Dissertation Defense Checklist
Step 1
Apply for graduation via Albert before the deadline, which is posted on the department's Graduate Academic Calendar . All of the necessary forms are posted online, please review the GSAS Doctoral Dissertation Submission Guidelines in detail and adhere to the submission deadlines for the semester in which you plan to graduate. There are no extensions granted on these GSAS deadlines.
Step 2
Submit a preliminary copy of your thesis to the GSAS Office of Student Affairs through online Electronic Dissertation Submission System . They will be checking primarily for format.
NOTE: One of our alums has posted an informal template on GitHub for your reference: https://github.com/siddharth-krishna/nyu-thesis-template
Step 3
Send Santiago Pizzini ( pizzini@cs.nyu.edu ) a list of the proposed members of your defense committee for approval by the Department Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies for the Ph.D. program. He will inform you of their decision.
Once your committee has been approved Send Santiago Pizzini (pizzini@cs.nyu.edu) a PDF copy of the thesis defense form with only the top portions filled out please do not write in any of the committee members names.
NOTE: The committee is to be made up of at least five qualified members. At least three members must be full-time faculty in GSAS. Other members must be submitted for approval, so please attach their CV to your request. Three members of the committee are designated as readers (the remaining ones being auditors), and must approve the dissertation. The advisor must be part of the committee and serve as a reader.
Step 4
Submit copies of your thesis to the readers.
Step 5
Send Santiago your defense form with only the top portion filled out (no committee members names).It is your responsibility to make sure that the dissertation readers confirm their approval of your written thesis prior to the defense. The readers may communicate their approval via email prior to the defense. The defense form signatures will be collected electronically via the Docusign platform by Santiago.
Step 6
Once Santiago has received all three reader approvals, he can announce the defense. The announcement must precede the defense by at least one week. For the announcement, email Santiago informing him of the date and time you have arranged with your committee, and the thesis title and abstract and room or zoom link.
NOTE regarding room reservations: You should check out the room you will be using in advance, reserve whatever equipment is necessary through the department office (room 305), and make sure that you know how to operate that equipment before the defense.
Step 7
At the conclusion of the defense, please make sure the committee members have received the Docusign link and contact Santiago if they have not received that email.
Step 8
Email your thesis to webmaster@cs.nyu.edu .
Step 9
Give Santiago in room 325 CIWW a single-spaced, double-sided, unbound hardcopy of the final thesis for the CIMS library.
Step 10
Before you leave town, please e-mail Santiago pizzini@cs.nyu.edu information about your employment: address, phone, your position and its expected duration (e.g., if it's an academic position, let Santiago know whether it's tenure-track or a post-doctoral or visiting position). If you know your new email address, give Santiago that as well.
Other Notes
- Note that substantial lead time is required for scheduling a defense during the summer session.
- Regarding copyrighting: it is recommended for your own protection that on the page immediately following the title page, you type the following: "Copyright ©" followed by the year followed by your name followed by the statement "All rights reserved." You can check just about any textbook or novel to see a sample of how this is done.