The Thesis/Dissertation Defense

• At the conclusion of the thesis/dissertation research, the student, in consultation with the mentor and the members of the their Committee, will prepare a thesis/dissertation in a format approved by the UAB Graduate School. Instructions for preparing the dissertation are available from the program office, the UAB Graduate School, or the Graduate School web site by clicking HERE.
• When the dissertation has been completed, the student will request that the Graduate Program Manager schedule the Thesis/Dissertation Defense. There is a series of actions that that must be completed before the thesis/dissertation defense and a list of these are found HERE.
• The student will deliver final copies of the thesis/dissertation to the Committee members no less than two weeks (14 calendar days) before the defense.
• Members of the Committee may request changes in the thesis/dissertation and the student will, if possible, incorporate those changes into the thesis/dissertation before the date of the defense.
• If a simple majority of the Committee identifies significant faults or inadequacies in the thesis/dissertation, the Committee may send a written recommendation to the Program Manager that the defense be postponed. In the event that the Committee is deadlocked concerning the advisability of a postponement, the Program Director will meet with the student and the Committee and will cast the deciding vote. The student, the Committee, and the Program Director will meet four weeks after this determination to evaluate the status of the thesis/dissertation.
• On the day and time agreed to by the Committee, the student will deliver a public oral presentation of the thesis/dissertation to the Dissertation Committee, the Program Director, and any other students, faculty, staff, or members of the general public who choose to attend. Immediately following the oral presentation, the student will meet with the Committee and the Program Director, if he or she chooses to attend, in private session. In this meeting, the student will respond orally to questions posed by the Committee and/or the Program Director. At the end of the meeting, the student will be asked to leave the room and the Committee and the Program Director will discuss the student’s written and oral presentation and reach a consensus concerning the student’s thesis/dissertation and presentation. The student will then be called back into the room and be informed of the Committee’s evaluation of the thesis/dissertation. The Committee members will sign the Thesis or Dissertation Approval Form once the student has shown that any requested changes or corrections have been made.
• It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the schedule established by the Graduate School for submission of the completed thesis/dissertation to the Graduate School Office. The student will be responsible for making any changes or corrections required by the Committee and the Graduate School. The student should provide each Committee member with a copy of the final version that has been accepted by the Graduate School. The student will also provide a copy for the Program Manager.

Timetable for Completion:

• Students are expected to complete and successfully defend their dissertation in a timely fashion, which in general will be by the end of the fourth year.
• Students in their second year or beyond of enrollment in an accredited graduate program at UAB or at another university and who transfer to the Vision Science Graduate Program in order to work with a specific mentor may, with the agreement of the mentor, request a variance from the above guidelines.