis Fee
Master's thesis and doctoral candidates must pay the respective published thesis fee, found on the Tuition and Fees website (web.iit.edu/student-accounting/tuition-fees), and submit a copy of the paid receipt to the Thesis Examiner at least nine days before the end of the semester of graduation. A portion of this fee pays for binding the three university copies.
12.8 Approval of the Final Document by the Thesis Examiner
The Thesis Examiner must approve the final copy of the thesis/dissertation at least nine days before the end of classes in the graduating semester. The Thesis Examiner must also receive the completed Form G501, thesis fee receipt, and UMI abstract copy at this time. In addition, Ph.D. candidates must complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates and submit an electronic copy of the Certificate of Completion.
12.9 Graduation in the Summer Term
Every spring, a Sequence of Events for graduation in summer will be published by the Graduate College. The requirements are the same, but the deadlines are proportionately shorter: application for graduation seven weeks before the end of the term, preliminary draft of thesis 18 days, master's comprehensive or Ph.D. final oral examination eight days, and final depositing of thesis/dissertation and payment of fees five days before the end of Session B in the term.
