Applying to Graduate
Ph.D. and master’s students are required to apply for graduation in DukeHub by the established application deadline for the semester in which they plan to graduate (see Graduation Deadlines section below). If a student must delay graduation to a future semester, the student should contact the Graduate School Registrar (gradacademics@duke.edu) to cancel the existing application and have the expected graduation semester reset in DukeHub. The student then returns to DukeHub to submit a new application for graduation in the revised semester.
Note: If you require special Latin characters in your name (e.g., accent marks or umlauts), contact Academic Affairs (gradacademics@duke.edu).
Approval from Advisor
Ph.D. candidates and master’s candidates writing a thesis: Before The Graduate School can release your examination certificate, we must receive an advisor letter and a defense announcement via e-mail (gradacademics@duke.edu). The advisor letter must be sent by your advisor and needs to state that they have read your dissertation or thesis and that it is complete and ready for defense. The defense announcement must be sent by your program’s director of graduate studies assistant.
Graduation Deadlines
Last updated February 7, 2024
Deadline to apply for graduation
June 15, 2024
Log into DukeHub and navigate to Academics. Scroll down to Program/Degree Selection and select it to open the application for graduation, which should include a list of degree programs for which you are eligible to apply.
If you applied to graduate in the previous term but did not graduate, you will need to apply again for the current term.
If you are completing a certificate program, you must apply to graduate for it separately in DukeHub.
Deadline for initial submission of electronic doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis
July 12, 2024
The initial submission must take place at least two weeks before your defense and no later than 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date. Note: If you submit your initial dissertation/thesis on the deadline date, you cannot defend until 14 days after that.
Initial submission of the dissertation or thesis means that the document is complete. We will not check the format of an incomplete document.
After you submit your electronic dissertation/master’s thesis to ProQuest, you will receive an email from ProQuest informing you of any formatting problems and providing you a link to request an optional format check meeting with your assigned ETD administrator.
The letter from your advisor confirming that your dissertation is complete and ready to defend, as well as the departmental defense announcement, must be submitted before we can release your final examination certificate.
Final deadline to defend your dissertation or master's thesis
July 26, 2024
Final day to hold the Ph.D. dissertation or Master’s thesis defense to receive the degree.
Deadline for final submission of electronic dissertation or thesis
August 9, 2024
3:00 p.m.: All defended, completed PhD dissertations and master’s theses must be submitted to UMI/ProQuest.
5:00 p.m.: All PhD final exam certificates and master’s final exam certificates (both master’s with thesis and non-thesis master’s) must be submitted to The Graduate School.
Note: The departments for all students getting a non-thesis master’s degree (this includes the master’s on the way to the Ph.D.) must submit a Non-Thesis Master’s Examination Certificate, signed by their examining committee and the director of graduate studies, to The Graduate School by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date.
Deadline to apply for graduation
October 1, 2024
Log into DukeHub and navigate to Academics. Scroll down to Program/Degree Selection and select it to open the application for graduation, which should include a list of degree programs for which you are eligible to apply.
If you applied to graduate in the previous term but did not graduate, you will need to apply again for the current term.
If you are completing a certificate program, you must apply to graduate for it separately in DukeHub.
Deadline for initial submission of electronic doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis
November 8, 2024
The initial submission must take place at least two weeks before your defense and no later than 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date. Note: If you submit your initial dissertation/thesis on the deadline date, you cannot defend until 14 days after that.
Initial submission of the dissertation or thesis means that the document is complete. We will not check the format of an incomplete document.
After you submit your electronic dissertation/master’s thesis to ProQuest, you will receive an email from ProQuest informing you of any formatting problems and providing you a link to request an optional format check meeting with your assigned ETD administrator.
The letter from your advisor confirming that your dissertation is complete and ready to defend, as well as the departmental defense announcement, must be submitted before we can release your final examination certificate.
Final deadline to defend your dissertation or master's thesis
November 22, 2024
Final day to hold the Ph.D. dissertation or Master’s thesis defense to receive the degree.
Deadline for final submission of electronic dissertation or thesis
December 6, 2024
3:00 p.m.: All defended, completed PhD dissertations and master’s theses must be submitted to UMI/ProQuest.
5:00 p.m.: All PhD final exam certificates and master’s final exam certificates (both master’s with thesis and non-thesis master’s) must be submitted to The Graduate School.
Note: The departments for all students getting a non-thesis master’s degree (this includes the master’s on the way to the Ph.D.) must submit a Non-Thesis Master’s Examination Certificate, signed by their examining committee and the director of graduate studies, to The Graduate School by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date.
Deadline to apply for graduation
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Log into DukeHub and navigate to Academics. Scroll down to Program/Degree Selection and select it to open the application for graduation, which should include a list of degree programs for which you are eligible to apply.
If you applied to graduate in the previous term but did not graduate, you will need to apply again for the current term.
If you are completing a certificate program, you must apply to graduate for it separately in DukeHub.
Deadline for initial submission of electronic doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
The initial submission must take place at least two weeks before your defense and no later than 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date. Note: If you submit your initial dissertation/thesis on the deadline date, you cannot defend until 14 days after that.
Initial submission of the dissertation or thesis means that the document is complete. We will not check the format of an incomplete document.
After you submit your electronic dissertation/master’s thesis to ProQuest, you will receive an email from ProQuest informing you of any formatting problems and providing you a link to request an optional format check meeting with your assigned ETD administrator.
The letter from your advisor confirming that your dissertation is complete and ready to defend, as well as the departmental defense announcement, must be submitted before we can release your final examination certificate.
Final deadline to defend your dissertation or master's thesis
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Final day to hold the Ph.D. dissertation or Master’s thesis defense to receive the degree.
Deadline for final submission of electronic dissertation or thesis
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
3:00 p.m.: All defended, completed PhD dissertations and master’s theses must be submitted to UMI/ProQuest.
5:00 p.m.: All PhD final exam certificates and master’s final exam certificates (both master’s with thesis and non-thesis master’s) must be submitted to The Graduate School.
Note: The departments for all students getting a non-thesis master’s degree (this includes the master’s on the way to the Ph.D.) must submit a Non-Thesis Master’s Examination Certificate, signed by their examining committee and the director of graduate studies, to The Graduate School by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date.
Contact
For questions about graduation requirements and process:
Office of Academic Affairs
The Graduate School
gradacademics@duke.edu
Commencement
For information about university-wide commencement activities, visit commencement.duke.edu.
For information about The Graduate School's Ph.D. hooding ceremony, visit gradschool.duke.edu/hooding.