Doctoral Students

Please use this section to help guide you through the administrative process of the Doctoral Dissertation.

Carefully read the Dissertation Procedures and Guidelines Manual. This will answer the majority of your questions regarding The Graduate School’s role in your dissertation.

An Overview of the Doctoral Dissertation Procedures and Guidelines

• Notification of Completion of the Qualifying Assessment and Notification of Admission to Doctoral Candidacy is completed by the department
• The student’s committee is formed and The Graduate School is notified using the Approval of the Dissertation Committee and Request for Approval of Outside Dissertation Committee Member (as needed) forms
• The student’s proposal is approved and The Graduate School is notified using the Approval of the Dissertation Proposal form
• The student’s manuscript is completed and the student, with their committee, has selected a tentative date for the dissertation defense. The student conveys this to The Graduate School by submitting the Application for Dissertation Defense Date form, along with an electronic copy of the dissertation. Before submitting this form to The Graduate School, the student should supply each of their committee members with an electronic copy as well.
• Within 24 hours of the student’s defense, the Report of Dissertation Defense form is submitted to The Graduate School.
• The student prepares the signature page, as described in the Doctoral Dissertation Procedures and Guidelines, and submits an electronic copy to The Graduate School at docstudy@montclair.edu for approval.
• Once the signature page is approved by The Graduate School, they will send a PDF version.  Following the defense, this version should be circulated to the committee members for their electronic signature.  Once complete, the page should be returned to docstudy@montclair.edu.
• Once all revisions are made as instructed by your dissertation committee, an electronic copy in Word format is submitted to The Graduate School at docstudy@montclair.edu. NOTE: prior to submitting the manuscript for review by The Graduate School, please see the Dissertation Final Review Checklist.
• The Graduate School will review the manuscript for formatting requirements, as described in the Doctoral Dissertation Procedures & Guidelines. Any necessary changes will be communicated with the student. Once the manuscript is finalized, The Graduate School will assemble the final copy of the dissertation, including the completed signature page, and send a .pdf of the file to the student.
• The student will be instructed to submit the file for publication through UMI, using the steps provided in the Doctoral Dissertation Procedures & Guidelines. NOTE: The student should be sure to request that UMI file for copyright on their behalf, unless the student has other plans to do so on their own. The student should NOT order bound copies of their dissertation through UMI. Copies ordered from UMI will not be guaranteed by Montclair State University.
• The student will deliver the the Dissertation filing fee, made out to Montclair State University: $100
• Complete the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Release Form. If you choose to have an Embargo on your dissertation, this form should match what you indicate on the UMI submission.
• The student will complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates, as described in the Doctoral Dissertation Procedures & Guidelines

As a note, you may browse previously submitted dissertations within the Dissertation Abstract Online database on the Sprague Library website.

General forms can be found in the Forms section of our website.

Beginning with the passing of your qualifying assessment and admission to candidacy, there is a series of doctoral-specific forms that you will be required to complete within your department and submit to The Graduate School:

• Form A – Notification of Completion of the Qualifying Assessment and Notification of Admission to Doctoral Candidacy

• Form B – Approval of Dissertation Committee

• Form C – Request for Approval of Outside Dissertation Committee Member(only when appropriate)

• Form D – Approval of Dissertation Proposal

• Form E – Approval for Dissertation Defense Date

• Form F – Report of Dissertation Defense

• Forms G/H – Dissertation Advisement or Advisement Extension Application
• Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Release Form 

If you are an Audiology student, you are required to submit the following forms only:

• Form J – Application for Research Project Presentation Date
• Form K – Report of Research Project Presentation

Additional Resources:

• Signature Page Template – Three Committee Members
• Signature Page Template – Four Committee Members
• Signature Page Template – Five Committee Members

• APA Style Dissertation Guidelines
• APA Dissertation Guidelines – September 2021 Presentation
• APA Dissertation Guidelines – October 2021 Presentation
• APA Dissertation Guidelines Workshop Slides
• Articles-Based Dissertation Template
• Automatic Lists of Tables and Figures
• Automatic Table of Contents – Google Docs
• Automatic Table of Contents- Microsoft Word
• Chapters-Based Dissertation Template
• Dissertation Webinar Slides – February 2022
• Dissertation Webinar Recording – February 2022
• Inserting Page Numbers Into Your Dissertation
• Sample ETD Form