The Final Examination includes a defense of the dissertation and may be as comprehensive as the Advisory Committee chooses to make it. It is conducted by an expanded Advisory Committee chaired by the Dissertation Director. The Graduate Dean and President of the University are ex officio members of all final examination committees. The examination is a public event, and its scheduling is published and announced beforehand. Any member of the University community may attend.

All Graduate School forms for PhD students are on-line. First, the student must submit the application for degree (Click on Student Services / myRecords / Graduate Degree Application) to the Graduate School within the first 30 days he or she wishes to graduate.  

At least four weeks prior to the Final Examination, following notification by the Dissertation Director that the dissertation has been distributed to members of the Advisory Committee, the Director of Graduate Studies will advise the Graduate School of the intent to examine. The student must submit the Notification of Intent to Schedule a Final Doctoral Examination form to the Graduate School.  At this time the Graduate Dean appoints an Outside Examiner as a core member of the Advisory Committee. The specific time and date of the examination must be designated by the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the actual examination. All members of the Committee except the outside Examiner will have had an opportunity to suggest revision prior to signing the Dissertation Approval Form. Thus, most revisions should have been completed at an earlier time. The Final Examination must take place no later than eight days prior to the last day of classes of the semester in which the student expects to graduate.

The Request for Final Doctoral Examination must be submitted to the Graduate School at the time the Final Examination is scheduled. 

In all decisions, the majority opinion of the Advisory Committee prevails. If the Advisory Committee is evenly divided, the candidate fails.

In the event of failure, the Advisory Committee recommends to the Graduate Dean conditions under which the candidate may be reexamined, if reexamination is deemed appropriate. When conditions set by the Graduate Dean have been met, the candidate may be reexamined. Should any vacancies of the Committee occur between the two examinations, the Graduate Dean shall appoint replacements. A third examination is not permitted.

After the Final Examination is passed, one copy must be presented to the Graduate School for a format check, then once revised, two final copies of the dissertation are prepared. Final copies are then submitted to the Graduate School along with the signatures of the major professor and the Director of Graduate Studies. The dissertation in its final form must be received in the Graduate School Office within sixty (60) days of the Final Examination. If this deadline is not met, the candidate must undergo a second examination.