Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Submission Process
Pre-Deposit Considerations Heading link
Obtain Academic Program Approval
Academic program approval of the thesis or dissertation consists of two parts:
- Committee defense and advisor approval (content and format)
- Thesis Reviewer in academic program (format)
1. Advisor and Committee Approval
Adviser/committee approval is indicated by the signed (A) Examination Report and (B) Committee Recommendation Forms. Signatures from the committee are usually obtained at the end of the defense. If the committee requests revisions or if the committee indicates a conditional pass on the Examination Report, the revisions most likely will result in a change in pagination or format. Only after all required content revisions are completed and approved by the advisors/chair should you submit your thesis to the academic program thesis reviewer (unless that person has indicated they also wish to pre-review your document before the final version).
2. Thesis Format Academic Program Reviewer
After all revisions have been approved by your advisor/committee, you will need to submit your thesis to your program’s thesis format reviewer, who will ensure that the format of your thesis meets any departmental requirements. All programs have an assigned thesis reviewer. If you are unsure who the thesis reviewer for your program is, contact your Director of Graduate Studies or program support staff. Note: Programs may have different processes for the format review. The student should consult with the program staff or DGS before the defense to understand the processes in that program.
Post-Deposit Considerations Heading link
Update your address information in UIC Self-Service
Diplomas are mailed to graduates approximately 9 weeks after the end of the term. To ensure delivery of the diploma to the correct location, students should enter a “Diploma Address” in your Self-Service account. If there is no “Diploma Address” recorded, the diploma will be sent to your “Mailing Address.” The Diploma Address may be updated in Self-Service up to three weeks after the end of the term. After that, contact the Records Office to change the Diploma Address.
UIC Email Account
Your UIC Net ID and email account (i.e. yournetID@uic.edu) remains active for two terms after the term of graduation. The account may expire earlier if you were not registered the term of official graduation, but will be reactivated post-graduation for two terms.
Submit an Intent to Graduate
Students must submit an online Intent to Graduate no later than the end of the third week (second week of the eight week summer session) of the term of intended graduation. If, for any reason, you do not graduate that term and new Intent to Graduate must be submitted for the next term of intended graduation.
Participate in Commencement
Participation in the commencement ceremony is voluntary, but you are encouraged to attend. Commencement ceremonies for Summer and Fall graduates occur in December, and for Spring graduates in May. For information about participation in the campus wide ceremonies and convocations sponsored by colleges and schools see the Commencement website.
Obtain Bound Copies of the Thesis for Personal Use
The copy or copies of the thesis that you deposit with the Thesis Office become the property of the University of Illinois. Theses and dissertations submitted electronically will be made available through UIC Indigo, according to the release option chosen at the time of submission.
The Thesis Office does not provide or distribute thesis copies to students, departments, or anyone else. If you want to have copies of your thesis bound for yourself, your family, or your adviser, you will need to procure them independently. Options Include:
- Book binderies. You can search for binderies on the Web.
- Copy shops. Local copy shops (e.g., Kinko’s) can make softcover copies.