Final Examination Requirements for Thesis Master's Degree

Before requesting the Final Examination, the following conditions must first be fulfilled:

  • The plan of study for this degree must be in "Outstanding" or "Approved" status to initiate an exam request.
  • If needed, a Change to Plan of Study must be completed and fully approved at least one week prior to the start of the term in which the final exam will be taken;
  • Student must be registered for the term in which the final exam will be taken;
  • Student must declare graduation candidacy unless the thesis won’t be deposited until the following semester (see section 3.4 of the handbook);
  • The Examining Committee must be established prior to requesting the final exam with at least 51% of the committee members having regular graduate faculty certification.

Request to Schedule Final Examination

Graduate School Form 8: Request for Appointment of Examining Committee 
Student Instructions Note: The IE Graduate Office has chosen to complete this step on behalf of the student.

  1. Request to Schedule Final Exam (Graduate School Form 8) via email to the IE Graduate Office, iego@purdue.edu, at least two to three weeks prior to the proposed date of the exam and include:
    • Examination date and time agreed upon by the examination examining committeee (e.g., email copy or Doodle screenshot). The exam is typically two hours.
    • Thesis title for the examination
    • Exam format (in-person, hybrid, online)
      • In-person: Request the IE Graduate Office reserve a room
      • Hybrid: Request the IE Graduate Office reserve a room.The student will provide the video conferending link (e.g. Zoom, WebEx, etc). to the IE Graduate Office; the student will be the host and facilitator. Proper virtual meeting etiquette is expected.
      • Online: With committee approval, student will provide the video conferending link (e.g. Zoom, WebEx, etc). to the IE Graduate Office; the student will be the host and facilitator. Proper virtual meeting etiquette is expected.

Request a Formatting Consultation

Thesis and Dissertation Office assists graduate students in the formatting, editing, and depositing of their theses. 

  1. Schedule an Appointment. Request a formatting consultation appointment early in the semester.

  2. Review Templates. If you require more formatting guidance, reach out to thesishelp@purdue.edu. 

Formatting consultations are cut off two weeks prior to the final Thesis/Dissertation Deposit Deadline due to increased staff workload.

Deposit Process

All thesis-option graduate students at Purdue must deposit the final products of their research with the Purdue University Graduate School Thesis & Dissertation Office. The Thesis & Dissertation Office will help ensure that all pre-requisites for deposit have been fulfilled and that your thesis or dissertation meets the quality standards established by the Graduate Council Standing Committee on Theses and Dissertations.

  1. Complete the Electronic Thesis Acceptance Form (ETAF) and Required Surveys by the 5 pm deposit deadline. Student Instructions for Initiating the Thesis Acceptance Form
  2. Submit ETD to Hammer Research Repository (HammerRR) at least 24 hours in advance to the deposit deadline.
  3. Pay the deposit fee through myPurdue. The fee will appear 5-10 business days after the HammerRR submission is approved.

It is strongly recommend that you submit your completed deposit draft for formatting review no later than 2 weeks prior to the deposit deadline.  Doing so will help to reduce or eliminate formatting issues prior to making your final deposit, thus ensuring a smoother deposit process. 

Final Exam Deadlines

This is a guide to assist planning your final exam; to view deadlines administered by the Graduate School, see the Graduate School Deadline Calendar.

  • Request a consult from the Thesis & Dissertation Office early in the semester.
  • Request to schedule final exam. A student must contact  the IE Graduate Office at least two-three weeks prior to the proposed date of their exam to complete scheduling.
  • Submit thesis document to committee.A formal thesis document to each member of the Final Examination Committee at least two to three weeks prior to the scheduled oral final examination.
    • The thesis document must conform with the regulations outlined in “A Manual for the Preparation of Graduate Theses,” which can be found at https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/research/thesis/index.html
  • Complete final examination at least TWO WEEKS BEFORE the Graduate School’s deadline in order to obtain signatures by the final exam deadline
  • Deposit Thesis by the 5 pm deposit deadline.