GSO Announcements to Graduate Students

  

Current Students

This page contains emails, announcements, and other correspondence for Graduate Students from the Graduate Studies Office. 

PHD DISSERTATION REVIEW PROCESS  


This is an outline of the mandatory three-stage review process required for the final submission and successful completion of your dissertation. It details the timeline, materials, registration steps, and required forms for the First Review Workshop, and the Second and Third Review. Adherence to these requirements and deadlines is essential for timely graduation.


1. First Review: Synchronous in-Person Workshop
This is a required in-person workshop and a prerequisite for the Second Review.

The dates and times for the Spring 2026 semester are: 

  • Tuesday 02/03 from 9:30 to 12:45
  • Thursday 2/12 from 12:30 to 3:45
  • Wednesday 2/18 from 9:30 to 12:45
  • Monday 2/23 from 12:30 to 3:45 
Requirements Details
Prerequisite You must be registered for 790A.
Timeline Attend the semester after you defend your proposal.
How to Register

Sign up for one of the workshops offered by GSO at the beginning of each semester.

Use this link to register.
Materials At least one chapter of your dissertation draft, including the front matter, formatted using the LaTeX or Word templates.

 

2. Second Review: Asynchronous Written Feedback
The  Second  Review  covers  the  entire  dissertation  document  (the  same  one  you  send  to  your committee).  Dr. Ziavras  will  review  your  draft  and  email  comments.  If  the  document requires significant real-time discussion to achieve clarity and finalize revisions, Dr. Ziavras or his delegate will request a synchronous meeting.
 

2A. Timeline and scheduling

Completion Deadline Date Anchor
General Rule At least 3 weeks before your defense date.
Fall Completion By October/Early November
Spring Completion By March/Early April
Summer Completion By June
 Requirements
 How to Register: Request an appointment using the GSO appointment form. Note: Requested date and time might not be available. Scheduling may take up to two weeks.

 

2B. Materials and submission

 Action Material Deadline
 Submit Embargo Form Email the Embargo Form to
gso@njit.edu and upload it into PQ		 At least two weeks before you request second review
 Prepare Submission Gather and finalize:
a. The entire dissertation draft (front matter + text+ references)
b. The Self-Assessment Sheet		 4 business days before your appointment.
 Email Submission Email the prepared materials to
Dr. Ziavras and CC: gso@njit.edu		 4 business days before your appointment.


2C. Forms and actions after Second Review and before the defense                        

 Action Item Details Deadline
 Complete the Survey of Earned   Doctorates Upload the certificate to PQ section #2. Shortly after 2nd review
 Biographical Sketch Name your Bio Sketch Bio-GSO_fname lname and email it to gso@njit.edu.
Note: The GSO version must include your date of birth, place of birth, and a brief personal biography after your publications.		 Shortly after 2nd review
 Submit the Defense Announcement Submit here and forward the link to your department admin for distribution. 3 weeks before the defense date
 Prepare HARD COPY of Approval   Page Give it to your Advisor at the beginning of the defense. Your advisor will collect the signatures from your committee and return it to you. Defense day

 

2D. Forms and actions after the defense and before third review

 Action Item Details Deadline

 Scan and Send the 
 Signed Approval Page
 to GSO

If all committee members are in-person, your advisor collects all signatures and gives you the form; you then scan, send to GSO, and upload it to PQ.


If some committee members participate synchronously online (Reminder: Only if your advisor makes the request to Dr. Ziavras), send the partially signed form to GSO, and GSO will collect the remaining signatures and return it to you for PQ upload.

Note: A majority of the committee members must participate in person on the NJIT campus.

 Right after successfully defending
 Initiate the Final  Defense Report Final defense Report Form
Once the form is signed by all committee members upload it to PQ.		 Right after successfully defending


3. Third Review: Synchronous in Zoom
The Third Review is a formatting check that happens after your defense.

 Requirements Details
 Prerequisite Complete the implementation of all document revisions, including formatting corrections from the second review and all directives from the committee.
 Timeline After your defense, BEFORE the university's official semester graduation deadline (check the GSO website for the exact date).
 How to Register Schedule using the GSO online appointment form.
 Materials and  Submission Email to your 3rd reviewer the entire dissertation document updated with all committee members' feedback. CC the GSO.
 Forms to Submit After receiving this 3rd round of feedback, email the finalized version of your dissertation to GSO. The GSO will do a final check and email you back confirming the doc is ready for submission. You will then upload the final, corrected document to PQ.

Message to MS students planning to defend their MS Thesis

  • Assuming that you have submitted your MS Thesis Committee Appointment Report and have completed the first review of a thesis draft with Mr. David Tress (Administrative Assistant, Graduate Studies), schedule your thesis 2nd review with Ms. Angela Retino (Office Manager, Graduate Studies). This review will be for the thesis document you have forwarded to the thesis committee for the final defense and must include all revisions suggested by your thesis advisor. When you are ready for your 2nd review, click here to request a virtual/online appointment. You will be emailed back a date and time, with a request to confirm your availability.

    Prior to your virtual appointment, you will be asked to do the following

         • Submit the Embargo Form if you have not done so already

         • Confirm that you have incorporated all of your thesis advisor's comments and changes in your thesis draft.

  • Email the aforesaid PDF draft of your entire thesis document the day before (not earlier) your confirmed virtual appointment with Ms. Angela. Ms. Angela will email you her comments and may also ask for a WebEX session during your confirmed appointment time.

  • Upon completion of the 2nd review, submit your defense announcement here. For work that will not be sequestered, include the details on how interested members of the NJIT community could attend your defense event online (e.g., WebEx session details).*

  • A copy of the approval page should be emailed to gso@njit.edu so it can be sent out for signature by the thesis committee.

  • The Final Defense Report should be initiated after the student has successfully defended their thesis.

  • Schedule your thesis 3rd review with Mr. Tress. As before, email the draft of your thesis 24 hours prior to your review.

  • Upon completion of the 3rd review, email a PDF copy of your thesis to gso@njit.edu. David will review it one final time and inform you of any changes or revisions you need to make. Once your document has been finalized, GSO will submit the final PDF copy to the Van Houten Library.

Appeal for Students Subject to Academic Dismissal

Only for students who receive communication from the Office of the Registrar

Dismissal Appeal Application

Completion Letter Information

Confirmation letters are available by request for doctoral candidates upon completion of all requirements.  If you need a letter, please send the request by e-mail to gso@njit.edu.  Be sure to include your NJIT ID# and program (e.g., 21212123; Chemistry). 

Commencement Letter

For more information regarding the May commencement, please visit https://commencement.njit.edu/ after Spring Break. 

Domestic Graduate Student Orientation

The Domestic Graduate Student Orientation is typically held in late August or early September prior to the start of the Fall semester and late January prior to the Spring semester. This orientation aims to help incoming domestic graduate students get acclimated to graduate education at NJIT. There will be speeches from representatives of various departments at NJIT, both academic and administrative, with opportunities for Q&A.  You may  view the Graduate Student guidebook here.

Thesis and Dissertation Workshops

These workshops provide valuable information regarding the format of your Thesis and Dissertation document and the process of submitting final documents.  Workshops are mandatory for all Master's Thesis and PhD students and are held once a semester. Students must attend at least one workshop prior to graduation but may attend more than one. Date, time and location will be posted and announced prior to the event.