Graduation Guide

Graduate students nearing completion of degree requirements should familiarize themselves with the schedule of deadlines for each academic year. Questions regarding these deadlines should be directed to the office issuing them. Participation in the May Commencement Ceremony is contingent on meeting the appropriate deadlines.

Ph.D. candidates and Krieger School master’s candidates should refer to the Graduate Board Calendar for the current schedule of deadlines.

Whiting School master’s candidates should refer to the Engineering School’s Office of Graduate Academic Affairs website for the current Completion Schedule of deadlines.

The Graduate Board considers candidates for the Ph.D. and the Krieger School’s M.A., and M.S. degrees three times a year (August, November and April). The Whiting School of Engineering considers candidates for its master’s degrees four times each year (end of summer, end of first eight weeks of fall, end of fall and end of spring).

While there is only one Commencement Ceremony, held annually in May, degrees completed during the preceding academic year are conferred periodically throughout the academic year and diplomas are issued at the end of the summer, fall, and spring semesters.

Tuition Deferral for Grace Period Completion

Ph.D. and final master’s degree students completing all requirements by the first eight weeks of the fall semester or first four week of the spring semester may be eligible for a tuition deferral and should speak with a Student Accounts Officer for more details.

Graduation Forms

All graduate students expected to graduate must submit a series of forms (listed below). All documents listed below are to be submitted to the indicated office by the deadlines specified in either the Graduate Board Calendar or the Completion Schedule per degree/School. All Ph.D. candidates and Krieger School Master’s candidates should follow the Homewood Graduate Calendar and all Whiting School Master’s candidates should follow the Whiting School’s Completion Schedule.

• Application to Graduate (all candidates)
  All students should check the Registrar’s Office’s website for submission deadlines. Ph.D. and terminal master’s candidates should complete this form online through ISIS self-service. The online form is not available to non-final master’s candidates. Non-final master’s candidates must apply in-person in the Registrar’s Office. Candidates who do not complete this form WILL NOT be included on the degree candidates listing presented to the President of the university and therefore will be delayed in having their degree conferred.
• Graduate Board Oral Exam (all Ph.D. candidates)
  All Ph.D. candidates must defend their dissertation. Some departments count the dissertation defense as the students GBO examination as well, sometimes referred to as the Final GBO exam. The deadline for completing the Final GBO exam if applicable to your department is listed on the Graduate Board Calendar. If the student’s GBO exam was a Preliminary Exam the Graduate Board should already have received the results of that examination. Please consult your department administrator to verify. While the GBO Form is available online (scroll to School of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering GBO Form) it is not to be completed by the student, but rather the appointed faculty or staff member from the department.
• Readers Letter (all Ph.D. candidates and Krieger School master’s candidates)
  This document is provided to the Homewood Graduate Board by the student’s advisor via the departmental academic staff and must be sent to the Graduate Board by the deadline given on the Graduate Board Calendar.
• Certificate of Advanced Degree (all Ph.D. candidates and Krieger School master’s candidates)
  This form is only available to department academic staff to fill out and should be submitted to the Graduate Board by the deadline given on the Graduate Board Calendar.
• Certificate of Advanced Degree (Whiting School master’s candidates)
  Each WSE department has its own paperwork that is submitted to the Engineering School’s Office of Academic Affairs. Graduate students should check with their department’s Graduate Program Coordinator/Academic Staff to acquire the appropriate form.

Scheduling the Graduate Board Oral Exam

Graduate Board Exams may be held throughout the academic year. The GBO Form to schedule a GBO examination should be submitted in writing at least three weeks prior to the proposed examination date. Students must be registered for the semester in which they take their exam.

Dissertations should be provided to the examiners at least two weeks before the date of a Final GBO Exam. Students and advisers are responsible for distributing copies to the examiners.

Doctoral Dissertation

Dissertations are to be electronically submitted to the library. Please review the ETD Checklist prior to submitting the dissertation.

Thesis Guidelines

The Library provides detailed information on properly formatting a dissertation or thesis. Dissertations not formatted according to our guidelines will not be accepted. Additionally, the Library provides information on the submission process.

Dissertation Submission Email (for those candidates submitting a dissertation/essay)

Whiting School of Engineering Students

If submitting a Whiting School of Engineering Master’s Essay/Thesis/Project or PhD dissertation:

• Please forward the ETD Submission Approval email to your department academic staff and include your exact degree, department, and expected conferral semester in the body of the email. (Example: MSE, Civil Engineering, Fall 2013).
• You must include the title of your dissertation/essay/project typed in the body of the email in title case format with correct spelling and punctuation — Please do not use all upper case or all lower case letters.
• You must attach the abstract and title page from your dissertation (not the the whole dissertation).
• Your name will not be placed on the degree candidate’s listing for approval by the Graduate Board (PhDs) or the WSE Graduate Committee (Master’s) and President of the University until the email has been received by the appropriate deadline.
• You are highly encouraged to cc: ckav@jhu.edu on this email, however, it is your responsibility to follow the preferred notification process as set out by your department administrator that the dissertation/essay/project has been accepted by the ETD Office

Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Students

If submitting a Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Master’s Essay/Thesis or PhD dissertation:

• Please forward this email to your department academic staff and include your exact degree, department, and expected conferral semester in the body of the email. (Example: PhD, Classics, Fall 2013).
• You must include the title of your dissertation/essay typed in the body of the email in title case format with correct spelling and punctuation — Please do not use all upper case or all lower case letters.
• Your name will not be placed on the degree candidate’s listing for approval by the Graduate Board and President of the University until the email has been received by the appropriate Graduate Board deadline.
• You are highly encouraged to cc: rseitz5@jhu.edu on this email, however, it is your responsibility to follow the preferred notification process as set out by your department administrator that the dissertation/essay has been accepted by the ETD Office.
• Students will not be placed on the degree candidate’s listing for approval by the Graduate Board and President of the University until the email has been received by the appropriate Graduate Board deadline.

Although students will receive a submission confirmation email, their dissertation/theses must be approved and accepted by the library before the student can be placed on the final degree candidate’s listing for approval. Students will receive a second approval confirmation email once their dissertation/theses is accepted. This is the email to send to the department academic staff.

Master’s Essay(all candidates)
If required for the degree, the Master’s essay is to be electronically submitted to the library. Please review the ETD checklist prior to submitting the thesis.

Student Employment on Campus Before Conferral but After Degree Requirements

The University has strict employment guidelines regarding continued University employment for both international and domestic graduate students following the completion of degree requirements. Students should refer to the Converting Students to Staff section of the Student Employment Service’s Employer Handbook for information on these guidelines.

Generally, students awaiting conferral are eligible to stay on student employment if:

1. They have completed degree requirements but…
2. have not yet had their degree conferred upon them.
3. AND are registered in the semester in which they are conferring.

Note that international students who apply for OPT before conferral may have to wait until they receive their EAD card before continuing/beginning employment after degree requirements have been completed, even though they satisfy the above eligibility list for JHU. JHU defers to all immigration regulations. All international students should consult with OIS at least 4-5 months before their intended degree requirement completion/conferral and before filing for their OPT to best understand their options and immigration regulations.

*Only if an essay is required for the degree.

WSE Master’s Conferrals

Please visit the WSE academic policy page for full process and deadline information regarding WSE Master’s conferrals.

Contact Christine Kavanagh with any questions.

Krieger School of Arts & Sciences & Whiting School of Engineering
Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs
3400 N. Charles St,
Baltimore, MD 21218