Official certification of degree completion will not be provided until all the steps have been completed. Please contact the Graduate Office for the latest requirements.
A requirement of all PhD programs at Caltech is that the student must prepare, submit, and successfully defend in an oral examination a written dissertation, known in the vernacular as a "thesis".
Caltech theses have a common format and there are regulations regarding the contents, submission, proofreading, and final disposition. Please use the Grad Office's "Regulations for the Format and Presentation of a Graduate Thesis" (Updated Jan. 2016) as your primary guideline in formatting your thesis.
Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations, following the correct format, meeting deadlines, working with their advisor and dissertation committee to schedule the examination, providing timely copies of the thesis, and making requested revisions.
Ph.D. Candidacy must be completed before beginning the fourth year of residence. Students should log on to the Graduate Degree Progress application within REGIS to schedule candidacy and obtain the necessary approvals.
Each thesis must be submitted to the Graduate Office for proofreading a minimum of two weeks before the scheduled defense. It is highly recommeded that you give the proofreader more time if you are submitting in April through May.
In order to complete the PhD degree requirements, the student must not only pass the oral thesis defense but also submit a final, approved version of the thesis as well as the necessary steps listed below and follow the checkout procedures.
Official certification of degree completion will not be provided until all the steps have been completed.