Theses & Dissertations
As graduate students prepare their final master's thesis (paper submission only) or Ph.D. dissertation (electronic submission only), it is vital that they follow all of the Graduate School policies and procedures to ensure that the publication of their research adheres to Duke University guidelines. The staff in the Graduate School will assist you in this process; however, it is imperative that you review and follow all of the formal steps as outlined in our Guides:
You must submit your master's thesis or Ph.D. dissertation to the Graduate School before it can be approved for defense. Once your thesis or dissertation has been initially submitted to and reviewed by the Graduate School staff, you must schedule an Examination Card Appointment for a final review and to receive your Final Examination Card. Your final examination cannot be validated if you do not have your Final Examination Card with you when you take the examination, because the card indicates that the thesis or dissertation has been approved for defense by your Advisor and the Graduate School.
Do not schedule an appointment with the Graduate School until you have submitted your Ph.D. dissertation to UMI/Proquest (electronic submissions) or master's thesis to the Graduate School (paper submissions) and received an email from the Graduate School informing you that your dissertation has been received and reviewed.
More information can be found on the pages below:
Electronic Dissertations (ETDs) (Ph.D. only)
When you submit your dissertation electronically, you will also permit Duke University to make it available online through DukeSpace at Duke Libraries. See the Non-exclusive Distribution License and Dissertation Availability Agreement for more information, including the options to request an embargo. The templates required for electronic submission of the dissertation can be found here:
MS Word Template for Dissertation (updated 9/16/2008)
LaTeX Template for Dissertation
(This LaTeX template was created by Duke alumnus, Michael Gratton. Note that neither the Graduate School nor OIT is able to support LaTeX beyond providing this template.)
