Final Examination and Dissertation Defense

The dissertation is an important part of the candidate's program; it must represent an original contribution toward understanding a problem of substantial scientific importance. The dissertation must be prepared in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Graduate School. The student must designate a Reading Committee consisting of three members of the supervisory committee - the names of the committee members must be submitted to the Academic Counselor at least three weeks prior to the final examination date and before submitting a Request for Final Examination . The dissertation must be approved by this Committee, and it must be presented orally and defended at a Department of Atmospheric Sciences colloquium.

The Request for Final Examination must be completed online no later than three weeks in advance of the date of the exam. The student is responsible for confirming that all Supervisory Committee members - including the Graduate Faculty Representative (GSR) - will attend the exam prior to submitting the request online. The Academic Counselor, upon notification that an exam request has been submitted, will review the request and, upon approval, will generate a Warrant for General Examination. At least one day prior to the exam, the Warrant will be given to the chair of the student's Supervisory committee which will be approved/not approved by attending members of the Supervisory committee after the exam has taken place. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the exam and to apply in a timely manner.

In addition to the two copies that must be submitted to the Graduate School, one copy of the dissertation must be filed with the Department and one copy presented to the Supervisory Committee chairperson. The Final Examination is conducted following the oral presentation of the dissertation and is limited to the subject of the dissertation.

Final Exam Checklist