UDTS facilitates completion of requirements and submission of dissertations and theses. All thesis and dissertation submission procedures related to degree conferral in each semester and consistent with this policy are defined by UDTS. The policy encompasses all stated deadlines including, but not limited to, any for the required format review and final submission.
All master’s students writing theses and all doctoral students writing dissertations are required to submit their documents to University Dissertation and Thesis Services (UDTS) for both the Format Review and Final Submission.
Please click on the links below to read more specific information about each step; a quick-view grid of relevant dates and deadlines is also provided.
- Step 1: Working with Your Committee
- Step 2: Format Review
- Step 3: Submission Instructions and Embargo Policy
- Step 4: Attend Your Defense
- Step 5: Final Submission
Deadline QuickView:
| If you are planning to graduate in | You need to email your document to UDTS ([email protected].) for the first/initial round of Format Review by | You need to receive an email from UDTS informing you that your formatting is correct and that you have passed the Format Review by | You need to turn in the final copy of your document and all necessary materials by the Final Submission deadline, which is |
| Summer 2026 | 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29 | 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 | 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31 |
| Fall 2026 | 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 2 | 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2 | 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4 |
| Spring 2027 | 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 29 | 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28 | 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 30 |
Step 1: Working with Your Committee
- At some point in your graduate career, you will form your committee and begin working on your thesis or dissertation. If you have specific questions about the formation of your committee and the rules governing it, contact your college/school/department’s graduate coordinator.
- While you are working with your committee, you will be writing your thesis or dissertation and making edits and changes based on their suggestions.
- Please confirm with your committee and/or department which style manual your discipline uses (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA, IEEE, etc.).
- Neither Mason nor UDTS requires any specific style, as we work with students in many fields.
- It is your responsibility to confirm which style you should use, and it is your responsibility to make sure that you implement it correctly — UDTS does not check styles, and we cannot advise you regarding their usage.
- As soon as possible during the writing and editing process, please begin formatting your document according to our Formatting Guidelines.
- We provide templates, which are designed to make formatting your document easier.
- We also have a list of freelance editors and contractors who are available to assist you with editing, formatting, and transcription services.
- If you are interested in learning more about their services, please email us.
- Please note: these contractors are not employed by George Mason University. Their services are not free. They are independent contractors who set their own prices for the services they offer.
Step 2: Format Review
- All theses and dissertations must go through the mandatory Format Review, which is performed to ensure adherence to our University Formatting Guidelines.
- We have a variety of resources available, including templates.
- We strongly recommend that students submit their documents for the Format Review as soon as possible to avoid delays.
- When a document is ready for the Format Review, please email it to us: [email protected]. Students do not have to make an appointments for the Format Review.
- UDTS does not review content.
- We only review documents to confirm that they adhere to University Formatting Guidelines.
- The document’s content does not have to be in its final, perfect, complete, approved version when a student sends it for ANY round of the Format Review (first, second, tenth, or otherwise).
- Students may continue to make changes to their documents’ content after passing the Format Review.
- We do not check to make sure that theses and dissertations adhere to any citation style (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA, IEEE, etc.). UDTS neither requires nor forbids the use of any style manual.
- We only review documents to confirm that they adhere to University Formatting Guidelines.
- Sending your document for the Format Review
- First Round Review Submission
- For the Summer 2026 Semester, we will accept first-time (initial) submissions of theses and dissertations for Format Review until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29.
- You must send your document via email to UDTS ([email protected]) to initiate the Format Review process.
- In order to remain eligible to graduate in the Summer 2026 Semester, you have to send your document to UDTS ([email protected]) for the first round of the Format Review by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29.
- Any document sent for an initial Format Review after 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29 will not be reviewed until Tuesday, August 4 at the earliest, and you will no longer be eligible to graduate under the Summer 2026 Semester.
- Subsequent Rounds of Review
- For the Summer 2026 Semester, we will perform subsequent reviews (i.e., reviews beginning with the second round) of documents until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29.
- Any students who have not passed the Format Review by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 will not be eligible to graduate in the Summer 2026 Semester.
- We will recommence Format Reviews beginning on Tuesday, August 4.
- First Round Review Submission
- Passing the Format Review
- The deadline to pass the Format Review for the Summer 2026 Semester is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29.
- That means that you must receive an email from UDTS ([email protected]) on or by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 stating that your formatting is correct, and your Format Review is over.
- If you do not receive an email from UDTS ([email protected]) on or by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 stating that your formatting is correct, and your Format Review is over, then you will no longer be eligible to graduate in the Summer 2026 Semester.
