Electronic thesis and dissertation

The VCU Graduate School Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Manual serves as a guide for the preparation of graduate theses and dissertations for graduate students in all programs within the university. Electronic theses and dissertations make VCU student research and creativity available online as full-text documents and multimedia presentations for use by the university community and others involved in research.

The thesis and dissertation manual provides a general set of guidelines approved by the University Graduate Council. However, the student's thesis or dissertation committee is the final arbiter concerning the thesis or dissertation's final acceptability. The committee's responsibility includes approving style and format as well as technical and professional competency.

It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with all rules and procedures applicable to thesis/dissertation preparation and final committee approval. Students must follow the regulations of thesis and dissertation examinations as outlined in the VCU Graduate Bulletin.

Preparing to defend your thesis or dissertation?

Refer to the VCU Graduate School Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Manual for mandatory components of the ETD submission.

*Update - Effective Fall 2023, students have the option to embargo their thesis/dissertation for 2 years. 

Ready to submit your Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) form?

Follow the guidelines below to submit your ETD form using DocuSign. If you do not follow these procedures correctly, it could delay the awarding of your degree.

School deans/designees

The school deans/designees are as follows:

Faculty directories

To search for faculty members, download the graduate faculty list or the list of affiliate graduate faculty members.

Graduate/affiliate graduate faculty appointment request

The school deans/designees are as follows: