Thesis and Dissertation Due Dates

Completing a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation requires planning and attention to deadlines. Work closely with your committee and/or graduate advisor to meet your departmental deadlines for committee review and the defense of your thesis or dissertation. Theses and dissertations should be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies only after you have applied for graduation, you have defended your work and after all members of your thesis or dissertation committee have approved your thesis or dissertation after any requested changes arising from your defense.

There are two important deadlines to consider:

  • Submitting your thesis or dissertation for initial review to the College of Graduate Studies

  • The formal publication of your thesis through ProQuest

Theses and dissertations are reviewed by the College of Graduate Studies for the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Theses and dissertations must be submitted to thesis@sjsu.edu no later than the deadlines below.  Thesis and dissertations must be submitted by 11:59 for review.  Requirements for publication must be met by 3:00 p.m.  No late submissions will be accepted. 

PLEASE NOTE:  Some departments themselves may set earlier due dates.  The dates below are the final deadlines for the College of Graduate Studies. Always check with your advisor to make sure they do not have internal departmental guidelines.

The scheduled deadlines for upcoming semesters are as follows:

Fall (December)
2024 Graduation

Spring (May)
2024 Graduation

Summer (August)
2024 Graduation

Thesis
November 11, 2024

Thesis
April 22, 2024

Thesis
July 15, 2024

Dissertation
November 11, 2024

Dissertation
April 22, 2024

Dissertation
July 15, 2024

Deadlines for submitting your thesis or dissertation to ProQuest for publication (see Thesis Guidelines for instructions). NOTE: Submission to ProQuest publication dates are the same for theses and dissertations.

Fall (December)
2023 Graduation
Spring (May)
2024 Graduation
Summer (August)
2023 Graduation
January 31, 2025         July 1, 2024 September 23, 2024

Because deadlines are posted well in advance of each thesis cycle, extensions of the deadlines are not granted.