- After we’ve approved your formatting, we will send you the Submission Instructions.
Response-Time Estimates for Format Reviews in the Summer 2026 Semester
| If you email your document to UDTS for | During this time period | Then we should be able to respond with your review |
| The first round of the Format Review | Between 5:01 p.m. on Friday, May 1 and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 26 | Within 3 business days of receipt |
| The first round of the Format Review | Between 5:01 p.m. on Friday, June 26 and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29 | Within 2 weeks of receipt |
| The first round of the Format Review | After 5:01 p.m. on Monday, June 29 | After Tuesday, August 4 |
| The second round of the Format Review or later | Between 5:01 p.m. on Friday, May 1 and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 26 | Within 3 business days of receipt |
| The second round of the Format Review or later | Between 5:01 p.m. on Friday, June 26 and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 13 | Within 2 weeks of receipt |
| The second round of the Format Review or later | Between 5:01 p.m. on Monday, July 13 and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 20 | Within 1.5 weeks of receipt |
| The second round of the Format Review or later | Between 5:01 p.m. on Monday, July 20 and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22 | Within 1 week of receipt |
| The second round of the Format Review or later | Between 5:01 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22 and 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 | Within 3 business days of receipt HOWEVER: please be aware that THE ABSOLUTE LATEST we would recommend sending your document for subsequent review in order to graduate in the Summer 2026 Semester is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 24. Sending your document for further review any later than Friday, July 24 could result in your inability to graduate in the Summer 2026 Semester.Please send your document for further review AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. |
| The second round of the Format Review or later | After 12:01 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 | After Tuesday, August 4 |
Step 3: Submission Instructions and Embargo Policy
- After students have passed the Format Review, UDTS will send an email that explains Final Submission requirements, including the paperwork to be turned in at Final Submission.
- All Master’s students writing theses and all Doctoral students writing dissertations are required to submit the final copies of their documents to UDTS, to be held in George Mason’s Institutional Repository, MARS (mars.gmu.edu).
- All theses and dissertations will also be included in the library’s catalog.
- Access to theses and dissertations in MARS is not limited to individuals directly affiliated with or connected to George Mason University.
- Unembargoed documents will become available in MARS as soon as they are uploaded.
- Once a thesis or dissertation becomes available in MARS (i.e., either immediately after upload or after an embargo lifts), any user who has access to the Internet can access and download the available document. Users do not have to register or pay for access to MARS.
- Embargo Policy
- Initial Embargo
- All students must submit a completed, signed Embargo Intent Statement (EIS) to UDTS at the time of Final Submission.
- Under circumstances determined by the student’s school, college, and/or program, a student may, in accordance with UDTS procedures, submit a signed petition to embargo (i.e. delay) all or part of their document, preventing online and on-campus access to it for a period of time (2 years, 5 years, or 10 years).
- All petitions are subject to the policies of the student’s college/school and/or program and some may not permit a student to embargo their work.
- Each program and college/school shall publish on their respective university webpage whether they permit a student to embargo their work and, if so, the criteria used in their respective reviews.
- Both the student’s committee chair (or program designee) and the graduate associate dean of the college/school must approve the student’s petition in writing in accordance with UDTS procedures by signing the EIS. Initial embargo request decisions are not reviewed beyond the college or school’s leadership unit.
- All embargo petitions will be retained by UDTS.
- At the time of the upload to MARS, the UDTS Coordinator will send an Embargo Notification Statement to the student via their permanent email address (to be supplied by the student on the EIS), advising of the embargo lift date.
- The student should retain the Embargo Notification Statement, as it is their responsibility to keep track of the lift date.
- In the case of death, incapacity, or other similar circumstance, it is up to the author’s estate, power of attorney, or other appropriate designee to ensure that the embargo continues.
- Embargo Renewal
- If an author (i.e., a student who has graduated from George Mason University) wishes to extend the embargo past the document’s initial release date, the author is required to secure the approval of the graduate associate dean of the author’s college/school and a representative of the Graduate Division in the Office of the Provost at the time of the extension request. Embargo renewal requests are not reviewed beyond the Graduate Division.
- Each college/school and the Graduate Division shall publish on their respective university webpages the process for initiating an embargo extension request and the criteria used in their respective reviews.
- Authors can request a renewal period of 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years, regardless of their original embargo limit (e.g., a student can request to renew their embargo for 5 years after an initial 2-year embargo).
