timeline for masters dissertation

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Dissertation Checklist and Timeline

Completing all of the crucial steps to the dissertation process can be complicated. Time and task management will be key to your success. Review the suggested tasks and print out this checklist to assist you in your dissertation journey.

Every Thing You Need to Know About the Dissertation Timeline

• By Ethan Tremblay
• Academic Writing

Pursuing a PhD is an immense undertaking, and the dissertation timeline is a critical component that guides scholars through this academic endeavor. A dissertation timeline outlines the major milestones and deadlines from the proposal to the final defense. It serves as a roadmap, helping students manage their time effectively and navigate the complex process with clarity and focus. Understanding the significance of a well-structured timeline is paramount, as it can influence the quality of the research, the writing process, and ultimately, the success of the dissertation.

Understanding the Dissertation Process: Key Stages to Shape Your Timeline

Embarking on a dissertation journey is a significant undertaking that involves several key stages. Each phase is crucial and requires careful planning and execution to ensure a successful completion. Understanding these stages is essential for creating an effective dissertation timeline .

• Proposal Development: This initial stage involves identifying a research topic, formulating research questions, and developing a proposal that outlines the study’s objectives, methodology, and significance.
• Literature Review: A comprehensive review of existing literature to frame the research within the context of what is already known and to identify gaps that the dissertation will address.
• Research Design and Data Collection: Establishing a robust methodology and collecting data through various means such as experiments, surveys, or archival research.
• Data Analysis: After data collection, the next step is to analyze the data to draw meaningful insights and patterns that support the research questions.
• Writing the Dissertation: This involves drafting the chapters, which include the introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion.
• Revision and Editing: Refining the draft, addressing feedback from advisors and committee members, and ensuring the dissertation meets the required academic standards.
• Defense Preparation: Preparing for the final defense involves summarizing the research findings and defending the work before a committee.

Each of these stages plays a pivotal role in shaping the dissertation timeline and ultimately determines the trajectory of the research journey from inception to defense.

Creating Your Personalized Dissertation Timeline

Creating a personalized dissertation timeline is a pivotal step in managing your doctoral journey effectively. To begin, break down the dissertation process into manageable stages. Start by estimating the time needed for each phase, such as proposal development, research, writing, editing, and preparation for defense. Set realistic goals for each stage, considering your personal and professional commitments.

• Initial Research: Allocate time to immerse yourself in your topic, understand the scope, and formulate your research questions.
• Proposal Writing: Dedicate a period for drafting, revising, and obtaining approval for your proposal.
• Data Collection: Schedule ample time for gathering and analyzing your data, which can be unpredictable.
• Drafting Chapters: Plan periods for writing individual chapters, allowing for feedback and revisions.
• Final Review: Before the defense, set aside time for a thorough review and refinement of your dissertation.

Remember to incorporate buffers for unexpected delays, such as personal emergencies or academic setbacks. By anticipating these potential hurdles, you can adjust your timeline accordingly. Tailor your timeline to your individual needs, working style, and life circumstances. Regularly review and adjust your timeline to reflect your progress and any changes in your situation.

Utilizing tools like Gantt charts or project management software can help visualize and track your progress against your dissertation timeline . This visual representation can be particularly helpful in staying organized and motivated.

Key Factors Influencing Your Dissertation Timeline

When planning your dissertation timeline , it’s crucial to consider the various elements that can influence its length. These factors are often interconnected, and their impact can vary widely among different students and disciplines.

• Research Complexity: The scope and depth of your research can significantly affect your timeline. Projects requiring extensive experimentation, fieldwork, or longitudinal studies may take longer to complete.
• Funding: Access to financial resources can accelerate or delay your progress. Sufficient funding allows for dedicated research time, while a lack of it might necessitate part-time work, extending the timeline.
• Academic Obligations: Teaching responsibilities, coursework, and departmental duties can impact the amount of time available for dissertation work.
• Personal Life: Life events such as family commitments, health issues, or other personal circumstances can also play a significant role in the duration of your dissertation journey.

Understanding these factors can help you set realistic goals and adjust your timeline accordingly, ensuring a smoother path to your dissertation defense.

Typical Duration from Start to Defense in Your Dissertation Timeline

When planning for a PhD, understanding the dissertation timeline is crucial. The journey from the initial proposal to the final defense can vary significantly. Generally, this period spans anywhere from three to eight years, with most candidates averaging around four to six years. This timeframe is influenced by numerous factors, including the complexity of the research, the field of study, and the institution’s requirements.

• Year 1-2: Coursework and defining research topic
• Year 2-3: Comprehensive exams and proposal development
• Year 3-5: Research, data collection, and writing
• Year 5-6: Revisions and preparation for defense

It’s important to note that these stages can overlap, and some students may progress faster or slower. In fields like the sciences, where experiments can be unpredictable, the timeline might extend. Conversely, disciplines with a strong theoretical basis might see shorter durations. Each academic journey is unique, and while these are typical stages, they are not set in stone.

Completion Rates and the Dissertation Timeline: Understanding the Challenges

Understanding the completion rates and the hurdles that PhD students face during their dissertation journey is crucial. A significant number of doctoral candidates face the daunting reality of not crossing the finish line. Statistics reveal that nearly 50% of PhD students do not complete their dissertations . This stark number is indicative of the myriad of challenges that can derail even the most dedicated scholars.

• Protracted research phases and difficulty in data collection often contribute to delays.
• Financial constraints may arise, leading to stress and a lack of resources.
• Academic burnout and personal issues can also impede progress.
• Moreover, the complexity of the subject matter and unexpected academic hurdles can cause significant setbacks.

These factors, among others, underscore the importance of a well-planned dissertation timeline to navigate the PhD journey effectively. It is not just about setting deadlines, but also about anticipating potential obstacles and building in contingencies for when things do not go as planned.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways on Your Dissertation Timeline

In wrapping up, the journey through your dissertation timeline is unique, yet it shares common milestones with peers. From proposal to defense, each phase is pivotal. Remember, meticulous planning and realistic timeframes are the cornerstones of success. The challenges faced, such as research complexities and personal commitments, can stretch this timeline, but they also forge resilience. A significant portion of doctoral candidates may not reach the finish line, underscoring the need for determination and support networks. Ultimately, this timeline is not just a schedule; it’s a testament to your scholarly dedication and perseverance.

Ethan Tremblay

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How to Create a Research Timeline for Your Thesis

• 5-minute read
• 21st May 2023

Beginning a dissertation can feel both thrilling and overwhelming. One of the best things you can do to prepare for the exciting journey of doing a dissertation is to design a comprehensive timeline as your guide. Here we will take you step by step through creating your thesis timeline and provide some example templates, so you’ll be well-prepared to begin your dissertation work.

Reasons for Creating a Timeline

There are many benefits to crafting a detailed dissertation timeline. In addition to helping with time management and meeting crucial deadlines, your timeline will also help you stay motivated by reviewing the tasks you have completed as you progress. A thorough timeline will be valuable during your dissertation proposal and useful if you are applying for grants or other additional funding.

Ste0ps for Creating a Timeline for Your Thesis:

• Research and record all requirements and deadlines.

Before you write out your timeline, ensure you know all of your program’s requirements and deadlines. Academic institutions often require you to complete your dissertation within a specified timeframe.

There are likely several recommended or mandatory deadlines for approval of certain items by your adviser (and possibly the rest of your committee members). Gather all these dates beforehand so you can allot an appropriate amount of time to meet your deadlines.

It will be beneficial to meet with your adviser to understand when you are expected to complete the major phases of your dissertation work and to confirm that there aren’t any other requirements or deadlines that you may not be aware of.

• List all of your tasks and bundle them into phases.

Now that you’ve assembled your dates, working backward from your deadlines is a good rule of thumb. List all of the required tasks that must be completed to meet each milestone, from coming up with your research questions to writing each chapter of your dissertation .

