The dissertation/thesis defense must be open to the public and announced two weeks prior to the date of the defense. Virtual dissertation/thesis defenses (student off-campus defenses) are not permitted. The dissertation/thesis defense must satisfy the following:

– The student must be present at the campus location of the public defense.

– The committee chair must be present at the campus location of the public defense.

– All committee members must be present at the campus location of the public defense with the following exception: the in-room attendance of at most one committee member can be substituted by virtual attendance via videoconferencing.

Requests to deviate from the above policy due to extenuating circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The requests will be evaluated and approved or disapproved by the chair of the program and the dean.