Thesis and Dissertations

Start planning early if you are completing a thesis as part of your master’s degree program. Consult the Thesis Manual to follow research guidelines and thesis style guidelines. The EdD Program publishes a Dissertation Manual for EdD students. When committee members are identified for a thesis or dissertation committee, the thesis/dissertation advisor should submit the names of the committee members to the Associate Provost, Graduate and Professional Studies, using this form:

• Thesis/Dissertation Committee Notification Form

When you defend your thesis or dissertation, your committee will sign the thesis committee signature page. Your committee chair will usually retain this page until all requested edits and other changes are made. Chicago State University posts all theses and dissertations on ProQuest, a world-wide repository. There are specific forms that your thesis/dissertation chair and others in your department sign. These forms must also be posted as part of your ProQuest account.

All directions for posting your thesis and associated forms can be found in the Thesis Manual. All directions for posting your dissertation and associated forms can be found in the Dissertation Manual for EdD students. After your thesis or dissertation is reviewed by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies and all requested edits are made, the forms and ProQuest entries are reviewed and approved by the library representative, the transmittal form is sent to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies for final degree audit and review for degree award.
Forms and key steps in the process are listed below. Please consult the Thesis Manual or Dissertation Manual for EdD students for specific information before proceeding.

• CSU Thesis/Dissertation Manual

Thesis/Dissertation Forms

1. Digital Publishing Submission Form. (Completed by all students). Also Complete Form 2 (OR Forms 3 and 4 if delayed release is requested)
2. Digital Publishing Agreement for CSU Archiving with Library Access
3. Digital Publishing Delayed Release Request Form
4. Digital Publishing Agreement for CSU Archiving with Delayed Release
5. Transmittal & Certification of Satisfactory Completion of Dissertation/Thesis for Graduate Degree Audit (Completed by all students)
6. Appendix B -- Master's Thesis Forms

Key Steps in Posting Your Thesis/Dissertation to ProQuest

1. Create a ProQuest Account at: www.etdadmin.com/chicagosu
2. Choose publishing/access options.
3. Input your contact information into the box entitled, “Create new student account.”
4. Input the requested data about your graduate work.
5. Copy and paste your abstract under the “Abstract” heading. Make sure that the abstract you paste does not include the word “Abstract”.
6. Upload PDF version of your thesis to your ProQuest account. Note: You are required to upload to your ProQuest account the same version (with same content/format) of your thesis as approved by your advisory committee. Failure to do so may delay your degree award.
7. Upload supplementary files (if applicable). Upload a scanned copy of the signature page with committee signatures using the following file naming convention: lastname_firstname_middleinitial_Thesis (or Dissertation)_SignaturePage_T (or D)_2018
8. Add notes to the administrator. Adding your email address and phone number here will facilitate communication with the administrator who checks your ProQuest account.
9. (Optional) Choose to file for copyright registration.
10. (Optional) Creative Commons License.
11. (Optional) Order hard/bound copies of your work.
12. (Optional) Obtain an ORCID ID and enter into ProQuest.
13. Review the itemized summary of your submission information.
14. Make payments if you selected options that require payment and confirm your submission.