Even though your list will be unique to your research project, it can help to refer to a thesis checklist . It’s also helpful to assemble tasks into different phases (e.g., dissertation proposal, research recruitment). Grouping tasks into phases gives anyone looking at your timeline a quick overview of your research plan.

• Organize your tasks into a schedule and assign task deadlines.

Now it’s time to build your timeline. There are many different free templates available online, from straightforward lists of deliverables to colorful options with room for notes and customization.

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A popular organizational approach for thesis timelines is a Gantt chart , which is a type of bar chart often used in project management in which the length of the bar corresponds to the time the task will take. The best choice for you will depend on the specifics of your research study and personal preferences. Whichever option you select, make sure you can easily edit and revise it as need be.

Sanity-Saving Tips:

●  Pay attention to your work style. Some people are more productive when writing in short bursts, while others write better after taking time to get into the zone. Some people choose to start writing parts of their thesis while still conducting research, while others prefer to focus on one phase at a time. Set yourself up for success by reflecting on what type of schedule will help you create the best quality work.

●  Schedule breaks. Almost everyone will work better after a well-deserved break. Make sure to schedule regular breaks into your timeline, as well as provide enough time to sleep, eat well, and do anything else you need to do to safeguard your well-being. 

●  Always have a plan B. Your dissertation is an extensive endeavor with many moving parts. It’s impossible to anticipate and plan for every conceivable event, but it’s helpful to expect something may occur that will cause a deviation from your original timeline. Perhaps study recruitment takes longer than you expected, or one of your committee members gets sick and you have to postpone your dissertation proposal. After you draft your timeline, check that it is not so strict that any disruption will cause a total derailment of your plan. Aim to strike a balance between goals that will inspire you to progress steadfastly and have some leeway in your timeline for the inevitable curveball that life will throw at you somewhere along the way.

Following these three steps will help you draft a timeline to steer the course of your dissertation work: research and record all requirements and deadlines; work backward from your dissertation deadline and assemble your task lists; and organize your tasks into a timeline.

Don’t forget to include ample time for editing and proofreading your dissertation . And if you are interested in any help from us, you can try a sample of our services for free . Best of luck in writing your dissertation!

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Thesis & dissertation.

  Understanding Deadlines and Requirements

The final requirement in earning a graduate degree is the completion and defense of the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Understanding the steps and associated deadlines in the thesis/dissertation submission and degree conferral process is necessary to establish a successful plan and realistic timeframe.

2024 Thesis/Dissertation Submission to the Graduate School Deadlines:

• For May 26, 2024 conferral, deadline is May 1.
• For August 31, 2024 conferral, deadline is August 1.
• December 31, 2024 conferral, deadline is December 1.

See our  Planning Timeline  for more detailed information.

  Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation

The Graduate School offers several writing resources to help you get started, meet your goals, and complete your thesis/dissertation on time. 

Before You Begin:

• Guide to Writing Your Thesis/Dissertation
• Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option
• Required Sections, Guidelines, and Suggestions
• Formatting Requirements
• Fair Use, Copyright, Patent, and Publishing Options

Resources for Writing:

• Thesis & Dissertation Templates
• Writing from A to B

  Scheduling and Taking Your Final Exam

Once you have submitted your draft thesis/dissertation to your committee you are ready to defend. This involves scheduling and taking your final exam (“B” exam), an oral exam/dissertation defense for Ph.D. candidates, or (“M” exam), an oral exam/thesis defense for Master’s candidates.

• About Exams
• Defending Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Taking Exams

 Submitting Your Thesis/Dissertation

Policy requires the thesis/dissertation be submitted within 60 days of the final exam. The Graduate School uses a service called ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process. Once you have made any necessary revisions and the thesis/dissertation is final, you are ready to begin the approval and submission process.

Before initiating the submission process, students are required to complete an ORCID iD and complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

• Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID iD)
• Survey of Earned Doctorates 
• Thesis & Dissertation Submission Process
• Submission Fees
• Graduation Requirements 

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• Dissertation
• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on 8 June 2022 by Tegan George .

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation, such as:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)

In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organisational structure of your thesis or dissertation . This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.

Table of contents

How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, frequently asked questions about outlines.

While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.

• Working Title
• ‘Elevator pitch’ of your work (often written last).
• Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
• Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
• Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope, population , and data collection ).
• Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
• Answer the research question in a concise way.
• Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.

To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.

 Download Word template    Download Google Docs template

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilising some of the alternative constructions presented below.

Example 1: Passive construction

The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.

Example 2: IS-AV construction

You can also present your information using the ‘IS-AV’ (inanimate subject with an active verb) construction.

A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.

Example 3: The I construction

Another option is to use the ‘I’ construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.

Example 4: Mix-and-match

To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and ‘I’ construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.

As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as ‘discuss’, ‘present’, ‘prove’, or ‘show’. Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract   in the table of contents.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

George, T. (2022, June 08). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved 30 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/outline-thesis-dissertation/

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Planning the timeline and progress of your doctoral dissertation (or Masters/undergraduate thesis)

One of my PhD students lamented this week with me that she had a lot to juggle (taking children to and from schools and to and from activities, etc.) and that she needed a strategy to make her research move forward. I had been planning to write this blog post for a while, since this is the one question I get asked the most by doctoral students (“ how do I plan my unstructured time over the summer ” being the other one).

Do you have one like this but for dissertations? From how to pick your topic to how to plan your chapters or something similar? 🙂 — Mariana Miguélez (@Scherezadda) March 27, 2018

I had to rush to get this blog post done because my student is 2 years away from the deadline her university has imposed for her thesis defence, which is why I sat down with her last night to show her how I do things. I have two other PhD students at exactly the same stage (2 years to defense) so I figured I might as well finish this blog post.

While I’ve suggested that people read one (or more) of the books that I’ve digested myself (check my Writing a Doctoral Dissertation page), one of the main things I teach my students is how to apply backcasting techniques to develop a project plan . I was trained as a project manager, and I worked in that capacity for a number of years, so I understand exactly the kind of work that needs to be done to develop good project plans.

There are a few resources for students, which I mentioned on Twitter earlier today (October 5th, 2018), many of which are listed in the thread that will appear if you click anywhere on the tweet shown below. Thanks to everyone who responded to my query, though I think many of them were professors describing their own process, which is not the same as having a doctoral dissertation (ONE GOAL) to finish in X number of years. My students are doing theirs in the 3 papers’ model, which is a bit closer to the day-to-day life of a professor, but still, the trajectory is quite different. Anyhow, here are some recommendations (click on the tweet to expand the entire thread).

Everyone: one of my PhD students today asked me how to plan her day/week/month/time table. Can you tweet me your process before I tweet/thread mine? Thanks! (I'm off to dinner because I've already written 460 words). — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 3, 2018

The core planning strategy I would thus recommend doctoral, masters and undergraduate students is to engage in a combination of Gantt Chart Design and project backcasting techniques .

The Gantt chart is a technique I learned in graduate school when I took project management courses. This is a hypothetical Gantt chart for my doctoral student, covering about 15 months.

What I suggested to her was to use backcasting techniques to plan backwards from her goal (PhD thesis defense) to intermediate goals. This post explains how I backcast a project https://t.co/wAmyejeoa0 since her dissertation is a 3-papers one, I suggested she uses that model. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

For Gantt Chart templates, you can see Dr. Emma Sheppard’s here.

Project planning for research students https://t.co/ku7shfB5uL excellent template by @DrESheppard which may be of interest to students from undergrad, Masters and PhD levels. pic.twitter.com/ujQVlYocH7 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) September 3, 2018

Here is another resource that you can use to create Gantt Charts.

To do Gantt charts you can use Excel or Microsoft Project (which is how I learned to do them), or Visio (which has been bought by the evil company and is now Microsoft Visio). I liked this detailed approach that uses connectors between milestones and tasks https://t.co/xVjNmM1q7c — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner have lots of resources on their site, and have published books on this as well.