- UDTS will retain a copy of the student petition and confirm to the student, graduate associate dean, and the Graduate Division in the Office of the Provost the decision and any applicable new release date.
- Initiating and completing the renewal of an embargo:
- To initiate this process, the author should contact the UDTS Coordinator via email: [email protected].
- The UDTS Coordinator will send the author an Embargo Renewal Request Form.
- The author must fill out and sign the Embargo Renewal Request Form. The author is then responsible for collecting the signatures of the graduate associate dean of their college/school and the appropriate designee from the Graduate Division in the Office of the Provost at the time of the extension request, provided that they approve the author’s request. An embargo will not be renewed without both signatures on the Embargo Renewal Request Form.
- Embargo Reinstatement
- If an embargo has been allowed to expire, an author (i.e., a student who has graduated from George Mason University) may request approval to reinstate the embargo. The author is required to secure the approval of the graduate associate dean of the author’s college/school and the Graduate Division in the Office of the Provost at the time of the extension request. Embargo reinstatement requests are not reviewed beyond the Graduate Division.
- Each college/school and the Graduate Division shall publish on their respective university webpages the process for initiating an embargo extension request and the criteria used in their respective reviews.
- Authors can request a reinstatement period of 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years, regardless of their original embargo limit (e.g., an author can request to reinstate their embargo for 5 years after an original 2-year embargo).
- UDTS will retain a copy of the reinstatement petition and confirm to the student, graduate associate dean, and the Graduate Division in the Office of the Provost the decision and any applicable new release date.
- Initiating and completing the reinstatement of an embargo:
- To initiate this process, the author should contact the UDTS Coordinator via email: [email protected].
- The UDTS Coordinator will send the author an Embargo Reinstatement Request Form.
- The author must fill out and sign the Embargo Reinstatement Request Form. The author is then responsible for collecting the signatures of the graduate associate dean of the college/school and the appropriate designee from the Graduate Division in the Office of the Provost at the time of the reinstatement request, provided that they approve the author’s request. An embargo will not be renewed without both signatures on the Embargo Reinstatement Request Form.
- Lifting an embargo early
- An author (i.e., a student who has graduated from George Mason University) who wishes to lift an embargo prior to the established termination date must notify the UDTS Coordinator via email: [email protected].
- The UDTS Coordinator will take the appropriate stps, and the document will then be fully available in MARS.
- Initial Embargo
Step 4: Attend Your Defense
- All students in Doctoral programs must defend their dissertations.
- Some Master’s programs require their students to defend; some do not. Master’s students who are unsure should check with their academic programs.
- Your college/school/department/committee may require or ask you to place a copy of your dissertation or thesis on reserve at Fenwick Library two weeks prior to your Defense date. If your college/school/department requires you to place a review copy of your dissertation on reserve at the library, do not send this copy to UDTS. Instead, view the steps outlined in the Course Reserves InfoGuide on how to place your review copy on reserve.
- At the Defense
- Most students collect signatures on their Signature Sheets at the time of their Defense. UDTS will accept digital/electronic signatures.
- It is the responsibility of the student to collect signatures from everyone listed under “Committee:” on the Signature Sheet. That includes (but is not limited to) Program Directors, Department Chairpersons, Deans, etc. Colleges/schools/departments may have protocols in place to assist you with collecting signatures. Please contact the appropriate person within those units for assistance.
- At the Defense, committee members may ask students to make changes to their documents. Students may continue to make changes to the document’s content after they have passed the Format Review. Should the committee require changes to content, the student is not required to resubmit the document for further review, as long as we have already approved your document’s formatting.
Step 5: Final Submission
All Final Submissions take place via email. Please contact us with any questions regarding Final Submission procedures: [email protected].
- Final Submission is the last step in the process. In order to reach this step, all students must fulfill all of the following criteria:
- UDTS has reviewed and approved the document’s formatting through the Format Review;
- The author has successfully defended (if a Defense is a requirement for the degree/discipline);
- The committee has approved the document’s content.
- Upcoming Final Submission deadlines are as follows:
- Summer 2026: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31
- Fall 2026: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4
- Spring 2027: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 30
- Final Submission requirements for Master’s students, which must ALL be completed by the Final Submission deadline in the student’s intended semester of graduation:
- Turn in an electronic/”soft” copy (i.e., not printed) of the final version of their Thesis to UDTS.
- Turn in 1 copy of their Signature Sheet, signed–in black ink–by everyone listed under “Committee:”.
