New policy for grad student defense advertisement

A new process for student defense announcements will be required next academic year for master’s and doctoral degree-seeking students.

At the December 2021 Faculty Senate meeting, the following motion regarding graduate student defense announcements was approved and added to the UAF catalog for academic year 2022-23:

Graduate project, thesis, and dissertation defense examinations are public events and open to the university and wider community. The student should submit their name and project, thesis, or dissertation title and the date, time, and location of their defense examination to the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to their defense examination date. The Graduate School, along with the home program, department, college, or school, will advertise the examination.

The defense examination includes a public presentation of the project, thesis, or dissertation moderated by the chair of the graduate advisory committee, followed by a private executive examination by the committee.

This change applies to both master's and doctoral degree-seeking students. The Graduate School is proud of the work our graduate students produce, and it's essential to promote the fantastic research happening at UAF. Once the defense has been scheduled, the student should submit the Public Defense Announcement form. There is a place on the form to upload a flier for posting and for promotion on Graduate School social media platforms.

If you have any questions on this new process, please contact the Graduate School at uaf-grad-school@alaska.edu.