GSEHD Dissertation Defense Information

Spring 2023 Due Dates at a Glance

Timeline 1:

February 15: Last day to submit dissertation materials for a spring 2023 graduation
March 17: Last day to defend for a spring 2023 graduation
April 12, 5pm: ProQuest submission deadline

Timeline 2:

April 1: Last day to submit materials to defend during the spring semester
May 1: Last day to hold a defense during the spring semester

Timeline 3:

May 1: Last day to submit materials to defend in the summer semester while enrolled in CE

Materials Due for Dissertation Defense

Request for Dissertation Oral Examination – Google Forms. While completing this form, which constitutes your formal submission of materials and request for defense, you will be asked to attach the following additional materials:
- Dissertation Approval Form
- CVs of any committee members who are not current GW faculty members, if not previously submitted
- Your completed dissertation in Word format. Please be sure that your dissertation is formatted correctly to ensure you will not have any issues with ProQuest upload and approval. Your dissertation must follow the University Formatting Guidelines and Digital Accessibility Guidelines, and must match the template provided on the GSEHD Style Guide.
Submit an online Application for Graduation for the appropriate semester. All graduation application deadlines are listed on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
For students following timelines 2 or 3, submit a Continuous Enrollment Form for the summer 2023 semester, filled out and submitted via email to docgsehd@gwu.edu.

Please note, these materials must be submitted in full at least 30 days before your dissertation defense. Partial submissions cannot be accepted.

Full Information: Spring 2023 Due Dates and Timelines

During the spring 2023 semester, students can choose between two formats to defend their dissertation:

A virtual defense, which will be conducted via a scheduled WebEx meeting.
An in person defense, which will be conducted on either the Foggy Bottom or VSTC campus. One committee member (not the chair) may participate virtually. If more than one person plans to participate virtually, the defense must be held virtually. This policy is stated in the Doctoral Handbook and applies for the spring 2023 semester; it may be altered in future semesters.

Our due dates are driven by the university’s ProQuest submission deadlines, the date by which the university requires you to submit the final, approved version of your dissertation in order to graduate. The date of your ProQuest submission determines your graduation semester, regardless of when you defend. As a result, we provide several different defense timelines. Timeline 1 allows you to graduate this semester, while timelines 2 and 3 allow you to submit your dissertation materials this semester and graduate next semester at no additional cost.

To be a spring 2023 graduate:

Students must submit all materials no later than February 15^th. The last day to defend is March 17^th. Your final document must be uploaded to ProQuest by April 12^th at 5pm; this final deadline is set by the University provost and library. Please be aware that April 12^th is a fixed deadline, so you will have less time to make your final edits if you choose a later defense date.

To defend in spring 2023 and be a summer 2023 graduate:

Students who are unable to meet the spring graduation deadline but still wish to defend during the semester must submit all materials by April 1^st, making the final day to defend May 1^st. Any student submitting after February 15^th will be a summer graduate and enroll in Continuous Enrollment (CE), a zero-credit, no-cost option, for the summer semester. Please note: international students living in the US are not eligible for CE; instead, they may take a reduced course load.

To defend and graduate in summer 2023 while enrolled in CE:

May 1^st will be the last day to submit materials for anyone who wishes to enroll in Continuous Enrollment (CE), a zero-credit, no-cost option, during the summer 2023 semester. Students who submit their materials by May 1^st will schedule defenses in early summer and be summer graduates. Please note: international students living in the US are not eligible for CE; instead, they may take a reduced course load.

NB: Students who submit materials after May 1^st can still defend and graduate in the summer 2023 semester, but will register and pay for normal dissertation research credits instead of enrolling in CE.

These pathways apply for the spring 2023 semester only. Please note that because these three options have been provided, there will be no need for exceptions or extensions. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Dannels (sdannels@gwu.edu).