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The University of Texas at Austin

Instructions to Supervisors Attending the Dissertation Defense

  1. The supervisor should take the REPORT OF DISSERTATION DEFENSE (gold sheet) provided by the Graduate School to the dissertation defense.
  2. The scheduling information on the form must be correct.  If the time or location of the defense changes, the Graduate School must be informed.
  3. If the defense is satisfactory, all committee members in attendance should sign the gold sheet.  Committee members who do not attend the defense are not required to sign the gold sheet.  The supervisor should make a note on the back of the gold sheet indicating the approval of any committee members participating via telecommunication.
  4. After all attending members have signed the gold sheet, the Graduate Studies Committee Chair should provide the final signature, which indicates that all coursework and additional departmental requirements have been completed.
  5. The gold sheet should be returned to the Doctoral Degree Evaluator in the Graduate School, Main 101, mail code G0400, within ten days of the defense.

Instructions to Supervisors and Committee Members Attending the Dissertation Defense

Listed below are the four possible evaluation decisions for the doctoral defense.  All decisions, with the exception of  FAIL, must be unanimous.

*PASS.  This decision means that both the defense and the document (dissertation or treatise) are acceptable.  In some cases, the committee may require minor revisions, which will be checked by the supervising professor. While the supervisor should wait to sign the gold sheet until any revisions have been reviewed, the other committee members may choose to sign at the defense.

*RECONSIDERATION. This decision indicates that extensive revision of the dissertation is necessary, but that the committee is willing to re-evaluate the revised document without requiring another oral examination.  The student should complete these revisions in no more than three months. The committee members may choose to sign the gold sheet at the defense, if they are willing to waive the right to review changes.  Members who want to review changes should not sign the Committee Certification of Approved Revisions (signature page).  The supervisor should wait to sign until all requested revisions have been completed satisfactorily.  After reviewing the required changes, a committee member who is still not satisfied with the revisions may request another oral examination.  The supervisor of the committee should notify the degree evaluator in the Graduate School when the decision of the committee is RECONSIDERATION.

*NOT PASS. This decision indicates that committee is not satisfied with the dissertation, but believes that rewriting may make it acceptable. In this case, the gold sheet should be returned unsigned with a letter from the supervisor reporting NOT PASS. Committee members should submit their individual REPORT ON DOCTORAL DISSERATION forms indicating their dissatisfaction.  Another scheduled defense will be required, and new forms will be generated for signatures.

*FAIL.  This decision indicates that at least one member of the committee has decided that the dissertation is unsatisfactory and may not be rewritten.