- It is the student’s responsibility to collect all signatures on the Signature Sheet.
- Any student who is having trouble or experiencing significant delays in collecting signatures on their Signature Sheet, and/or is worried that they may not graduate on time because of that specific issue, should reach out to UDTS as soon as possible: [email protected]. While it is the student’s responsibility to collect these signatures, we may be able to advise or possibly assist.
- Complete and submit the online Transmittal Sheet (Dynamic Form, starting in Spring 2026): click on this link to get started.
- Complete and submit the online Embargo Intent Statement (Dynamic Form, starting in Spring 2026): click on this link to get started.
- We must receive a completed, signed EIS from every student, regardless of intent to delay the work. Students who do not plan to delay availability must still submit an EIS to UDTS.
- A student who wishes to delay the availability of their work for any period (2 years, 5 years, or 10 years) must receive approval from their committee chair and the Graduate Associate Dean of their College/School. Approvals will be registered online through the new form (see above).
- Some Mason units require immediate availability of all student dissertations and do not permit embargo of any length under any circumstances. Students should check to see if their academic programs have any specific policies regarding the embargo.
- Any student who is having trouble or experiencing significant delays in collecting signatures on their EIS, and/or is worried that they may not graduate on time because of that specific issue, should reach out to UDTS as soon as possible: [email protected]. While it is the student’s responsibility to collect these signatures, we may be able to advise or possibly assist.
- Submit your thesis to ProQuest via the Administrator
- Final Submission requirements for Doctoral students, which must ALL be completed by the Final Submission deadline in the student’s intended semester of graduation:
- Turn in an electronic/”soft” copy (i.e., not printed) of the final version of their Dissertation to UDTS.
- Turn in 1 copy of their Signature Sheet, signed–in black ink–by everyone listed under “Committee:”.
- It is the student’s responsibility to collect all signatures on the Signature Sheet.
- Any student who is having trouble or experiencing significant delays in collecting signatures on their Signature Sheet, and/or is worried that they may not graduate on time because of that specific issue, should reach out to UDTS as soon as possible: [email protected]. While it is the student’s responsibility to collect these signatures, we may be able to advise or possibly assist.
- Complete and submit the online Transmittal Sheet (Dynamic Form, starting in Spring 2026): click on this link to get started.
- Complete and submit the online Embargo Intent Statement (Dynamic Form, starting in Spring 2026): click on this link to get started.
- We must receive a completed, signed EIS from every student, regardless of intent to delay the work. Students who do not plan to delay availability must still submit an EIS to UDTS.
- A student who wishes to delay the availability of their work for any period (2 years, 5 years, or 10 years) must receive approval from their committee chair and the Graduate Associate Dean of their College/School. Approvals will be registered online through the new form (see above).
- Some Mason units require immediate availability of all student dissertations and do not permit embargo of any length under any circumstances. Students should check to see if their academic programs have any specific policies regarding the embargo.
- Any student who is having trouble or experiencing significant delays in collecting signatures on their EIS, and/or is worried that they may not graduate on time because of that specific issue, should reach out to UDTS as soon as possible: [email protected]. While it is the student’s responsibility to collect these signatures, we may be able to advise or possibly assist.
- Complete and submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
- Submit their dissertation to ProQuest via the Administrator.
Please take note of the following:
Once you have submitted the final (i.e. defended, formatted, and signed) version of your thesis or dissertation to our office, subsequent edits WILL NOT BE ALLOWED, EXCEPT under the following circumstances:
- A formatting error has been introduced into the PDF document when converting from another document type that affects the meaning of the dissertation. For example: in the process of formatting the document into a PDF, all of the ampersands (&) have disappeared and the error is not discovered until after final submission to UDTS. Re-submission would not be allowed to revise margins, fonts, or other non-substantive items.
- Incidence of fraud or plagiarism. The relevant college/school must conduct a review of the thesis or dissertation and determine an appropriate course of action in accordance with the university catalog and approved by the Dean. If the approved course of action includes allowing the student to resubmit a corrected version of a thesis or dissertation, the UDTS Coordinator must be informed in writing by an appropriate college/school or LAU official.
UDTS will not allow corrections of theses and dissertations for the following:
- Rewording the Dedication, Acknowledgments, Abstract, or Biography.
- Correction of citations or quotations.
- Addition of new text, or deletion of existing text, in the body.
- Correction of misspellings or grammar issues.
- Replacing, adding, or deleting Tables, Figures, or Equations.
- Correction of any other minor errors or omissions.