Doctoral Degree Forms and Deadlines
Guidebook for Preparation and Submission of an Electronic DissertationConsult this guidebook for details as you complete the requirements summarized below.
For conferral of a doctoral degree in
- Submit completed form to: Eva Bachman, Doctoral Specialist in the Office of Graduate Studies.
- Deadline notes: The Appointment of Supervisory Committee form should be filed by the student prior to the completion of 45 credit hours, exclusive of research tools or language requirements.
- Committee composition: The committee must consist of at least four graduate faculty, including an NU graduate faculty member from outside the department or area in which the doctorate is to be granted.
- Minors: If a minor is sought, the committee should include a representative from the minor department.
- Changes: If any changes to the committee are made after this form is submitted to Graduate Studies, the student's advisor must notify the Doctoral Specialist by submission of the Change of Committee formReader-Enabled*, especially when changing chairs.
- Courtesy Appointments: To nominate a faculty member from outside the University of Nebraska system, use the Appointment of Courtesy Committee Member formReader-Enabled*.
- For more information: Refer to the Graduate Bulletin.
- Submit completed form to: Eva Bachman, Doctoral Specialist in the Office of Graduate Studies.
- Deadline notes: The Program must be completed and submitted in the same semester or summer of approval of the Supervisory Committee by Graduate Studies.
- The doctorate degree requires a minimum of 90 total credit hours, including a minimum of 12 hours (maximum 55) of dissertation. At the time of the filing of the Program of Studies, there should be at least 45 hours remaining to be taken, exclusive of research tools, language requirements, or collateral courses.
- Changes to the Program: After the Program of Studies has been filed with Graduate Studies, any changes should be submitted in writing. Changes to a student's Program of Studies may be submitted by the student's advisor in a memo/email to the Doctoral Specialist outlining the additions, deletions, or substitutions.
- For more information: Refer to the Graduate Bulletin.
- Speak with your advisor regarding the need for approvals to conduct research with animals or human subjects.
- For more information: Refer to Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) guidelines from the Office of Research Responsibility.
- Submit completed form to: Eva Bachman, Doctoral Specialist in the Office of Graduate Studies.
- Deadline notes: Due no later than seven months prior to the final oral examination. This form is filed when the research tools have been completed and the comprehensive examinations are passed.
- Registration requirement: Once candidacy is achieved, registration is required each semester (fall and spring) until the student graduates.
- This requirement stands even if all credit hours, including dissertation, have already been taken.
- Failure to register will result in a termination of candidacy and thus, the program.
- For more information: Refer to Registration requirements during doctoral candidacy or the Graduate Bulletin.
- Completed form due to: Graduation Services Office, 109 Canfield Administration Building, with $25 payment.
- Consequences of missed deadline: If this is not filed, a diploma will not be ordered for you and your graduation date will be postponed.
- Deadline notes: Must be filed at least three weeks prior to the scheduled final oral exam (dissertation defense), but not later than the deadline to the left.
- Before the form is submitted, the two designated readers must read the dissertation and sign the form.
- The chair or co-chairs must also sign prior to submission of the form.
- Scheduling: The final oral should be scheduled at a time when a majority of the committee, including the chair/co-chairs, can attend. The time and date of the oral examination must be recorded on the form.
- For more information: Refer to the Graduate Bulletin.
- If applicable, provide proof of IRB/IACUC approval.
- All incomplete grades listed on the program of studies (except dissertation 999) must be removed with satisfactory grades to satisfy degree requirements.
For materials and details, refer to the checklist link you received from Eva Bachman.
Oral Examination- Bring Report on Completion of the Doctoral Degree and Signature Page forms to the oral examination for signatures.
- Date shown is final day oral examination can be held.
For materials and details, refer to the checklist link you received from Eva Bachman.
Please be sure you have submitted the final, complete PDF version of your dissertation to Eva prior to this step.
1. Presentation of Materials to Graduate Studies for Checking/Stamping- Report on Completion of the Doctoral Degree
- Materials soon to be deposited at the library:
- Final copies of the title page and abstract
- Signature Page
- Email from ProQuest confirming upload of dissertation
- Electronic Dissertation Information sheet
- Survey of Earned Doctorates (Ph.D. only)
3. Payment of Final Fees to Cashier/Bursar
4. Final Forms
- Return completed Report on Completion of the Doctoral Degree form to the Office of Graduate Studies.
- If not reported on Report on Completion of the Doctoral Degree, the supervisory committee chair should submit these to the Records Office, 107 Canfield Admin. Bldg. Includes previous "incompletes" and "no reports."
For more information
Eva BachmanDoctoral Programs Specialist
1100 Seaton Hall
Lincoln NE 68588-0619
402-472-8669
Related resources
- Graduate Bulletin
- Backward Calendar and Tasks (.docx)
- Request for Certification of Full-Time Graduate Status
- Day Dissertation Travel Awards
- All resources for current graduate students
About these PDFs
The PDFs on this page are Reader-Enabled. This means you can type your information into the form, save the PDF on your computer, then later reopen the file and change what you typed — when you use a current version of Adobe Acrobat software, such as the free Acrobat Reader.
You are welcome to use other PDF-reading software instead, but it may or may not support these convenience features.
Black box issue
For some students these forms print with black rectangles obscuring headings.
If this happens to you, we will accept your form that way. We'd also appreciate it if you'd help us diagnose the problem by sending your answers to the following 4 questions to Erin Paseka.
- Which PDF(s) are you seeing black boxes on?
- Which operating system and version are you using? (e.g., Mac OS 10.6, Windows 7 SP 1)
- With what software are you viewing/printing the PDF?
- Web browser, please specify (e.g., Firefox 7, Internet Explorer 8)
- Other, please specify (e.g., Preview, Acrobat Pro, Acrobat Reader)
- Do the black boxes appear on your screen or only on paper, when printed?




