What is the timeline for graduation after my thesis oral defense?
A student may defend the dissertation or thesis in the first fifteen days of a semester in which otherwise not registered by submitting a “Certification of Defending Student Status” form to the Graduate School. In order to qualify for Defending Student Status, however, the student must be prepared to defend within the first fifteen days of the semester the form is submitted in. The student cannot register for Defending Student Status, via Hokie Spa. This is a special category granted by the Graduate School to alleviate paying for 3 semester credit hours to defend. The student will have two weeks after defending to submit the ETD (electronic thesis dissertation).
