Focus: The Full Dissertation and Graduation

Course Registration

Before you can start your Final Defense coursework, you must request an "override" to register for the course.

Primary Request Form (COE): Online EdD/PhD Exam Course Request Form

Note: This is the standard portal for all EPOL dissertation sequence overrides (EPOL 586, EPOL 58, EPOL 591, EPOL 599).

Final Defense: EPOL 599 (4 credit hours total: 16 weeks in duration per registration)
Course Logistics: EPOL 599 is a 16-week course. You need at least 4 credits to graduate, but you can split these into 1-2 credit increments to stay enrolled if your writing will take longer than one semester.

Late Registration / Student Portal: Graduate College Student Portal

Submit a petition here if the standard registration window has closed.

Attend Group Advisory Sessions

Present your progress at a weekly group advising session.

If your advisor is Dr. Cope or Dr. Kalantzis, attend group sessions on Monday nights, 7:30 - 8:30 CT. If your advisor is Dr. Magee, attend group sessions on Tuesday nights, 7:00 - 8:30 CT.

Individual Avisory Sessions: Drop in (don’t email, please)

Dr. Kalantzis, Tuesdays 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CT
Dr. Cope, Tuesdays 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CT
Dr. Magee (arranged by mutual availability)

Draft Full Manuscript

Finalize Chapters 4 (Findings) and 5 (Discussion/Recommendations). Perform a final AI + Peer Review.

Verbal Tense Shift: Crucial! Ensure all "future tense" language in your Chapter 3 (Methodology) is changed to past tense (e.g., "The study will..." becomes "The study was...").

Submission to Advisor: Submit the front matter and all five chapters in the Graduate College Thesis Dissertation format in a Box file with a Change Note outlining changes made based on Preliminary Exam feedback.

Scheduling the Exam

Review the Graduate College Exam information: Scheduling a Preliminary or Final Exam

Submit your FER (Final Exam Request) 3-4 weeks in advance via the Graduate College Student Portal.

Select an available Exam Session time: Write your full name in the appropriate session column.

Create a Zoom Session with the following settings:

Set the passcode to 535.
Uncheck "require authentication."
Under “Options,” add Dr. Cope or Dr. Magee as an alternative host.

Submit the revised version to your advisor with a final Change Note.

College Check: EdD students submit a PDF to Jena Pfoff; PhD students submit to Linda Stimson for a format check.

Final Deposit: After receiving permission from the Graduate College Thesis Office, upload the approved final version of your dissertation to the Graduate College Thesis Office. Note: your dissertation must be submitted by the deadline of the term you intend to graduate.

Complete and submit this form.

Part 4: The Final Defense & Deposit (EPOL 599)