Appointment for Examination (AFE)
Description
You should schedule your final defense after all courses and your thesis/dissertation are completed. At least four weeks prior to the defense, you should give a copy of the thesis/dissertation to each member of the supervisory committee for approval or corrections.
The Appointment for Examination form must be completed by you or your Graduate Program Coordinator and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies to officially schedule the defense of your thesis/dissertation.
Submitting the Appointment for Examination form allows the School of Graduate Studies to confirm that all required paperwork is complete and your committee members have read the thesis/dissertation ahead of time and agree that it’s ready to be defended.
The student, major professor and committee members will receive an email notification from ServiceNow to review and approve the Appointment for Examination form. Once all signatures are obtained electronically, all parties will receive a final email from ServiceNow with a completed form.
IF THE TIME OR DATE OF THE DEFENSE CHANGES AFTER THE AFE IS COMPLETED, A NEW AFE WILL NEED TO BE SUBMITTED AND APPROVED. If the location changes, your GPC should inform the School of Graduate Studies as soon as possible.
If you are a doctoral or Plan A student, be sure to also email a properly formatted title page to your GPC for review.
Requirements to Schedule a Final Defense
- Have an approved Supervisory Committee Approval form (committee changes cannot be made less than 6 weeks prior to defense date).
- Have an approved Program of Study form.
- Have an approved Application for Candidacy form (doctoral students–must be approved at least three months prior to defense date).
- Have an approved Master’s Thesis/Project Approval form (all Master’s Plan A students and, if required by your department, Master’s Plan B students).
- Register for at least *3 graduate level credits.
*If a student has completed all coursework and research credits on an approved Program of Study, they can register for 1 graduate level credit to defend their dissertation, thesis, or Plan B report/creative project. Keep in mind, if a student is registered for 1 credit, they cannot be on an assistantship and will NOT be considered “full-time” or eligible to defer repayment of some student loans. If a student needs to be considered full-time at 3 credits, submit the Full-Time at Three Credits form.
Due Date
Submit this form at least 10 business days before your defense.
Signatures Needed
- Student
- Major professor/Advisor
- Committee members