Dissertation Evaluations

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Dissertation Evaluations

Before the Oral Defense

The Dissertation Evaluation Form

The dissertation evaluation form enables the Graduate School to:

Alert the dissertation chair of potential problems before the defense
Assists committee members in recognizing common and diverging concerns in planning the defense
Serves as a record of the committee's evaluation

Because divergent evaluations submitted by the members of a committee may require further discussion prior to the oral defense, we ask that evaluations be received by OARD at least 3 working days prior to the day of the oral defense.

If the student does not supply each committee member with an evaluation form and a copy of the dissertation and abstract, at least 10 working days before the oral defense the committee member may ask for a postponement of the defense.

The evaluation form asks you to rank and/or comment on:

Whether the dissertation and abstract are acceptable:
- As submitted
- After minor typographical and stylistic corrections
- After minor substantive changes
- After substantial revisions
- Not acceptable
The scholarly character
Contribution to the field
Originality
Quality of writing
Quantity of research represented

Returning the Dissertation Evaluation Form

By Fax

Fax to (734) 936-1809

By E-Mail

E-mail to evaluations@umich.edu. (Include the student name, ID number and committee members name in the message). Note that there is no electronic form available, an e-mail message is used as a substitute for the form.

In Person

The student can hand carry it (if it is in a sealed envelope) to our office at 915 E. Washington

U.S. Postal Service

Mail to:
Academic Records & Dissertations
915 E. Washington
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070

Please allow enough time for the evaluation to reach us three working days before the defense.

Campus mail is not recommended.

If you lose your evaluation form and need a new one, you can call OARD at (734) 763-0171.

After all of the evaluations are received and reviewed by Rackham, a defense packet will be prepared. The student must pick up this packet before the defense. The packet includes the evaluations, Oral Defense Examination Report and the Certificate of Dissertation Committee Approval.

Please note: The dissertation evaluations are considered part of the student's public file and the student has the right to see them after all requirements for the dissertation have been completed.

During and After the Oral Defense

The student will bring the defense packet to the oral defense and hand it to the Chair of the dissertation committee. The committee signs in on the Oral Defense Examination Report included in the packet and writes the results of the oral defense in the space provided and returns the Oral Defense Examination Report to OARD. The Chair retains the Certificate of Dissertation Committee Approval until he/she has seen all the required revisions and corrections, then checks the appropriate box on the form and signs his/her name. The Certificate of Dissertation Committee Approval as well as the Oral Defense Examination Report must be returned to OARD by the deadline the student is working with.