I just realised @ithinkwell and @ithinkwellHugh have excellent FREE templates on their website https://t.co/Q859jNiM6Q for PhD students to plan their trajectories, etc. #PhDChat (thanks, Maria and Hugh!) — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

Dr. Patrick Dunleavy’s book “ Authoring a PhD ” is incredible and really does help students who are planning their PhD process. I recommend it to my own doctoral students.

And of course I would be remiss if I forgot to recommend Dr. Ellie Mackin Roberts (my coauthor for a forthcoming book on research planning) and her website. Ellie has A TON of downloadable printables for you to plan your own research. She is fantastic.

Both for doctoral students AND for post-PhD folks, my coauthor Dr. @EllieMackin has an entire website for research planning https://t.co/unXMqmaf2Z she offers FREE downloadable printable templates that you can use to plan your own research. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) October 5, 2018

In the end, the process I recommended to my students and that I do myself is – set a target defense date and then work backwards and plan tasks, activities, and intermediate goals. For example, I have asked my students to plan submission dates for their 3 papers (to be sent to journals) and then schedule fieldwork and data analysis accordingly. This process has worked well, and I hope my description of the process will help my students and others!

In a subsequent blog post I’ll describe how to go from long-term goals (submit paper X by Y date) to daily tasks. That blog post will definitely apply to doctoral students and post-PhD folks.

If you liked this blog post, you may also be interested in my Resources for Graduate Students page, and on my reading notes of books I’ve read on how to do a doctoral degree.

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Dissertations 1: getting started: planning.

• Starting Your Dissertation
• Choosing A Topic and Researching
• Devising An Approach/Method
• Thinking Of A Title
• Writing A Proposal

Planning Your Time

The dissertation is a large project, so it needs careful planning. To organise your time, you can try the following:  

Break down the dissertation into smaller stages to complete (e.g., literature search, read materials, data collection, write literature review section…). 

Create a schedule. Working backwards from your deadline, decide when you will complete each stage. 

Set aside time to regularly work on the dissertation. 

Consider what times of day you are most alert and what makes a suitable space to study. 

Identify a specific task to work on. 

If overwhelmed, try to identify one task that needs doing rather than focusing on the larger project. 

Leave time to redraft, proof-read, format, and complete the reference list. 

Gantt Charts

As the dissertation project involves certain processes to take place simultaneously, rather than in a sequence, you can use a Gantt chart to organise your time.  

A Gantt chart is a bar chart which shows the schedule for a project. The project is broken down into key tasks/elements to be completed. A start and finish date for each task/element of the project is given. Some tasks are scheduled at the same time or may overlap. Others will start when a task has been completed. 

To produce a Gantt chart, you can use Word, Excel (see example in the attachment) or an online planner.

• Tom's Planner . There's  an example  for you to use to complete your plan. 
• Excel:  example of Gantt Chart in Excel . This is an example of a Gantt chart which can be used to generate a plan of work (timeline) for your dissertation. You can download and edit it as you please. The chart has been created by the University of Leicester. 

Research Data Management

This video helps you to understand the importance of research data management and how you can plan, organise, store, preserve, and share your data.

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• PhD Overview and Timeline

Given here are School-wide graduate degree policies and guidance.  Program-specific degree options, requirements, and model programs can be found on the "Graduate Programs" pages under each of the subject areas listed in  Academics .

General Ph.D. Requirements

• 10 semester-long graduate courses, including at least 8 disciplinary.   At least 5 of the 10 should be graduate-level SEAS "technical" courses (or FAS graduate-level technical courses taught by SEAS faculty), not including seminar/reading/project courses.  Undergraduate-level courses cannot be used.  For details on course requirements, see the school's overall PhD course requirements  and the individual program pages linked therein.
• Program Plan (i.e., the set of courses to be used towards the degree) approval by the  Committee on Higher Degrees  (CHD).
• Minimum full-time academic residency of two years .
• Serve as a Teaching Fellow (TF) in one semester of the second year.
• Oral Qualifying Examination Preparation in the major field is evaluated in an oral examination by a qualifying committee. The examination has the dual purpose of verifying the adequacy of the student's preparation for undertaking research in a chosen field and of assessing the student's ability to synthesize knowledge already acquired. For details on arranging your Qualifying Exam, see the exam policies and the individual program pages linked therein.
• Committee Meetings : PhD students' research committees meet according to the guidelines in each area's "Committee Meetings" listing.  For details see the "G3+ Committee Meetings" section of the Policies of the CHD  and the individual program pages linked therein.
• Final Oral Examination (Defense) This public examination devoted to the field of the dissertation is conducted by the student's research committee. It includes, but is not restricted to, a defense of the dissertation itself.  For details of arranging your final oral exam see the  Ph.D. Timeline  page.
• Dissertation Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, a committee chaired by the research supervisor is constituted to oversee the dissertation research. The dissertation must, in the judgment of the research committee, meet the standards of significant and original research.

Optional additions to the Ph.D. program

Harvard PhD students may choose to pursue these additional aspects:

• a Secondary Field (which is similar to a "minor" subject area).  SEAS offers PhD Secondary Field programs in  Data Science and in  Computational Science and Engineering .   GSAS  lists  secondary fields offered by other programs.
• a Master of Science (S.M.) degree conferred  en route to the Ph.D in one of several of SEAS's subject areas.  For details see here .
• a Teaching Certificate awarded by the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning .

SEAS PhD students may apply to participate in the  Health Sciences and Technology graduate program  with Harvard Medical School and MIT.  Please check with the HST program for details on eligibility (e.g., only students in their G1 year may apply) and the application process.

PhD Timeline

--> Also see the separate pages with on-boarding information for new PhD students <--   Information and Resources for New Graduate Students Wiki site for incoming PhD students (behind Harvard Key)

First Year (G1)

• Notify your financial aid officers of any external funding. Contact:  Erin Bishop  in SEAS Finance and  Emily Fingerle  in GSAS Financial Aid.
• Make note of the course registration deadline. (previously known as "Study Card Day"). See the GSAS Policies  Academic Calendar.
• Register for courses before the deadline  (previously known as "Study Card Day")
• Mid-January: Deadline for submitting materials to be reviewed at the January CHD meetings .
• Late-January: Course registration deadline (previously known as "Study Card Day").
• G1s: Your  Prospective Program Plan  due to the Office of Academic Programs on this day.
• Transfer of up to 3 classes of coursework may be allowed. Include the  Application for Credit for Work Done Elsewhere  with your Prospective Program Plan. 
• April 1:   Research Advisor Selection Form /Research Assistant appointment form due to Office of Academic Programs.
• Note: The April CHD meeting is the last CHD meeting in all academic year. CHD does not meet over the summer. Remember to plan ahead.

Second year (G2)

Throughout year.

• G2’s are required to serve as a Teaching Fellow in either the Fall or Spring semester.
• Make sure you complete the  TF form once you line up a TF position! 
• G2’s are required to take their qualifying exam in either the Fall or Spring terms.
• Email quals_defenses@seas  to book a room. If you book your own room (e.g., external to SEAS) you must still email  quals_defenses@seas  well in advance in order for your required documentation to be ready, else your exam cannot take place.
• Upon completion of the exam, students are required to submit the  Designation of Research Committee  form to OAP.
• If you plan to request a delay of the qualifying exam, complete a  Request to Delay Qual Exam  form. Note that delays until September (i.e. start of G3 year) are typically approved as a matter of course
• Mid-September: Course Registration Deadline (previously known as "Study Card Day"). See the GSAS Policies  Academic Calendar.
• Mid-October :  Final Program Plan  due to OAP; see the  CHD page  for dates.
• Late-January : Course Registration Deadline (previously known as "Study Card Day"). See the GSAS Policies  Academic Calendar.
• May 1 : Advising Agreement form due to OAP.
• May:   Commencement and diploma options for Masters en Route / Continuing Master’s students - You can apply to receive your S.M. degree en route to your PhD after you have completed eight of your core courses (this requirement may depend on area). You will receive your S.M. diploma, and participate in the Commencement if you choose to. However since you will be considered a non-terminal degree recipient, you will not be able to join the ceremony in Sander's Theater. 

Third year (G3+) and beyond

• Meet with your Research Committee at least annually, as indicated by your area's expectations.
• Send any changes to your Final Program Plan to the CHD for review. See the  CHD page  for submission dates.   Note that   the Committee on Higher Degrees expects students not to petition for a revised Program Plan less than a year prior to the final defense  in case additional coursework is required, so it's important to keep your plan up to date with your courses as actually taken.
• Inform OAP of any  changes to your research committee . 
• PhD candidates can review their eligibility to receive an SM en route . 
• Early-September:  Course Registration Deadline (previously known as "Study Card Day"). See the GSAS Policies  Academic Calendar.
• Late-January: Course Registration Deadline (previously known as "Study Card Day"). See the GSAS Policies  Academic Calendar
• May 1 :  RA reappointment  form due to OAP.

Completing your degree

Degree application.

• Check out FAS degree-completion information  here  (Registrar) and deadlines  here  (GSAS calendar)
• Complete the  degree application  via my.harvard by the Registrar's deadline.
• If you schedule your own room (e.g., external to SEAS) you must still email quals_defenses@seas   well in advance in order for your required documentation to be ready,  else your defense cannot take place.   You must also get agreement from your full committee to hold your defense in a non-SEAS room.

Dissertation Submission and Commencement

• The best way to share your dissertation with others is by linking to the DASH copy. DASH uses persistent URLs and provides you with download statistics, and the DASH copy of your PDF will not include the signed Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC). If you choose to post or share your PDF in some other way, you should remove the DAC page so that readers do not have access to the scanned signatures.
• Get ready for commencement by updating your email and other contact information via  my.harvard.edu .

In Academic Programs

• Non-Resident and Part-Time Study
• CHD Meeting Schedule
• PhD Course Requirements
• PhD Program Plans
• Teaching: G2 year
• Qualifying Exam: by end of G2 year
• Research Advisors, Committees, and Meetings
• Dissertation and Final Oral Exam
• SM and ME Course Requirements
• SM and ME Program Plans
• Masters Thesis and Supervisor
• SM degree en route to the PhD
• Graduate Student Forms
• Teaching Fellows
• External Fellowships List
• COVID-19 Graduate Program Changes (archived)

What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

The King's Careers Blog

We're here to help you, whether you are in the discover, focus or action phase of your career journey., it’s dissertation time(line).

Written by Silje Undlien, Third Year War Studies undergraduate at King’s College London & Student Enquiries Officer at King’s Careers & Employability.

The dissertation. Whether you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student at King’s, it’s something you have to go through as part of your degree. You might consider it one of the most important challenges of your academic career. Or it’s just one of those things you know you have to get done.  Most students start off with a great deal of enthusiasm about their dissertation, but the scale of the project can easily throw them to despair. Whatever you might be feeling about writing your dissertation, it’s important that you discover how to devise and stick to a work schedule. Often, it’s the sticking to that will create problems. So how do I go about creating a dissertation timeline or work schedule, and why should I have a timeline at all?

The short answer is that I can’t really give you an answer. No single way of creating a dissertation timeline or work schedule will satisfy the needs and methods of every student. Everyone has their own way of doing things! But being organised is still key. You need to be realistic about your deadline and, more importantly, your time management skills. So, to get started, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What type of dissertation am I writing?
• Am I an undergraduate or postgraduate student?
• How much time do I have to write my dissertation?
• How is my course organised? Am I doing my dissertation alongside other modules and commitments?
• Am I choosing my own topic? Or is my department choosing the project for me? Perhaps it’s a module-based project?
• What am I expecting from myself?

All of this will impact on how your dissertation research might progress. Especially important is realising just how much time you really have to get your project done. If you’re an undergraduate student with modules and coursework to do alongside your dissertation, it’s easy to get lost in the idea that you have a full year to write your dissertation. (Trust me, I’ve been there!) Realistically, however, you will only have a few months. Your full year is actually just an academic year. And from this academic year you’ll need to factor in time off, holidays, illness, part-time work, and all the other commitments you might have going on in and alongside your course. It might be the most general tip I can give you, but it’s an important one: Get started ASAP!

The first step is to learn your methods. One of our Marketing Assistants, currently writing her postgraduate dissertation, recently said: “You really do need to learn your methods. I’m still getting to know mine.” So ask yourself: How do I normally organise my work? What are my habits, good or bad? Your dissertation is probably going to be your biggest project yet, and, though you might be telling yourself that you’ll get rid of all your bad work habits, chances are you’ll fall into a similar routine or pattern of organising and doing your work to what you’ve done before. Have you normally been the last-minute essay writer? Establishing your own methods of studying is the first step to getting organised. I’m not saying that you should write your dissertation last minute, even if that’s your established method of getting work done. All I’m trying to point out is that you’ll be better-equipped to deal with the big task of writing your dissertation if you know yourself, and, importantly, if you create a work schedule which accommodates this knowledge about yourself, your work ethic, and your time management skills. It’s all about realistic planning…

So, how can I get organised? You’ll need to find a system that works for you. The most important thing is to find a way to write down a list of tasks or action points. Some people might prefer to set vague deadlines, while others will create a ‘Study Matrix’ (see example below) with detailed information abut how and when things are going to get done. Point is, it can be as detailed (or not detailed) as you like. It might be a good idea to plan out when you’ll have your meetings with your supervisor, and to pin-point what you’d like to discuss in each meeting. Ask your supervisor to help you create a set of action points after each meeting, so that you have a rough idea of what you need to do before the next one. If you feel like your supervisor is not pushing you enough; ask them to! (Stay tuned for a more detailed blog post about how to communicate with your supervisor!)

I mentioned before that finding a system can often be less problematic than making yourself stick to it. (Cheers to you, fellow procrastinators!) So what can I do to stay organised?  First of all, you should identify and deal with procrastination. Find out why you procrastinate and what you might do to avoid it. You might want to minimize distractions, ask someone to check up on you, or create a reward system. You should also find out in what kind of environment you work best. How, when, and where do I best stay focused? You can also try using Tomato Timer , a time management technique created for a more productive way to work and study. Secondly, it’s important to have emergency plans. What happens and what will I do if I experience unexpected delays? Staying organised is also about understanding that things are not going to go just the way you planned it to, and to find ways to deal with this without losing sight of the end goal.

On a final note, remember to schedule enough time for proof-reading and touch-ups, to edit with fresh eyes, and to make lots of backups as you go! It will also be useful to locate any departmental information or guidelines for dissertation-writing. So there you have it! It’s dissertation time!

The Thesis Process

The thesis is an opportunity to work independently on a research project of your own design and contribute to the scholarly literature in your field. You emerge from the thesis process with a solid understanding of how original research is executed and how to best communicate research results. Many students have gone on to publish their research in academic or professional journals.

To ensure affordability, the per-credit tuition rate for the 8-credit thesis is the same as our regular course tuition. There are no additional fees (regular per-credit graduate tuition x 8 credits).

Below are the steps that you need to follow to fulfill the thesis requirement. Please know that through each step, you will receive guidance and mentorship.

1. Determine Your Thesis Topic and Tentative Question

When you have completed between 24 and 32 credits, you work with your assigned research advisor to narrow down your academic interests to a relevant and manageable thesis topic. Log in to MyDCE , then ALB/ALM Community to schedule an appointment with your assigned research advisor via the Degree Candidate Portal.

Thesis Topic Selection

We’ve put together this guide  to help frame your thinking about thesis topic selection.

Every effort is made to support your research interests that are grounded in your ALM course work, but faculty guidance is not available for all possible projects. Therefore, revision or a change of thesis topic may be necessary.

