Thesis/Dissertation Preparation

TURNITIN LINK INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THESIS/DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIRS

The Graduate School is accepting all thesis/dissertation related documentation via email to deannacobb@southalabama.edu or gradschool@southalabama.edu. Electronic signatures will be accepted on the required forms.

Please select the link below to access the official USA Thesis and Dissertation Guide. This guide gives the required process to successfully complete the master's thesis and the doctoral dissertation at USA. Please note the rules and requirements shown in this document must be followed to achieve a thesis or dissertation that will meet the standards for final approval.

Students are welcome to call the Graduate School office at (251) 460-6310 to set up an appointment to discuss any questions they may have with the thesis/dissertation process at any time during the academic year.

Submission Dates

For information on due dates for each semester of the academic year, please check the following dates or link to the current Academic Calendar.

Fall 2024

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 10/21/24 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 11/18/24 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Spring 2025

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 3/24/25 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 4/14/25 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Summer 2025

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 6/23/25 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 7/19/25 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Fall 2025

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 10/21/25 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 11/17/25 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Spring 2026

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 3/23/26 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 4/13/26 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Summer 2026

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 6/22/26 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 7/14/26 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Fall 2026

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 10/19/26 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 11/17/26 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Spring 2027

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 3/22/27 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 4/12/27 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

Summer 2027

First submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 6/21/27 (Students submit their successfully defended thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School for review)
Final submission deadline: Theses/dissertations due in Office of Graduate Dean by 5:00 pm at 7/19/27 (Students have made any requested edits, have resubmitted their paper, and have received final clearance to proceed with finalizing their submission)

USA Thesis and Dissertation Guide

Guide for Preparing the Prospectus
Guide for Preparing Theses and Dissertations
Thesis - Dissertation Timeline
Thesis/Dissertation Template
Thesis/Dissertation Submission Form (PDF) - This form is due when you submit your paper to the Graduate School. Students are advised to have this form ready to be completed at their defense.
The Top 15 Errors Most Frequently Encountered on Theses and Dissertations
Latex template - please contact the Graduate School for this template to be emailed to you in a zip file.
T/D FAQ'S
Sample Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval Notice - IF your research involves HUMAN SUBJECTS, you MUST obtain IRB approval https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/research/compliance/humansubjects BEFORE your research begins. This form MUST be listed in your Appendix section. See sample thesis on this page for formatting.
Line Spacing Template
Subdivisions Formatting Guide
Sample Thesis by Kari Servold - Please note that Ms. Servold did not utilize subdivision headings and only used chapter headings in her paper. To see how subdivision headings should be organized in Table of Contents and in your paper, see the thesis template document listed above.

Zotero is an excellent and free tool to use for your citations and references.

Some graduate students preparing a thesis or dissertation may find it useful to look at a previous thesis that has been through the approval process. A past student has graciously given permission to use the attached thesis for this purpose. You should follow the USA Thesis and Dissertation Guide to understand all the requirements for a thesis or dissertation document, but the attached model may be useful to visualize the document that you are preparing. The document can serve as a template to help you properly set up your own document. Note that the Thesis and Dissertation Guide allows some variation as to preferred styles in different academic disciplines, so depending on your discipline there will be some variation from this sample document.

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