THESIS DISSERTATION FORMATTING
Your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation should be formatted according to the College of Arts & Sciences guidelines and submitted for review by the posted deadlines.
Submission deadlines can be found on the Graduation and Deadlines Calendar.
By the format review deadline, you must submit a single, complete draft of your manuscript within the mandatory template provided by our office. A complete draft includes the following:
- All preliminary pages, fully completed
- A complete table of contents and list of tables, figures, and abbreviations where applicable
- Captions for all tables and figures
- All major headings, section headings, and subsection headings
- At least one or two paragraphs of text beneath every heading
- A draft version of your references and/or works cited pages
Thesis and dissertation submissions are made through iCollege. Students will be added to the CAS Thesis & Dissertation Formatting module in iCollege at the beginning of their final semester.
Log into iCollege and select the CAS Thesis & Dissertation Formatting module. Review the submission instructions carefully.
In the module, you will find the required word templates and other essential documents, like the formatting guidebook, within the content navigator on the right of your screen.
You may schedule one-on-one WebEx appointments with our reviewer during their virtual open office hours. To schedule an appointment, use the WebEx tab in the iCollege module.
All thesis and dissertation submissions should be made using the Assignments tab within the module. Please follow the instructions on the assignments tab.
All theses and dissertations required as part of a degree program will be accepted ONLY in digital PDF format. All electronic files submitted for partial fulfillment of degree requirements must conform to the university standards before final approval is granted by the Office of Graduate Services .
This guide explains in detail and gives specific examples of precisely how the format and typeface of the document should appear.
Below, you will find four template options. Use of one of the approved templates is a mandatory requirement for all thesis and dissertation submissions. Each template is pre-formatted according to the College formatting guidelines, and has comments explaining each required section.
Doctoral Dissertation or Master's Thesis Approval Form - Use this fillable PDF form to collect signatures reporting the completion and final approval of a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis. Handwritten or electronic signatures are both acceptable. Once you have obtained signatures from all parties, the PDF must be submitted electronically to the Office of Graduate Services by the appropriate degree requirement deadline, using this Doctoral Dissertation or Master's Thesis Approval web form.
Non-Thesis Master's Project Approval Form - Use this web form to report the completion and final approval of a master’s non-thesis capstone paper or project. This form can not be submitted until the project has been successfully defended (if applicable), completed and your committee has approved. Upon submission, your form will be automatically routed via email to your primary advisor for confirmation that your final project has been approved. The email response we receive from your primary advisor will serve as his or her signature for the project. Please note that we must receive an email confirmation from your primary advisor by the appropriate degree requirement deadline.
Dissertation and thesis binding is an optional step in the graduation process. There are several companies that specialize in binding, one such being Thesis on Demand. You may research and use the company that best suits your needs.
Printing Recommendations: double-sided pages, page numbers at the bottom center of the page, and cotton paper in the 8.5 X 11 letter size.
If you have questions about binding, please contact Samantha Jakobeit at [email protected] in the Office of Graduate Services.
The Office of Graduate Services hosts Master’s Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation formatting workshops each semester for graduating students. View the schedules of workshops here.
In addition to the workshops, we also host office hours for format review each week. Log into iCollege and view the WebEx tab in the CAS Thesis & Dissertation Formatting module to schedule your one-on-one formatting appointment.
Contact Us
CAS Graduate Services
In Person:
25 Park Place, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30303
Monday-Friday:
8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Phone: 404-413-5040
Fax: 404-413-5036
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address
College of Arts & Sciences
P.O. Box 3993
Atlanta, GA 30302-39937
The Graduate School
In Person:
The Graduate School
55 Park Place, Suite 308
Atlanta, GA 30303
Monday-Friday:
8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Phone: 404-413-2444
Email: [email protected]
Contact us for information on the application process. Program-specific inquiries should be directed to your college, school or institute of interest.