• The point about topic selection is particularly pertinent to scientific research that is dependent upon laboratory space, project funding, and access to private databases. It is also critical for our candidates in ALM, liberal arts fields (English, government, history, international relations, psychology, etc.) who are required to have Harvard faculty direct their thesis projects. Review Harvard’s course catalog online ( my.harvard.edu ) to be sure that there are faculty teaching courses related to your thesis topic. If not, you’ll need to choose an alternative topic.
• Your topic choice must be a new area of research for you. Thesis work represents thoughtful engagement in new academic scholarship. You cannot re-purpose prior research. If you want to draw or expand upon your own previous scholarship for a small portion of your thesis, you need to obtain the explicit permission of your research advisor and cite the work in both the proposal and thesis. Violations of this policy will be referred to the Administrative Board.

2. Prepare Prework for the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP) Course or Tutorial

The next step in the process is to prepare and submit Prework in order to gain registration approval for the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP) tutorial or course. The Prework process ensures that you have done enough prior reading and thinking about your thesis topic to benefit from the CTP.

The CTP provides an essential onramp to the thesis, mapping critical issues of research design, such as scope, relevance to the field, prior scholarly debate, methodology, and perhaps, metrics for evaluating impact as well as bench-marking. The CTP identifies and works through potential hurdles to successful thesis completion, allowing the thesis project to get off to a good start.

In addition to preparing, submitting, and having your Prework approved, to be eligible for the CTP, you need to be in good standing, have completed a minimum of 32 degree-applicable credits, including the statistics/research methods requirement (if pertinent to your field). You also need to have completed Engaging in Scholarly Conversation (if pertinent to your field). If you were admitted after 9/1/2023 Engaging in Scholarly Conversation (A and B) is required, if admitted before 9/1/2023 this series is encouraged.

Advising Note for Biology, Biotechnology, and Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Candidates : Thesis projects in these fields are designed to support ongoing scientific research happening in Harvard University, other academic institutions, or life science industry labs and usually these are done under the direction of a principal investigator (PI). Hence, you need to have a thesis director approved by your research advisor  prior  to submitting CTP prework. Your CTP prework is then framed by the lab’s research. Schedule an appointment with your research advisor a few months in advance of the CTP prework deadlines in order to discuss potential research projects and thesis director assignment.

CTP Prework is sent to our central email box:  [email protected]  between the following firm deadlines:

• April 1 and June 1 for fall CTP
• September 1 and November 1 for spring CTP.  
• August 1 and October 1 for the three-week January session (ALM sustainability candidates only)
• International students who need a student visa to attend Harvard Summer School should submit their prework on January 1, so they can register for the CTP on March 1 and submit timely I-20 paperwork. See international students guidelines for more information.

Your research advisor will provide feedback on your prework submission to gain CTP registration approval.  If your prework is not approved after 3 submissions, your research advisor cannot approve your CTP registration.  If not approved, you’ll need to take additional time for further revisions, and submit new prework during the next CTP prework submission time period for the following term (if your five-year degree completion deadline allows).

3. Register and Successfully Complete the Crafting the Thesis Proposal Tutorial or Course

Once CTP prework is approved, you register for the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP) course or tutorial as you would any other course. The goal of the CTP is to produce a complete, well-written draft of a proposal containing all of the sections required by your research advisor. Creating an academically strong thesis proposal sets the foundation for a high-quality thesis and helps garner the attention of a well-respected thesis director. The proposal is normally between 15 to 25 pages in length.

The CTP  tutorial  is not a course in the traditional sense. You work independently on your proposal with your research advisor by submitting multiple proposal drafts and scheduling individual appointments. You need to make self-directed progress on the proposal without special prompting from the research advisor. You receive a final grade of SAT or UNSAT (failing grade).

The CTP for sustainability is a three-week course in the traditional sense and you receive a letter grade, and it must be B- or higher to receive degree credit for the course.

You are expected to incorporate all of your research advisor’s feedback and be fully committed to producing an academically strong proposal leading to a thesis worthy of a Harvard degree. If you are unable to take advice from your research advisor, follow directions, or produce an acceptable proposal, you will not pass the CTP.

Successful CTP completion also includes a check on the proper use of sources according to our academic integrity guidelines. Violations of our academic integrity policy will be referred to the Administrative Board.

Maximum of two attempts . If you don’t pass that CTP, you’ll have — if your five-year, degree-completion date allows — just one more attempt to complete the CTP before being required to withdraw from the program. If you fail the CTP just once and have no more time to complete the degree, your candidacy will automatically expire. Please note that a WD grade counts as an attempt.

If by not passing the CTP you fall into poor academic standing, you will need to take additional degree-applicable courses to return to good standing before enrolling in the CTP for your second and final time, only if your five-year, degree-completion date allows. If you have no more time on your five-year clock, you will be required to withdraw.

Human Subjects

If your thesis, regardless of field, will involve the use of human subjects (e.g., interviews, surveys, observations), you will need to have your research vetted by the  Committee on the Use of Human Subjects  (CUHS) of Harvard University. Please review the IRB LIFECYCLE GUIDE located on the CUHS website. Your research advisor will help you prepare a draft copy of the project protocol form that you will need to send to CUHS. The vetting process needs to be started during the CTP tutorial, before a thesis director has been assigned.

4. Thesis Director Assignment and Thesis Registration

We expect you to be registered in thesis soon after CTP completion or within 3 months — no later. You cannot delay. It is critical that once a research project has been approved through the CTP process, the project must commence in a timely fashion to ensure the academic integrity of the thesis process.

Once you (1) successfully complete the CTP and (2) have your proposal officially approved by your research advisor (RA), you move to the thesis director assignment phase. Successful completion of the CTP is not the same as having an officially approved proposal. These are two distinct steps.

If you are a life science student (e.g., biology), your thesis director was identified prior to the CTP, and now you need the thesis director to approve the proposal.

The research advisor places you with a thesis director. Do not approach faculty to ask about directing your thesis.  You may suggest names of any potential thesis directors to your research advisor, who will contact them, if they are eligible/available to direct your thesis, after you have an approved thesis proposal.

When a thesis director has been identified or the thesis proposal has been fully vetted by the preassigned life science thesis director, you will receive a letter of authorization from the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs officially approving your thesis work and providing you with instructions on how to register for the eight-credit Master’s Thesis. The letter will also have a tentative graduation date as well as four mandatory thesis submission dates (see Thesis Timetable below).

Continuous Registration Tip: If you want to maintain continued registration from CTP to thesis, you should meet with your RA prior to prework to settle on a workable topic, submit well-documented prework, work diligently throughout the CTP to produce a high-quality proposal that is ready to be matched with a thesis director as soon as the CTP is complete.

Good academic standing. You must be good academic standing to register for the thesis. If not, you’ll need to complete additional courses to bring your GPA up to the 3.0 minimum prior to registration.

Thesis Timetable

The thesis is a 9 to 12 month project that begins after the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP); when your research advisor has approved your proposal and identified a Thesis Director.

The date for the appointment of your Thesis Director determines the graduation cycle that will be automatically assigned to you:

Once registered in the thesis, we will do a 3-month check-in with you and your thesis director to ensure progress is being made. If your thesis director reports little to no progress, the Dean of Academic Programs reserves the right to issue a thesis not complete (TNC) grade (see Thesis Grading below).

As you can see above, you do not submit your thesis all at once at the end, but in four phases: (1) complete draft to TA, (2) final draft to RA for format review and academic integrity check, (3) format approved draft submitted to TA for grading, and (4) upload your 100% complete graded thesis to ETDs.

Due dates for all phases for your assigned graduation cycle cannot be missed.  You must submit materials by the date indicated by 5 PM EST (even if the date falls on a weekend). If you are late, you will not be able to graduate during your assigned cycle.

If you need additional time to complete your thesis after the date it is due to the Thesis Director (phase 1), you need to formally request an extension (which needs to be approved by your Director) by emailing that petition to:  [email protected] .  The maximum allotted time to write your thesis, including any granted extensions of time is 12 months.

