St. Thomas University · Office of Graduate Education & Research
The STU Dissertation Journey
Effective Fall 2026 · DIS 900 through DIS 904 · Revised August 31, 2026
Dissertation Planning
MILESTONES FOR THIS COURSE
- 1Write the dissertation plan
- 2Connect with a chair
- 3Draft Chapter 1
Committee & Proposal
MILESTONES FOR THIS COURSE
- 1Chair works with student to assemble the committee
- 2Complete the proposal
- 3Secure full committee approval
- 4Successfully defend the proposal
Required attendees
- •Full committee
- •OGER representative
Data & Analysis
MILESTONES FOR THIS COURSE
- 1File for IRB approval
- 2Collect data
- 3Complete data analysis
- 4Draft Chapter 4
Final Dissertation & Defense
MILESTONES FOR THIS COURSE
- 1Complete the full dissertation
- 2Secure full committee approval
- 3Successfully defend the dissertation
- 4Finalize the document and send to the library
All final Dissertations must be professionally edited with proof of receipt before submitting to the Library for Final Approval.
Required attendees
- •Full committee
- •Provost's Office representative
- •Coordinated Deans' Office representative
- •OGER representative
Continued Enrollment
MILESTONES FOR THIS COURSE
- 1Iterate library comments
- 2Await final approvals from the library & ProQuest Publication
- 3Await final approval from the Registrars office
Note: Students must stay enrolled in a course until the Registrar's Office releases them.
DIS 904 (regardless if it is 1, 2 or 3 credits) is not designated as degree applicable and cannot be used in establishing your enrollment intensity for federal student aid purposes. This means Title IV aid cannot be awarded for DIS 904 which does not count toward a degree. In addition, federal Graduate PLUS Loan cannot be used to pay for DIS 904.
Academic Consequences
Failure to complete the required items in each of these phases will mean that a student will receive an "NP" for that course and must repeat it. Students may repeat a course twice before being put on academic probation.
Defense Scheduling — OGER
All defense scheduling is handled by the Office of Graduate Education and Research (OGER) on a first-come, first-served basis. Allow 7 business days for scheduling to occur.
OGER Scheduling Date Calculator
Enter the date you plan to submit your defense request. The calculator applies the OGER 7 business day, first-come, first-served rule and honors the daily-capacity limits (max 2 defenses per day; no more than 2 consecutive defense days before an open day is required).
Required Forms — Quick Reference
| Form | When filed |
|---|---|
| Chair Selection Form | During DIS 900, when a chair is selected |
| Committee Selection Form | During DIS 901, when committee members are selected |
| IRB Submission Resources | During DIS 902, when filing for IRB approval |
| Schedule Defense Form | When scheduling proposal or final defenses through OGER |
| Proposal Defense Completion Form | End of DIS 901, upon proposal defense |
| Final Defense Completion Form | End of DIS 903, upon final defense |
| DIS 904 Reporting Form | During DIS 904, while iterating library revisions |