I plan to graduate this semester

What do I need to do?

Complete the following at the beginning of your graduation semester:

  1. Enroll for at least 2 credits of your 700, 701, 702, or 800 research credits. You may need more to complete your program of study. If you aren’t sure how many you need, contact the Academic Coordinator for your graduate program.
  2. Apply for graduation within myWSU. Details regarding application deadlines and late fees are available on the Deadlines for Masters Degrees or Deadlines for Doctoral Degrees. It is important to apply as early as possible in your final semester.
    • Applying for graduation does not sign you up to walk in the commencement ceremony. Please refer to the WSU Commencement website for information about walking in commencement.

Begin the following at least one month before your final exam date:

  1. Access the final exam scheduling form on the Graduate School’s Forms page. You must download and open this form using any version of Adobe Acrobat, not with a web browser. Selecting the exam type will update the form to show additional directions specific to your type of exam. Be sure to read the directions on page 1, as well as the directions for your specific exam type, carefully.
  2. Work with your committee to identify a date, time, and location for your final exam. Complete your scheduling form, sign it, and work with your Academic Coordinator to acquire signatures from your committee and the graduate program signature authority.

Complete the following at least 10 business days before your final exam date:

  1. Your completed scheduling form is due to the Graduate School no later than 10 business days prior to the date of your exam for a first attempt, and at least 15 business days prior for a second attempt. Your Academic Coordinator must upload the document within myWSU. Work on your scheduling form early (see above) so it is submitted to the Graduate School on or before this deadline. Late submission of an exam scheduling form is grounds for denial, which would in turn delay your graduation.
  2. Masters thesis and doctoral students must also submit a complete draft of their thesis or dissertation to ProQuest. Navigate to http://dissertations.wsu.edu and follow the directions carefully to submit your draft.
    • This website provides excellent information regarding the accessibility of your thesis or dissertation. The Graduate School highly recommends you review this information and follow best practices for accessibility.
    • Your thesis or dissertation must follow the Graduate School’s Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Requirements. We also make available a formatting checklist and templates on the Graduate School’s Forms page. Graduate School staff will review your thesis/dissertation as part of the exam scheduling process and will send you a list of required revisions.

Masters thesis and doctoral students must also complete the following no more than 10 business days after their final exam:

  1. Immediately following your final exam, complete and upload your Thesis/Dissertation Approval form into myWSU using these directions. Your graduate program and committee chair must approve these pages within myWSU and route them to the Graduate School within ten business days, so it is important to start this process immediately after your exam.
  2. Email your completed Hold Harmless and Copyright Acknowledgment Form to gradschool@wsu.edu.
  3. Doctoral students must email their Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) completion certificate to gradschool@wsu.edu.
  4. Using the link contained in your Graduate School review, update your ProQuest submission with your completed and revised thesis or dissertation. This must be the final version, containing all revisions required by the Graduate School and by your committee. Graduate School staff will review these during degree conferral and may require additional revisions. Once approved by the Graduate School, no further changes are permitted.

Final considerations during your last semester:

  1. Plan ahead! Don’t wait until a deadline looms to start working on a requirement. Missing these deadlines will likely delay your graduation and may even require additional enrollment.
  2. Closely monitor your wsu.edu email! As your official email, all communications from the Graduate School are sent to your wsu.edu email. If we need action or further information from you, we will notify you via email.
  3. Maintain good communication with your committee and your graduate program!
  4. Stay focused and have a great semester!

WSU Graduate School
Programs and Graduations
https://gradschool.wsu.edu/