Timing Tip: If you want to graduate in May, you should complete the CTP in the fall term two years prior or, if a sustainability student, in the January session one year prior. For example, to graduate in May 2025:

• Complete the CTP in fall 2023 (or in January 2024, if a sustainability student)
• Be assigned a thesis director (TD) in March/April 2024
• Begin the 9-12 month thesis project with TD
• Submit a complete draft of your thesis to your TD by February 1, 2025
• Follow through with all other submission deadlines (April 1, April 15 and May 1 — see table above)
• Graduate in May 2025

5. Conduct Thesis Research

When registered in the thesis, you work diligently and independently, following the advice of your thesis director, in a consistent, regular manner equivalent to full-time academic work to complete the research by your required timeline.

You are required to produce at least 50 pages of text (not including front matter and appendices). Chapter topics (e.g., introduction, background, methods, findings, conclusion) vary by field.

6. Format Review — Required of all Harvard Graduate Students and Part of Your Graduation Requirements

All ALM thesis projects must written in Microsoft Word and follow a specific Harvard University format. A properly formatted thesis is an explicit degree requirement; you cannot graduate without it.

Your research advisor will complete the format review prior to submitting your thesis to your director for final grading according to the Thesis Timetable (see above).

You must use our Microsoft Word ALM Thesis Template or Microsoft ALM Thesis Template Creative Writing (just for creative writing degree candidates). It has all the mandatory thesis formatting built in. Besides saving you a considerable amount of time as you write your thesis, the preprogrammed form ensures that your submitted thesis meets the mandatory style guidelines for margins, font, title page, table of contents, and chapter headings. If you use the template, format review should go smoothly, if not, a delayed graduation is highly likely.

Format review also includes a check on the proper use of sources according to our academic integrity guidelines. Violations of our academic integrity policy will be referred directly to the Administrative Board.

7. Mandatory Thesis Archiving — Required of all Harvard Graduate Students and Part of Your Graduation Requirements

Once your thesis is finalized, meaning that the required grade has been earned and all edits have been completed, you must upload your thesis to Harvard University’s electronic thesis and dissertation submission system (ETDs). Uploading your thesis ETDs is an explicit degree requirement; you cannot graduate without completing this step.

The thesis project will be sent to several downstream systems:

• Your work will be preserved using Harvard’s digital repository DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard).
• Metadata about your work will be sent to HOLLIS (the Harvard Library catalog).
• Your work will be preserved in Harvard Library’s DRS2 (digital preservation repository).

By submitting work through ETDs @ Harvard you will be signing the Harvard Author Agreement. This license does not constrain your rights to publish your work subsequently. You retain all intellectual property rights.

For more information on Harvard’s open access initiatives, we recommend you view the Director of the Office of Scholarly Communication (OSC), Peter Suber’s brief introduction .

Thesis Grading

You need to earn a grade of B- or higher in the thesis. All standard course letter grades are available to your thesis director. If you fail to complete substantial work on the thesis, you will earn a grade of TNC (thesis not complete). If you have already earned two withdrawal grades, the TNC grade will count as a zero in your cumulative GPA.

If you earn a grade below B-, you will need to petition the Administrative Board for permission to attempt the thesis for a second and final time. The petition process is only available if you are in good academic standing and your five-year, degree-completion deadline allows for more time. Your candidacy will automatically expire if you do not successfully complete the thesis by your required deadline.

If approved for a second attempt, you may be required to develop a new proposal on a different topic by re-enrolling in the CTP and being assigned a different thesis director. Tuition for the second attempt is calculated at the current year’s rate.

If by not passing the thesis you fall into poor academic standing, you’ll need to take additional degree-applicable courses to return to good standing before re-engaging with the thesis process for the second and final time. This is only an option if your five-year, degree-completion deadline allows for more time.

The Board only reviews cases in which extenuating circumstances prevented the successful completion of the thesis.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.

Creating awesome Gantt charts for your PhD timeline

It’s a common scenario: you have never heard about Gantt charts. Then, when writing a PhD application or planning your PhD timeline for the upcoming years, someone suggests: You should include a Gantt chart! No need to worry. Here is all you need to know about Gantt charts for your PhD timeline.

What are Gantt charts?

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A Gantt chart is a visual representation of a project schedule and a widely used tool in project management.

Gantt charts belong to the family of bar charts. In a Gantt chart, bars depict different project tasks. The length of each bar is proportionate to the task duration and indicates both start and finish dates.

Gantt charts are named after Henry Gantt. He lived from 1861-1919 and developed these types of charts as part of his work as a management consultant.

A Grantt chart is a great way to provide an overview of project tasks, activities and milestones.

Gantt charts are frequently used to illustrate PhD timelines because doing a PhD essentially means creating, managing and implementing a project with many components over several years.

Therefore, Gantt charts are popular tools among (aspiring) PhD students.

They are often featured in PhD proposals: Through visual representations, Gantt charts help communicate milestones, plans and estimated task durations.

Furthermore, Gantt chart PhD timelines allow PhD students to track their progress. They can also help PhD students to stay on track with their work.

You may also like: How to develop an awesome PhD timeline step-by-step

Gantt charts can include all kind of information, based on the specific project they are focusing on. When it comes to Gantt chart PhD timelines, there are several elements that are commonly featured:

• Extensive PhD proposal/plan
• Data collection
• Experiments
• Data analysis
• Writing plan
• Publications
• Conferences
• Courses/Coursework

Of course, every PhD project is unique. This uniqueness should be reflected in your Gantt chart. For instance, your Gantt chart PhD timeline will look different if you write a PhD based on articles or if you write a monograph .

For a PhD based on published articles, different bars in a Gantt chart PhD timeline could for example represent individual papers. For a monograph, it may be smarter to focus on research stages.

How do you create a Gantt chart for your PhD timeline?

Unfortunately, creating a Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel is far from straightforward as Excel does not provide its own Gantt chart template.

You can create a table, turn it into a bar chart and manually edit it until it looks like a Gantt chart. If you have some experience with Excel, it is doable. Detailed instructions on the process can be found in this manual from Ablebits.com.

However, why go through all the hassle when you can simply download a template? You can use Microsoft’s own free Gantt project planner template and adjust it to your PhD project.

Manually creating a PhD timeline Gantt chart in PowerPoint is a bit easier than in Excel. Therefore, I will explain the process here.

First, you need to open a blank PowerPoint slide. Then click on Insert (1.), then Chart (2.). A popup will appear. Select Bar (3.) and finally select the Stacked Bar option (4).

A standard bar chart will appear on your slide and a small Excel table with open next to it. The first column in the Excel table is called Categories . You can replace categories with the PhD tasks that you want to display. For instance, Literature Review, Interviews, Transcribing and Analysis. You can add more categories or delete existing ones by removing a row in the small Excel table.

Next to the Categories (now tasks) column, you see three more columns: Series 1 , Series 2 , Series 3 . You can use these columns to showcase the length of tasks. Rename Series 1 into Start Date and Series 2 into End Date . Series 3 indicates the overall length. Depending on the timeframe you want to showcase, you can opt for instance for Length (weeks) or Length (months) .

In the example below, I decided to plan PhD tasks for a year. Thus, 1 means January, 2 means February, 3 means March and so forth. The length of tasks is also indicated in months:

Next, click on your chart and three icons will appear in the upper-right corner next to it. Click on the bottom one, the Chart filters , remove the tick of the check box of End Date , and click on Apply. You will see that the bar chart will start to look like a Gantt chart:

Now, the blue parts of the bar, indicating the Start Dates, need to be removed. Just click on one of them, and on the righthand side, Format Data Series should appear. Select No fill. Alternatively, in the upper menu, select Format , go to Shape fill, and select No fill .

Now comes the fun part, namely decorating. You can add a chart title, colour the bars in the colour of your choice, edit the legend and the axis descriptions. Just play with it to explore the options.

One more thing I did was changing the value of the axis, because I want to illustrate the months of a year. Thus, it was a bit weird that the horizontal axis started with 0 and ended with 13 while I needed 1-12 to indicate each month of a year. You can simply change this by clicking on the axis. On the righthand side, Format Axis will appear. Go to Axis Options , Bounds , and enter 1 for Minimum and 12 for Maximum .

