The final requirement in the Math Department’s PhD program is filing the dissertation. The dissertation committee has the responsibility for determining whether a submitted dissertation draft is acceptable for the PhD. It is the responsibility of the student to keep in touch with all members of the committee and communicate their expected timeline to completion with adequate time prior to the filing date for all members of the committee to read and provide comments on the dissertation draft. It is also the responsibility of the student to stay informed about all deadlines associated with dissertation filing.
There are several steps, outlined below, that must be completed by the student during the term in which they plan to file. PhD candidates should review the checklist carefully and in full no later than the start of the semester in which they intend to file, and follow up with the GSAO with any unanswered questions. Please note that the checklist items detailed below are for Math and Applied Math PhD candidates; Logic students will find a separate checklist linked below under “Dissertation Filing Resources”.
Steps to Filing Your Dissertation (Math & Applied Math)
- Review Graduate Division dissertation filing protocol (beginning of term): Review the guidelines here. Please read through carefully.
- Check Dissertation Committee on CalCentral (by beginning of term): Ensure that all members listed are correct and show as “active”. If you have a committee member outside of the university, double-check that their email address is correct as well, as the final signature eForm will be routed to this email address for their approval. If your committee is not up to date, you can change it at any time by going to CalCentral > My Dashboard > Submit a Form > Higher Degrees Committee eForm > Committee type “Doctoral”.
- Update Expected Graduation Term to current term (by beginning of term): Expected Graduation Term (EGT) must be set to the term in which you plan to graduate in order for you to be added to the campus degree list. Students can update their EGT by going to CalCentral > My Dashboard > Submit a Form > Change of Expected Graduation Term Request.
- Check Academic Progress Report for incomplete milestones (by beginning of term): The Academic Progress Report (APR) shows all milestones required to complete a degree. Check your APR to ensure that only the dissertation filing milestone is incomplete. If any other milestones show as incomplete, please contact your GSAO. You can view your APR at CalCentral > My Academics > Degree Progress > View Academic Progress Report.
- Inform your committee members of your intent to file (by beginning of term): Check in with all of your committee members (not just your advisor!) and make sure they are aware of your planned timeline to completion. Ensure that all members will be available to read and approve your thesis by the filing date.
- Submit Research Presentation Form to GSAO (at least three weeks prior to filing): Students must give a research presentation, at least 50 minutes in duration, after advancement to candidacy and during a seminar offered by the Math Department; research presentations held at SLMath (formerly MSRI) or LBNL are also acceptable. After your presentation, please download the form template (found below), to be signed by the faculty in whose seminar you presented, and then return it via email to the GSAO once completed.
- Review CalCentral incomplete tasks and complete any outstanding forms or surveys (at least three weeks prior to filing): A list of incomplete tasks can be found on your CalCentral dashboard.
- Submit your final thesis to ProQuest (by the semester filing deadline): Upload a PDF of your dissertation to ProQuest as outlined in the procedure for filing your dissertation on Graduate Division's website. You must review guidelines for submission carefully! Graduate Division has very specific formatting guidelines. You cannot make edits to your dissertation after it has been accepted.
- Submit the Final Signature eForm (by the semester filing deadline): The final signature page is now an eForm accessible via CalCentral. If your EGT is correct, the eForm will show as an incomplete task on your dashboard. Inform your committee prior to submitting the form for their approval so that they can look out for the email notification. Make sure to follow up with all committee members before the filing deadline to ensure that everyone has signed. You will also use this form to select an embargo period for your manuscript, if applicable.
- Complete the AMS Survey of Doctoral Recipients: The Survey of Doctoral Recipients is now housed on AMS' website and completed online. We will email the survey to all graduating students.
Once you have completed all steps of the filing process (including surveys) and have a satisfied APR your certification of conferral will be emailed to you within 2-3 business days.
Dissertation Filing Resources
Current AMS Survey of Doctoral Recipients
Graduate Division Filing Guidelines
Documents: