If you have any questions, please arrange for a meeting with the graduate academic advisor or your faculty chair. Deadlines occur earlier than students often expect!
Review your eligibility for the Final Examination
To be eligible to hold a final exam, the student:
- Must have an approved degree plan on file with the Graduate and Professional School (submitted via DPSS)
- Must have successfully completed the BME Qualifying Examination
- Must have a graduate GPR of at least 3.0
- Must have a graduate degree plan GPR of at least 3.0
- Must be admitted to candidacy
- Must be registered in the university (in the term the final exam occurs)
- Must have completed or be registered for all remaining degree plan coursework
- Must have the dissertation in final format and ready for distribution to all committee members
- Must complete all degree requirements within a four-year period following the preliminary exam
- Must have a minimum of 1 accepted original research publication as a primary author in a peer-reviewed journal as a requirement to schedule the doctoral dissertation.
- To complete the BME Manuscript Tracking Form, click HERE.
- To waive this requirement, the student should provide a rationale to the Director of Graduate Programs and all dissertation committee members prior to scheduling the defense. The committee members and the Director of the Graduate Program must all agree to the waiver in writing before scheduling the defense.
- This minimum requirement does not constrain the dissertation committee from requiring additional publications.
Action items
Once the student has reviewed the above eligibility, the student should:
- Establish the time, date and location for the final exam with the student’s committee.
- Establish the format and organization of the final exam with the student’s committee. The final
- Exam typically consists of a public presentation of the research work and a private exam held by the student’s committee.
- Submit the Request and Announcement of Final Exam three weeks before the exam date.
- Submit the dissertation to the student’s committee at least two weeks before the exam date.
- Reserve a conference room, if needed, via the biomedical engineering front office.
Schedule and advertise final defense
Requests must be received by the Graduate and Professional School, in fully approved format, at least 10 business days before requested defense date.
- Submit request and announcement of the final exam via ARCS.
- Must be approved by the graduate academic advisor, the committee chair, the director of Graduate Programs and the Graduate and Professional School.
- Approvals can take several weeks so plan accordingly.
More details on how to use ARCS can be found in the BME Graduate Canvas Community in Howdy. Please refer to the Resources for Ph.D. Degree Students page.
Ph.D. Deadlines
Expected Timeline: Graduate and Professional School final exam request approvals, once received in that office, can take at least ten business days for full approval.
Submit departmental final exam announcement form
The template will be sent to student via email after submitting the Request and Announcement of Final Exam via ARCS. Should be returned to the Graduate Academic Advisor at least one week before exam date.
Submit final defense results
Votes are due within ten business days after final defense.
- Voting form is completed via ARCS by the committee.
- The student will not be able to access results until the entire form is submitted and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.
- Must be approved by the graduate academic advisor, all members of the student’s committee, the director of Graduate Programs and the Graduate and Professional School.
Ph.D. Deadlines
Expected Timeline: Graduate and Professional School final exam votes approval, once received in that office, can take at least ten business days for full approval.
Submit student evaluation
Submitted after the successful completion of the final exam.
- Form will be sent to student via email after submitting the Request and Announcement of Final Exam form via ARCS.
- Should be returned to the Graduate Academic Advisor.
Submit Copyright and Approval form
Submitted after the successful completion of the final exam.
- Approval form completed via ARCS.
- Must be approved by the student’s committee chair and co-chair, the Director of Graduate Programs and the Thesis Office.
More details on how to use ARCS can be found in the BME Graduate Canvas Community in Howdy. Please refer to the Resources for Ph.D. Degree Students page.
Ph.D. Deadlines
Submit dissertation and Written Dissertation Approval form
Submitted after the successful completion of the final exam.
- Approval form completed via ARCS.
- The final dissertation document must be uploaded per the Thesis Office requirements.
- Must be approved by the graduate academic advisor, all members of the student’s committee, the director of Graduate Programs and the Thesis Office.
More details on how to use ARCS can be found in the BME Graduate Canvas Community in Howdy. Please refer to the Resources for Ph.D. Degree Students page.
Ph.D. Deadlines
Expected Timeline: Thesis Office dissertation approvals, once received in that office, can take several weeks for full approval.
Graduation
Arrange for cap and gown. Visit the Graduation website.
Additional information
Requirements listed above are for biomedical engineering and in some cases, are stricter than the university minimum guidelines. Failure to meet any of the above requirements could result in dismissal from the program.
Students must be continuously registered every fall and spring semester until all degree requirements have been met.
All documents (e.g., proposal, dissertation) must be submitted to your advisory committee at least two weeks prior to milestone completion.
Common pitfalls
Below is a list of common pitfalls for students. All students are encouraged to meet with the graduate academic advisor prior to scheduling the final examination:
- Having an inaccurate degree plan on file makes you ineligible to take the final exam. All students are encouraged to maintain an accurate and updated degree plan with the university, including the most updated courses and committee membership. Changes can be made by using DPSS and submitting a long-form petition.
- Failing to submit the request and announcement of final exam in ARCS at least three weeks before the student’s exam date.
- Not arranging a meeting with the graduate academic advisor to discuss options.