And voila! Your Gantt chart is ready.

The nice thing about learning how to create a Gantt chart in Microsoft PowerPoint is that you basically teaches you how to create one in a Word file as well! The process is very similar.

To start the process in Word, it is smart to first change the orientation of your page to Landscape . In the top menu, click on Layout , then select Orientation , then choose Landscape .

Next, select Insert , then Chart , and select a Stacked Bar chart again.

A basic bar chart will appear on your page:

Looks familiar? Yes! From here, it is basically the same process as editing the bar chart in PowerPoint.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of creating your own Gantt chart but are not convinced by any templates, you can make use of online tools and software.

There are some paid providers out there, but in my opinion, it is not worth paying to create an awesome PhD timeline.

You can use a free provider (or make do with one of the many Gantt chart templates that exist on the internet). One free online tool is the Free Online Gantt Chart Software :

The site requires no signup. You can editing and simply start filling in the Gantt chart, and export it as an Excel, Image or PDF file when you are done!

PhD timeline Gantt chart templates

A great way to create a detailed Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel is by using Microsoft’s free Gantt project planner template . The level of detail and functionality exceeds those of simple, manually created Gantt charts. This makes this type of Gantt chart especially useful to track detailed PhD progress.

A useful Gantt chart template for PhD timelines in PowerPoint can be downloaded here via OfficeTimeline.com This Gantt chart is particularly great to provide a rough overview of plans over a longer period. For instance, with a few edits, you can illustrate a nice 3-year PhD timeline.

Useful Gantt chart templates for Microsoft Word can be downloaded here from TemplateLAB. I like these templates as they can be easily adjusted to the needs of a PhD timeline. For instance, a weekly Gantt chart template can be useful to establish a detailed plan with weekly objectives to keep your PhD progress on track.

PhD timeline Gantt chart examples

Using the template provided by Microsoft above, an example PhD timeline to track regular progress on tasks could look, for instance, like this:

Using the Gantt chart PowerPoint template by OfficeTimeline.com above, an example PhD timeline to present a plan for a 3 year PhD could look, for instance, like this:

Using a weekly Gantt chart template from TemplateLab mentioned above, an example PhD timeline with weekly tasks and objectives could look, for instance, like this:

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This timetable will help you plan your project. Aside from the rows with dates (projects database opening, deadline for supervisors, poster presentation and dissertation hand-in) the rest is for advice only. You should discuss and agree appropriate activities and milestones with your supervisor.

The timetable is based on the principle of working towards the dissertation, rather than undertaking a project that you will write up at the end. As the dissertation is the thing that's marked, anything you don't include cannot be taken into consideration. Therefore, plan and draft the dissertation at an early stage. It is better to have a draft that you can change than nothing - and don't be afraid to change your mind, especially if an unrealistic plan is preventing progress.

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Botany Graduate Timeline

Graduate Student Timeline and Course of Study

On beginning the UH Botany Graduate Program, students enter one of seven  Tracks , including Conservation, Ecology, Ethnobotany, Marine Botany, Plant Structure/Function, Systematics/Evolution, or General Botany. Each Track includes several faculty members and is organized around the central theme. For current research conducted in each track, please see the web pages of individual faculty.

Coursework and Advising:

Each student in the Graduate Program is required to take courses to meet proficiency for his/her selected Track, unless he/she can demonstrate proficiency in some other way determined in consultation with their advisory committee (see list of  required proficiencies  for each Track) or if the student has taken such courses already.

Students are initially advised by an appointed interim committee of graduate faculty members who advise the student until he or she is ready to propose a permanent advisory committee (usually in the second semester).

Requirements for graduate students:  

All graduate students should be proficient in public speaking and presentation. Students must enroll in one BOT 610 seminar (Seminar Presentation Skills) in order to demonstrate this proficiency. Students must also demonstrate that they have successfully given a public seminar in another venue (such as at a scientific meeting or department seminar) and/or prepared and given lectures (one presentation for MS students and three for PhD students, in accordance with the Seminar and Student Teaching Policy).

All graduate students must enroll in and pass the programs’s one-semester graduate course, BOT 601 Current Foundations in Botany.  

All PhD students must pass the program’s comprehensive exam, which consists of both a written and oral component, and is generally administered before the end of the second year in the program.  

In addition, MS Plan A and PhD students must present two public seminars. The first required seminar (Research Proposal) outlines the background of a research problem and the student’s proposed research program, and is presented in the program’s Proposal Symposium (typically during their second semester at a symposium held in April). The second required seminar (the Thesis or Dissertation defense seminar), at the conclusion of the program, describes the research results and conclusions.

Following the student’s final research seminar, he or she is examined by the thesis or dissertation committee (Thesis or Dissertation Defense).  Examples of past dissertations are available here:  Link to Botany Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Student Learning Outcomes of Graduate Degrees

• Demonstrated mastery of subject area including methodology and techniques
• Demonstrated proficiency in oral and written communication
• Demonstrated ability to plan, conduct and analyze independent/original research 
• Develop abilities to contribute as responsible and productive professionals in botanical sciences and related fields.

The Master’s Degree

Plan A (thesis) and Plan B (non-thesis) are separate Master’s of Science (MS) programs with distinct purposes. Before admission to candidacy, the plan that a candidate intends to follow must be declared and approved. The majority of students choose Plan A, which includes research and writing/defending a thesis. Plan B is offered for students who do not intend to make research in botanical sciences their profession. The Plan B program emphasizes teaching and technological aspects of the botanical sciences, but also involves a research project. Graduates with an MS degree have found employment in the areas of private and public research, land management, conservation, education, and business. Many Plan A MS students opt to continue their studies in the Doctoral program at UHM or elsewhere. MS Plan A (Thesis) Course requirements:

At least 30 credit hours total, including 12 credit hours towards thesis research (BOT 700), and 18 credit hours of courses (minimum 12 credits in courses numbered 600-level or above excluding BOT 699 and BOT 700) approved by the candidate’s committee.

MS Plan B (Non-thesis)

Course requirements: At least 30 credit hours total, including 18 credit hours in Botany, or an approved related field, in courses numbered 600-level or above (excluding BOT 699 and BOT 700). At least 6 (but not more than 9) credits in addition to the 18 described above must be for directed research (BOT 699) in aspects of botanical sciences chosen by the candidate in consultation with his or her committee.

The PhD Degree

The PhD is offered for students who intend to make research and/or university teaching their profession. Students in the PhD program acquire the skills and knowledge needed to propose, conduct, present and publish independent, innovative research in the botanical sciences. Recipients of the PhD degree often gain employment with government agencies, with private consulting firms, or with conservation organizations. Many PhD recipients accept university post-doctoral research positions. Others obtain academic positions at colleges and universities.

PhD Requirements

The student must pass a comprehensive examination that is both written and oral (as described above and in more detail under  Graduate Program Policies and Guidelines ). The candidate is examined in both general botany as well as areas agreed upon by the student and the committee that relate more specifically to the student’s research. The PhD dissertation must be a substantial contribution to the student’s sub-discipline, the specifics of which should be agreed upon by the student and his/her committee.

Botany Affiliations and Resources

The National Parks Service, Cooperative Studies Unit studies conservation problems in the Pacific.

Harold L. Lyon Arboretum – studies on tropical plants, propagation of rare Hawaiian plants.

The Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Specialization Program (EECB) fosters interaction between students and faculty in Botany, Zoology and other departments who have common interests; promotes research and training.

The Kewalo Marine Laboratory is an urban marine laboratory with flowing seawater, tanks and collaborating research laboratories.

The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology studies marine algae and other marine plants.

Arrangements may also be made for research at the following sites:

Bernice P. Bishop Museum

National Tropical Botanical Gardens

Volcanoes and Haleakala National Parks

Honolulu Botanical Gardens

Hawai‘i Agriculture Research Center

MA in Global Communcations: Development Communications Track

Track description.

