How to submit your thesis manuscript and apply for a defence date

Overview

Congratulations! You've finished writing your PhD thesis and are ready to print your book and plan the ceremony.

Here you will find information about the steps you need to take. It is important that you read all the information in this section before you get started.  A detailed description of each step of this procedure can be found below, in the section 'Timing and Required Steps.'

Briefly, here are the steps you are going to follow:

1. Master’s Exam Exemption (= Diplomawaardering) *see 'Note to external PhD candidates...' at bottom of page.
2. Doctoral Application (a form your promotor has to sign)
3. Manuscript approval by your promotor (a form your promotor has to sign)
4. Arranging the Manuscript Approval Committee (a letter your promotor has to write)
5. Reserving a defence date (you can do this as soon as steps #1-4 are completed)
6. Sending your thesis to the committee (you have to do this yourself)
7. Manuscript approval (the Graduate School Office collects the responses of your committee members)
8. Finalising the defence date (a form from the Student Information and Administration, which your promotor has to sign)
9. Printing and distributing the thesis

You can read the university's official Regulations for the Conferral of a Doctorate here.

The Graduate School Office’s contact person for all PhD thesis defence (promotie) issues is Mrs Yvonne van der Weerd.

Y. van der Weerd

Graduate School Office

Nijenborgh 9

9747 AG Groningen

Postal address:

PO Box 407

9700 AK Groningen

tel: (050) 363 4616

y.van.der.weerd@rug.nl

Timing and required steps

The following steps must be followed before you can publicly defend your PhD thesis.

1. Master’s Exam Exemption (= Diplomawaardering)

Typically at the start of the project, execept for certain 'external' PhD candidates

In order to be admitted to the PhD programme at FMNS and register with the GSS, a PhD student must be  granted a Master’s Exam Exemption (NL: vrijstelling doctoraal examen). The  Degree Assessment Committee formally oversees this.

2. Doctoral Application

Minimally 1 year before your thesis is finished

A PhD student who intends to defend his/her thesis must submit the Doctorate Application form after the 3-year progress meeting. This form has to be signed by the PhD student and all supervisors and returned to the Graduate School Office (the GSO will obtain the dean’s signature).

Download the form here [PDF].  

3. Manuscript approval by your promotors (and dean)

At least 3 months before your desired defence date

After the thesis manuscript is actually finished, the PhD student submits the Manuscript Approval form, signed by all promotors, to the Graduate School Office. The GSO arranges the dean's signature.

As proof that the thesis is finished, you must also send an electronic (PDF) copy or paper copy to the Graduate School Office. The Graduate School Office then faxes the Manuscript Approval form to the Student Infomation and Administration (SIA) department of the University.

Download the form here [DOC].

4. Arranging the Manuscript Approval Committee

At least 3 months before your desired defence date

At the same time that he/she approves your thesis manuscript, your promotor should send a letter suggesting suitable members for the Manuscript Approval Committee (a.k.a. Reading Committee) to the Graduate School Office. As chair of the Manuscript Approval Committee, the dean must approve the committee members and give the Graduate School Office permission to contact them in their official capacity. At the same time the PhD student sends the thesis to the members of the Reading Committee.

Download the letter template here [DOC].

5.  Reserving a defence date

At least 3 months before your desired defence date

As soon as the PhD student receives a confirmation e-mail from the Graduate School Office, he/she can request a defence date by contacting the SIA.

*Normally, this happens as soon as steps #1-4 above are completed.

Student Information and Administration (SIA)

PhD department (Promoties)

Academiegebouw, Building 1112

Broerstraat 5

9712 CP Groningen

Postal address:

Postbus 72

9700 AB Groningen

tel: 050 363 5276, fax: 050 363 4623
promoveren@rug.nl

6. Sending your thesis to the Manuscript Approval Committee

At least 3 months before your defence date

Once the members of the Manuscript Approval Committee have been contacted, they will be given the chance to review your thesis. Normally, the PhD student takes responsibility for sending the manuscript to them. It is customary to print out a copy of the thesis manuscript and mail it by post to each member of the committee. You should check with your promotor about these details. The Graduate School Office will not print or mail the thesis for you.  

7. Manuscript approval

At least 2 months before your defence date

The important final step before a PhD student may publish and distribute a thesis is the formal approval of its contents by the Manuscript Approval Committee. Committee members respond to the Graduate School Office using a simple form which states that they find the work acceptable by international standards to be publicly defended. They may also provide additional comments, although this is not required in the case of a normal thesis. Two of the three committee members must approve the thesis before it can be defended.

8. Finalising the defence date

At least 2 months before the ceremony

The SIA will mail the student a packet of Defence Application forms by post to the PhD student's home address. Make sure your address information is up to date! These forms must must be completed and returned at least two months before the planned defence date. They have to be signed by the PhD student, all promotors and the dean.

9. Printing and distributing the thesis

Typically 6 weeks before the ceremony (minimally 3, or you may not be allowed to defend)

Once the thesis title page has been formally approved by the SIA, the manuscript is ready for printing. You must distribute the printed books at least three weeks before the ceremony! There are several guidelines for how to do this.

*Note to external PhD candidates and those who began before 2010

An official 'Doctorate Application' must be filed with the Student Information and Administration department at least one year before the (anticipated) defence date.

Normally, the Master's Exam Exemption (which is a prerequisite for the Doctorate Application) has already been arranged at the start of the PhD project. However, if you started before 2010 or are an 'external' PhD candidate not formally registered with the GSS, this might not have occurred. This means you may have to arrange both the Master's Exam Exemption and Doctoral Application at the same time. It is important not to wait until the very end of your PhD to do this!

In such a special situation, the Doctorate Application Form [PDF] is submitted along with a notarised copy of your foreign diploma(s); you can also bring your original diploma(s) to the Graduate School Office. After your diploma is evaluated, you will be given a Master’s Exam Exemption (NL: vrijstelling doctoraal examen) by the College of Deans. This is formal proof that you are allowed to write a PhD thesis. At the same time, you will be formally registered as a final-phase PhD candidate with the university's central authorities. You will be allowed to submit your thesis manuscript after these steps have taken place.

For questions about this procedure, please contact Yvonne van der Weerd.