Thesis and Dissertation Information for Fall 2020

As Grand Valley State University begins to welcome students back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, the Graduate School is making some temporary changes to the procedures defending a thesis or dissertation for Fall 2020. 

Thesis and dissertation defense procedures:
The Graduate School will still require a public defense for graduate students completing a thesis or dissertation.  Students are not required to attend a face-to-face defense while GVSU is not holding face-to-face courses.

Graduate students need to conduct a thesis or dissertation defense with all committee members (using synchronous communication – no video recordings).  If a graduate student wishes to conduct the defense face-to-face, that is permissible, as long as social distancing is strictly enforced.  Committee members can attend using a telecommuting technology if desired.  If a graduate student does not wish to conduct a face-to-face defense, the committee chair must work with the student to use an appropriate telecommuting alternative supported by the university, such as Zoom, BlackBoard Collaborate, Skype for Business, or Google Meet. These defenses must be publicly announced and available available through a web link. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Palm (palmj@gvsu.edu) in the Graduate School. The Graduate School will continue to provide services and support during the immediate future.  We are practicing physical distancing and employing a remote work environment.  Therefore, it is best to contact us by email.