*DRAFT* MFA Graduation Deadlines

You should have a good rough draft of the thesis ready by the semester you plan on graduating. The graduation deadlines come up very quickly and there really is no time to write that final semester. You'll be busy formatting your thesis and putting the finishing touches on your thesis essay.

Things to consider: you must have an approved Plan of Study on file the semester before (at least!) you plan on graduating.

Your application for degree and Revision to Plan of Study forms (<-- Revisions to Plans of Study are addressed on the Plan of Study page; I don't think Form 9 exists anymore) are due as stated on the Academic Calendar, (<-- Plan of Study/Revision to Plan of Study dates are not on the Academic Calendar)  generally close to the start of the semester.

Check out the quick reference guide and detailed reference guide (<-- these mention forms that aren't used anymore; guessing they need updating) for more information on these deadlines and the thesis process.

Below is a list of graduation deadlines, be sure to check exact dates on Graduate Academic Calendar. (<-- should this be graduation deadlines link?)

These procedures must be completed before the thesis is turned in.

All thesis deadlines must be discussed in consultation with your committee chair.

• Draft of entire thesis to Thesis Committee Chair—2 months prior to Thesis deadline
• Committee Chair Final Review—4 weeks prior to Thesis deadline
• Committee Review of revised draft—4 weeks prior to Thesis deadline
• Schedule Thesis Defense with Committee
• Dept. Chair Review—2 weeks prior to Thesis deadline
• Dean Review—1 week prior to Thesis deadline

Check out the thesis formatting video tutorials online. These will help you format your thesis. Remember that you'll need to check your thesis formatting with the Graduate College before turning it in - it's also very important to have the signature page checked for formatting before you send it around for signatures. Send it to graduatewriting@fau.edu for a formatting check.

Follow all instructions on Degree Completion as described by the Graduate College. Also, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines. For MFA students, we recommend writing in "indefinite embargo" on the ProQuest Publishing agreement under the "select publishing options" section.

The Registrar's Office will send you an email with information on how to collect your graduation tickets. You must remember to RSVP as soon as possible - if you wait too long, tickets may run out. You can find more information from the Registrar's Office.

Also see Graduate College deadlines.

Spring 2022 MFA Graduation Deadlines

Requirement	Deadline
Plan of Study	After 15 credit hours (no later than ??? )
Last day to submit Form 9, Request for Change in a Dissertation or Thesis Committee	Friday 12/17/21
Spring 2022 Semester Begins	Saturday 1/8/22
Last day to submit Application for Degree (use online form)	Friday 1/28
Revision to Plan of Study	???
Last day to submit defense announcement and signature page draft to the Graduate College (online submission here)	Friday 2/4
Draft of thesis to committee (you will use your committee members' comments to make final revisions)	Monday 2/14 (suggested date; should be discussed with committee)
Thesis defense of revised draft (this is when you collect signatures from the committee – your signature page must be approved and on bond paper. You'll have two weeks to collect committee signatures and make any final formatting revisions)	3/14–3/18; 3/21–3/25 – schedule your defense in consultation with your chair and committee members.
Department Chair Review (be sure to give the chair a copy of your final, formatted thesis for review)	Friday 3/25 – thesis is on regular paper, signature page is on bond paper
Dean Review (be sure to give the Dean a copy of your final, formatted thesis for review)	Friday 4/1 – thesis is on regular paper, signature page is on bond paper
Last day to submit completed master’s thesis (submitted in PDF or Word format) to GraduateWriting@fau.edu along with the Transmittal Memorandum. *(Note: Extension requests must be submitted no later than March 21, 2022 via a Form 10)	Monday 4/11
Last day to submit Final Manuscript Package to the Graduate College, including electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) to the FAU library and ProQuest Publishing.	Monday 4/25
Commencement	Thursday 5/5 & Friday 5/6

Summer 2022 MFA Graduation Deadlines

Requirement	Deadline
Plan of Study	After 15 credit hours (no later than ??? )
Last day to submit Form 9, Request for Change in a Dissertation or Thesis Committee	Friday 4/12
Spring 2022 Semester Begins	Saturday 5/7
Last day to submit Application for Degree (use online form)	Friday 6/3
Revision to Plan of Study	???
Last day to submit defense announcement and signature page draft to the Graduate College (online submission here)	Friday 6/10
Draft of thesis to committee (you will use your committee members' comments to make final revisions)	Monday 5/23 (suggested date; should be discussed with committee)
Thesis defense of revised draft (this is when you collect signatures from the committee – your signature page must be approved and on bond paper. You'll have two weeks to collect committee signatures and make any final formatting revisions)	6/20–6/24; 6/27–7/1 – schedule your defense in consultation with your chair and committee members.
Department Chair Review (be sure to give the chair a copy of your final, formatted thesis for review)	Friday 7/1 – thesis is on regular paper, signature page is on bond paper
Dean Review (be sure to give the Dean a copy of your final, formatted thesis for review)	Friday 7/8 – thesis is on regular paper, signature page is on bond paper
Last day to submit completed master’s thesis (submitted in PDF or Word format) to GraduateWriting@fau.edu along with the Transmittal Memorandum. *(Note: Extension requests must be submitted no later than March 21, 2022 via a Form 10)	Monday 7/18
Last day to submit Final Manuscript Package to the Graduate College, including electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) to the FAU library and ProQuest Publishing.	Monday 8/1
Commencement	Tuesday 8/9

Fall 2022 MFA Graduation Deadlines

Requirement	Deadline
Plan of Study	After 15 credit hours (no later than ??? )
Last day to submit Form 9, Request for Change in a Dissertation or Thesis Committee	Friday 8/5
Spring 2022 Semester Begins	Saturday 8/20
Last day to submit Application for Degree (use online form)	Friday 9/9
Revision to Plan of Study	???
Last day to submit defense announcement and signature page draft to the Graduate College (online submission here)	Friday 9/23
Draft of thesis to committee (you will use your committee members' comments to make final revisions)	Monday 9/26 (suggested date; should be discussed with committee)
Thesis defense of revised draft (this is when you collect signatures from the committee – your signature page must be approved and on bond paper. You'll have two weeks to collect committee signatures and make any final formatting revisions)	10/24–10/28; 10/31–11/4 – schedule your defense in consultation with your chair and committee members.
Department Chair Review (be sure to give the chair a copy of your final, formatted thesis for review)	Friday 11/4 – thesis is on regular paper, signature page is on bond paper
Dean Review (be sure to give the Dean a copy of your final, formatted thesis for review)	Friday 11/11 – thesis is on regular paper, signature page is on bond paper
Last day to submit completed master’s thesis (submitted in PDF or Word format) to GraduateWriting@fau.edu along with the Transmittal Memorandum. *(Note: Extension requests must be submitted no later than March 21, 2022 via a Form 10)	Monday 11/21
Last day to submit Final Manuscript Package to the Graduate College, including electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) to the FAU library and ProQuest Publishing.	Monday 12/5
Commencement	Thursday 12/15 & Friday 12/16