ETD Process Checklist

MFA Creative Writing

NOTE: This checklist is only for MFA students in Creative Writing.

Printable Checklist | MFA Creative Writing Thesis Process Checklist

Preparing for Your Final Semester

  • ETD Workshop
    • Attend an in-person ETD Workshop or, if unable to attend, complete the ETD Online Workshop and review the ETD Resource Center Website the semester prior to graduation.
  • Course Registration
    • Register for at least 2 credit hours of thesis (6971) in the semester of ETD submission/graduation.

Beginning Your Final Semester

  • Application for Graduation in OASIS (Office of the Registrar)
    • Submit the Online Graduation Application through OASIS prior to the deadline for that semester. Check with your department to see if they have earlier/additional submission deadlines.
  • Office of Graduate Studies ETD Online Registration
    • Complete the ETD Online Registration process to verify you are enrolled in thesis hours & provided needed information. This should be done as early in the semester as possible.
  • MFA Certificate of Approval
    • Download, fill out all fields on your computer, save, and then print out your MFA Certificate of Approval before your Final Defense. You, your committee, and your dept/college will need to sign and date the form once the committee has approved your thesis.
  • Complete ETD Plagiarism Check
    • Work with your major professor to submit your thesis through Turnitin via Canvas. Once your professor reviews the results, they should provide you with a copy of the first page of the plagiarism summary, which should be submitted with the Certificate of Approval.
  • Final Defense
    • Successfully defend the thesis and make all requested revisions. Obtain signatures and dates on your Certificate of Approval from both your entire committee and your department/dean's office.

Submitting Your ETD & Paperwork

(to be completed prior to the final submission deadline in the semester of graduation.)

  • Certificate of Approval Packet Submission
    • Submit the original completed Certificate of Approval along with the first page of the Plagiarism Summary. These forms must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies together. (NOTE: Students unable to make it to campus may submit a scanned copy of these forms via email to the ETD Help Desk.)
  • PDF Conversion of ETD
    • Do a final review of your manuscript to ensure it meets our formatting requirements. (See the General & Section-Specific Formatting Requirements.) Convert your thesis document to PDF using Word (Save as > PDF).
  • ETD Submission via Email
    • Submit your PDF through email to the ETD Help Desk. We will work with you via email, and your work will not be added to ProQuest or Scholar Commons, per the agreement with your department.

After the ETD Has Been Submitted via Email

  • Graduate Studies Review
    • Review of the ETD will generally require at least 5 business days to review, although ETDs submitted close to or on the deadline may require longer review times.
  • Revisions Required
    • If the Office of Graduate Studies requires modifications to the submitted ETD, the student will receive an email with an annotated PDF. The student must make all of the corrections and resubmit the corrected ETD via email to the ETD Help Desk by the stated final clearance deadline. We will then re-review the corrected ETD as described above. The review may require an additional 5-7 business days. This step will repeat until the ETD is approved.
  • ETD Approval
    • Once the ETD is approved, the student and committee will receive an approval email. The process is now complete!
  • ETD Manuscript Processing Fee
    • Fees will be assessed after the ETD has been approved (usually at the end of the semester) and will appear in OASIS as a Graduate Manuscript Processing Fee (GMPF). Final transcripts and/or the diploma will not be released until all fees are paid.