Final Quarter and Graduation (MS)

Preparing to Graduate

All students should be aware of their responsibilities and deadlines during their final quarter, as missing a deadline will result in your graduation date being delayed a quarter.  Thesis-track students have additional responsibilities that should be understood early in their final quarter, if not sooner.

What to know in advance

• You must submit a master's degree request during the quarter you intend to graduate.

• You must be registered for at least one credit during the quarter you intend to graduate.

• International students should review and understand ISS policies surrounding final-quarter reduced enrollment and what that means for their I-20s. 

Final Quarter Timeline

This timeline, based on AA Department and Graduate School policies and procedures, is intended to help you understand the graduation process.  Pay close attention to deadlines!

• Here is a good checklist that you need to follow.  It along with other info is at: Graduation Requirements

1. Submit a master’s degree request via MyGrad – Student View at the beginning of your intended graduation quarter but no later than the last day of quarter.

   • Select “Thesis Program” and enter a thesis title.

   • If you are a concurrent student, follow the instructions of submitting a color-coded transcript to the GEMS office early in the quarter.

2. Confirm your name and thesis details on record with the UW and the Graduate School (as listed in MyGrad – Student View).

   • If you will publish your thesis using your Preferred Name, you must officially set that name in UW.

3. Check your unofficial transcript in MyUW for any missing grades from previous quarters. Contact your professors to submit change of grade requests if you see “X” or “N” grades on your transcript, especially if they are for required courses.

4. Create an account in the UW ETD Administrator Site.

   • We recommend creating your account before you submit your thesis. The beginning of the quarter you intend to graduate is a great time to complete this step and familiarize yourself with the site.

   • Verify your name and thesis details entered in the UW ETD Administrator Site match your record in MyGrad exactly.

5. Review ETD Formatting Guidelines and insert the three required sections into the body of your thesis (the first three pages of the document):

   • title page

   • copyright page

   • abstract

6. Obtain the necessary signatures on your Master’s Supervisory Committee Approval Form.

7. Upload your Committee Approval Form to the Administrative documents section of the UW ETD Administrator Site.

8. Upload your thesis to the UW ETD Administrator Site.

9. SUBMIT your (1) thesis and (2) Committee Approval Form via the UW ETD Administrator Site by the quarterly deadline (last day of the quarter at 11:59 p.m.).

10. Confirm submission: after a successful submission, the message “Your dissertation/thesis has been submitted” will appear in the UW ETD Administrator site.

    • You will also receive an email from “Administrator of University of Washington” that you have submitted to the University of Washington.

11. Monitor your email after submission for any requests for revisions. Consider setting up e-mail forwarding if you will no longer be checking your UW e-mail.

    • You will receive an email either notifying you the ETD was accepted or requesting formatting revisions. If you are asked to make revisions, the email will indicate a new deadline. Upload the revisions by the provided deadline.

Missed Deadlines

Missing the master's degree request or ETD deadline delays your graduation to the next quarter.  

Talk to your academic advisor immediately if you miss a deadline or are unable to submit your thesis on time!

After the Quarter Ends

• The AA Department acts on your degree request (this generates an email to you) and the Graduate School does a final degree audit before awarding your degree.  When they graduate you, you will receive an email.

• Your degree posts to your transcript 2 business days after the Graduate School processes your graduation and your diploma will be mailed 2-3 months later.

• Set up UW email forwarding and migrate files to a personal server (see below).

Thesis-Track Students

Students in the thesis track have additional responsibilities during their final quarter, including scheduling a thesis presentation and submitting a final copy of their thesis to the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) site. 

Scheduling your presentation

• Give yourself enough time between your presentation and the thesis deadline (last day of the quarter) to make final edits and revisions.

  • You are strongly encouraged to present your thesis before the last day of instruction.

  • Try to present a complete or very-nearly-complete version of your thesis, that has already been reviewed by your committee.  This will help reduce the number of edits or changes they want you to make. 

• Faculty can be notoriously difficult to schedule, so start coordinating a date, time, and location for your presentation early.

• When booking a room, 1.5 hours should be more than enough time for getting set up, presenting, answering questions, and gathering signatures.  Your presentation including time for questions should take no more than 60 minutes.

• You are required to notify the AA Department of your thesis presentation date/time so we can prepare your day-of paperwork and send an announcement to the department.  Once you have a confirmed time, email Paul your thesis title, committee members, date and time, and location.

Navigating the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) site

• Well in advance of the end of the quarter, create an ETD account and start entering your information on the site. 

• Pay attention to the Graduate School's formatting guidelines for your thesis.

• Review the Graduate School's information for thesis copyright and access options.

More about thesis copyright, access, and publishing

• Generally, your faculty supervisor is a good person to ask questions relating to copyright and publishing.

• The UW Libraries are also here to help!  You can ask questions about copyright, access options, and publishing relating to your thesis.  Contact them at uwlib-etd@uw.edu.

Find additional relevant links and checklists on the Graduate School's final quarter information page.

Graduation Ceremonies

All graduates may participate in the AA Department's graduation celebration and the UW-wide Commencement ceremony (or just one, or neither - it's up to you!).  Be aware that there are separate registration processes for both events - so if you want to do both, you need to register for both.

AA Department Celebration

• Who can participate: Anyone who graduated in summer, autumn, or winter or who plans to graduate in spring or the upcoming summer.

• How to register: Respond to the RSVP survey during spring quarter and request tickets for your guests.

  • The RSVP is sent to your UW email address - MAKE SURE YOU SET UP EMAIL FORWARDING!

• Dress code: Regalia is required.  Graduation can be expensive so if the cost of regalia is a barrier to you being able to celebrate this accomplishment please let Paul know. The department has regalia available to borrow.

UW Commencement Ceremony

• Who can participate: Anyone who graduated in summer, autumn, or winter, or who has a master's degree request on file for spring.

• How to register: Register through the Office of Ceremonies website.  The registration period is in May.

• Dress code: graduation regalia are required; purchase these when you register for the ceremony.

Summer Quarter Graduates

Many students who graduate in Summer Quarter (Late June to Early August) wish to participate in Spring quarter (Mid-June) graduation ceremonies rather than having to wait until the following June. If this applies to you, talk with Paul and he can discuss options with you.