#  Graduating & Dissertations 

 



 ##  

  expand\_more  

 
  

 


When the DAC determines that a student has met the requirements for the Ph.D. and is ready to begin writing their dissertation, candidates proceed in close consultation with a faculty advisor. Once a completed dissertation has been submitted to both the advisor and the DAC, each student delivers their dissertation defense as a capstone presentation open to the public and followed by questions from faculty, peers, and guests. **To schedule a defense, students are required to have submitted or published at a minimum, one first author manuscript.**



 

  Open all sections   Close all sections  



###    Where to Start  expand\_more  

 

 You just got your box checked... congratulations! Now what? The following documents can help point you in the right direction!

- **[PhD Degree Completion Checklist & Guidelines](/file_url/326) (From MCO, updated 09/2024)**
- **[Thesis Guide](/file_url/184) (From Nico Wagner, PhD '19)**
- **[Thesis Template](/file_url/185) (From Nico Wagner, PhD '19)**



 

 

 



###    Applying for Your Degree  expand\_more  

 

There are 3 degree periods each academic year (November, February, May). Once you know when you'll be graduating, you will need to apply for the degree via my.harvard (it's ok if you have not defended yet). The application deadline is usually 2-3 months prior to each degree conferral, so it's important to pay attention to when these deadlines are approaching! Important dates, deadlines, and instructions for this process can be found below:

- [**GSAS Degree Requirements**](https://gsas.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/2026-07/202627_GSAS_Handbook_for_Students_final.pdf)
- [**Degree Calendar and Deadlines**](https://gsas.harvard.edu/policy/degree-calendar)
- [**How to Apply to Graduate in my.harvard**](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=f62970c8dbe99380d1257ee5bf961943)
- [**Change of Subject Request Form**](https://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/fasro/files/change_of_subject-_gsas.pdf?m=1642023881) (to be used if you will be receiving a degree in Biochemistry)



 

 

 



###    Writing & Submitting Your Dissertation  expand\_more  

 

Submitting your dissertation is perhaps the most crucial moment of your PhD journey! You'll want to make sure that it is correctly formatted and planned out prior to submission, otherwise you will need to go back and fix any issues. Fortunately, there is a lot of helpful information about how to do this, and how the electronic submission works. Please use the following guidelines to make sure your dissertation is approved:

- [**Planning, Formatting, and Submitting Your Dissertation**](https://gsas.harvard.edu/resource/dissertation-formatting-guidance)
- [**Common Dissertation Formatting Errors**](http://registrar.fas.harvard.edu/files/fas-registrar/files/top_10_common_errors.pdf)
- [**Dissertation Sample**](/file_url/142)
- [**Electronic Dissertation Submission**](https://registrar.fas.harvard.edu/registration-enrollment-degrees/graduation-diplomas/phd-dissertation-submission)



 

 

 



###    Additional Important Info  expand\_more  

 

- **Student Status**: Students and advisors will work together to determine the last day in the lab. This can occur anytime between the student's defense, and the date of degree conferral. Students can **not** be appointed to a student position after receiving their degree. If a student is receiving a May or November degree, their student RA appointment cannot extend beyond May or November (March degree, RA appointments must end by January 31st).
    
    
    - If you are planning to remain in the lab beyond the degree conferral, you would need to be appointed to a non-student position.

- **[MCB/MCO EXIT SURVEY](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu6_080PzkzSkuCGjEJLyukEivv-r-ZyxmG7aIohOebsG5xw/viewform?usp=sf_link) – *Please complete this before leaving!***

- - **Account and Email Access** (full article [here](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=9ce46d5fdbe77280d6d5ff851d961995))
     
     **After your last day as a student, you immediately lose access to:**
    
    
    - Zoom
    - Harvard Library
    - VPN
    - Adobe Software and Creative Cloud Storage
     
     **365 days after the last day as an active student, you lose access to:**
    
    
    - Office 365 email, calendar, ProPlus, Sharepoint, OneDrive
    - Google Mail, Google Drive and Google Apps (for g.harvard, college.harvard and legacy mail.harvard accounts)
    - FAS Account, including unix homedir