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School of Graduate Studies


Thesis/Dissertation Submission Process

Hello Masters and Doctoral Candidates! Congratulations on your near completion of the manuscript and defense for your thesis or dissertation! It is time for you to start working with the School of Graduate Studies to submit your manuscript for final approval, copyright, and publication. This is a multi-step process in which you will need to review and submit four forms to the School of Graduate Studies. Those forms, in order, are as follows:

  1. Thesis/Dissertation Satisfactory Completion & Submission Checklist (Learn about the gradETD process).
  2. Thesis/Dissertation Intent to Defend (Tell us when you are defending your work). 
  3. Request for Deposit (This is where you will show us the approvals of your defense and your manuscript. You will also need to upload a copy of your Turnitin plagiarism report and confirm that you have paid the $110 publication fee). 
  4. ETD Process Instructions (Get instructions to upload your work to our official ProQuest ETD site).

To get started with the process, you will need to send an email to gradETD@morgan.edu. In your initial email, please tell us the names of your Committee Chairperson and the Graduate Coordinator for your program. You will then receive, via email, Smartsheet Form #1. After you confirm that you have reviewed the first form, you will be sent Smartsheet Form #2 which provides the School of Graduate Studies with the date that you will defend your work. Upon a successful defense, you will then be sent Smartsheet Form #3 to complete and submit. The ETD submission process is concluded when you receive Smartsheet Form #4 which will provide you with the instructions on how to upload your publication-ready manuscript. The School of Graduate Studies will then review your manuscript which must be edited, as prescribed, until final approval. No official transcripts can be released until this process is completed

The entire gradETD process is electronic. Please do not hand-deliver or mail any thesis or dissertation manuscript content to the School of Graduate Studies. If you have any questions, please email gradETD@morgan.edu for assistance.


NOTE: The ETD process for the Spring 2025 semester will begin on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. At that time, you can begin the ETD process by emailing gradETD@morgan.edu.

To be considered for Spring 2025 graduation, your thesis or dissertation defense date should be scheduled at least two weeks before the submission deadline to the School of Graduate Studies. The recommended defense deadline for the Spring 2025 semester is Monday, March 10, 2025. This timeframe is imperative for appropriate planning and manuscript review before the School of Graduate Studies approval and eventual graduation. Please note that theses or dissertations that are defended after the recommended defense deadline date may not be reviewed and approved by the School of Graduate Studies in time for Spring 2025 graduation. This will cause your manuscript to be reviewed during the Fall 2025 semester. 

The Spring 2025 deadline for submission of theses and dissertations to the School of Graduate Studies is Monday, March 24, 2025, at 3:30 pm EDT. No exceptions!

Thank you and we look forward to reviewing your brilliant work!