The Development Communications track is designed for students with a clear interest in working in communications roles for governments or civil society actors involved in local, national and cross-border development, such as NGOs, aid organizations and international organizations. It is suitable both for current professionals looking to expand their academic grounding in development communications theory and practice, and for recent graduates hoping to gain practical career-relevant skills in order to enter a career in this field. 

AUP’s interdisciplinary approach and multicultural environment takes on new meaning in a development communications context, as the work involves navigating and appreciating multiple perspectives and engaging in translation across cultures, languages and ways of being. The track places a strong emphasis on the ethical issues to consider when working in development fields, particularly when working in unfamiliar contexts. It takes a critical approach to assessing development communications strategies and exploring the challenges inherent in the field alongside the benefits. Tailored practicums in locations including France, Morocco and India push students to engage, for example, in sustainable development, or NGO work, often through direct engagement with development professionals on the ground.

Alongside the skills developed through core MAGC courses, students in the development communications track explore topics such as:

• the issues impacting global civil society, including freedom of expression; advocacy, governance and the rule of law; and political and institutional agency;
• historical and present-day communications practices that promote development, social change and global justice;
• actors and agents of social change, from international bodies such as UNESCO and the OECD to smaller-scale development NGOs and local government bodies;
• strategic communications initiatives surrounding topics such as public health, education, women’s empowerment and environmental sustainability, among others; and
• the complex interactions between civil society and donors, governments and the corporate world.

Development communications students also have access to a number of electives from across the global communications degree and other relevant disciplines, such as the MA in International Affairs, MSc in Human Rights and Data Science, the Msc in Sustainable Brand Management, and can choose a variety of courses including those in in place branding; media, gender and globalization; and food, culture and communication.

General Requirements

Find out more about the requirements of the general track on the main program page .

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MA in Global Communications

MA in Global Communications, Development Communications Track: Program Requirements (48 credits)

The MA in Global Communications is a 48-credit program, regardless of which track is selected. All courses listed below are 4-credit courses unless otherwise noted. 

Please note that all requirements from previous years can be found in our archive catalogs.

Core Courses (16 credits)

Track Electives (16 credits) Select four courses from the following list.

Open Electives (8 credits)

Students choose two additional elective courses from among all other MAGC course offerings (coded CM5) or selected courses from other master’s programs when relevant.  

Internship, Thesis or Applied Project (6 credits) and Compulsory Seminar (2 credits)

Timeline: Coursework and Research Master’s

The MA in Global Communications Development Track can be completed over three to four semesters, including Summer semester. The length of an internship or thesis may vary; however, many students choose to take additional time for these components.  

Recommended Timeline (Fall Entry)

* The length of the internship or thesis may vary. Many students choose to take additional time for these components.

Required GPA

Graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00. Students with a GPA of less than 3.00 will be placed on probation. Only two grades of C (or C+) may be counted towards an MA degree. Students do not earn credit for grades below C.

Recommended Timeline (Spring Entry)

Accelerated timeline.

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Grad Show 2024 Presents Thesis Work by RISD’s Global Community of Artists and Designers

Grad Show 2024 , a 43,000-sf exhibition presenting exploratory thesis work by 253 RISD students earning master’s degrees in 19 different disciplines, is on view through June 1 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The sprawling show, which is free and open to the public daily from 12–5 pm, highlights the creativity of students at all stages of the thesis process, from sketches and drafts to completed pieces. 

Visitors are greeted at the entrance by Under Construction , a sculptural installation by Julia Helen Murray MFA 24 SC featuring video, blown glass, copper plumbing, stainless steel, reused projectors, family quilts and mineral oil. Murray describes herself as a “nontraditional student who worked as a union ironworker on the bridges of NYC for more than a decade” before pursuing her MFA in Sculpture at RISD. 

On the wall behind it are two large-scale paintings by Nigerian artist and RISD Presidential Fellow Boluwatife Oyediran MFA 24 PT : Untitled (American Architecture II) and Higher Goals (After Hammons) . The paintings appear almost like photo negatives and when viewed through a smartphone using the Color Inversion feature, they are transformed into photo positives. Oyediran’s practice is “informed by a deep commitment to reimagining and reorienting Black identity in the canons of history, religion and Western art.”

As viewers move further into the hall, the space opens up and provides room for multiple large-scale installations, including I Wondered if I Could Come Home by Lorena Park MFA 24 SC , Umbrales by Maureen Scally MFA 24 TX and a 3D-printed ceramic rug by Iranian artist Maedeh Tafvizi Zavareh MFA 24 CR . 

“I’m inspired by Iranian tapestry,” Zavareh says. “The rug is composed of Egyptian paste made from an ancient recipe that is single-fired in a low-temperature kiln.” What makes the piece so strong, says Ceramics Department Head Katy Schimert , “is how Maedeh used the digital printer in a surprising and meaningful way to create her own language.”

In the realm of design, this year’s exhibition includes incredibly detailed architectural models and renderings, all kinds of industrial design addressing social, cultural and environmental concerns, and a wide array of cross-disciplinary projects developed over the course of the past year.

The Brown|RISD Master of Arts in Design Engineering (MADE) Program has a strong showing this year with collaborative pieces like The Alzheimer’s Project by Lisa Lo MADE 24, Yinyifan Mo MADE 24 and Taehoon Park MADE 24 . “I started thinking about Alzheimer’s Disease because my grandmother had it and was diagnosed too late,” Lo says. The project uses handwriting analysis as a noninvasive tool for both diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease and helping to slow it down by increasing brain connectivity.

MADE Executive Director Beth Altringer Eagle says all of this year’s projects are strong and encourages visitors to check out QuickCare by Sunny Satpathy MADE 24 . “Sunny did such a good job of subtly critiquing one-button medical solutions that viewers might not even pick up on the irony,” she says.

Next door in the Graphic Design department’s exhibition space, Kazakhstani DJ Glikeriya Shotanova MFA 24 GD spun records on opening night. Her thesis project explores alternative methods for organizing a cultural center, focusing on collective knowledge and accessibility, but she and her peers created one large, communal installation for the show. “It was a lot of work,” says Clinton Van Arnam MFA 24 GD , “but it was less stressful because we were all working together on one thing.”

At the back of the hall, RISD’s Teaching + Learning in Art + Design department also created one collaborative exhibit: a cozy hangout space where wee artists can post their own pictures, color in a giant mural on the wall and engage with other interactive games. “Our goal is always about educating PK-12 art students in a range of contexts, but with this installation we were trying to make it really fun,” says graduating educator Emily Bennison MA 24 TLAD .

Visit the show in person or online at RISD Grad Show 2024 .

Simone Solondz / photos by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH May 28, 2024

Related Stories

Grad Show 2023 offers visitors a peek inside the studios of artists and designers working in 19 different areas of study.

The sprawling exhibition and companion digital publication feature thesis work by graduate students working across 19 disciplines.

Intensely personal work by more than 200 RISD graduate students is now on view virtually and in limited-access Providence galleries.

Three Umass Amherst Doctoral Students Earn 2024 Mellon/Acls Dissertation Innovation Fellowships

Three UMass Amherst doctoral students have been awarded  2024 Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Dissertation Innovation Fellowships , which support doctoral students in the humanities and interpretive social sciences as they pursue bold and innovative approaches to dissertation research

Jose Mari Lanuza in the Department of Communication,  Mabrouka M'Barek in the Department of Sociology and  Marcus P. Smith in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies are among 45 awardees selected nationally from a pool of more than 700 applicants. Each honoree receives an award of up to $50,000 to support external mentorship that offers new perspectives on the fellow’s project and expands their advising network. With fellows pursuing their research across the country and beyond, ACLS will also provide opportunities for virtual networking and scholarly programming throughout the award terms.

Lanuza’s research explores electoral disinformation in the Philippines by considering social factors, which have often been neglected in prior research. It examines the information-seeking and meaning-making behaviors and processes of people who engage with conspiracy theories about Philippine elections and view contemporary electoral contexts as deeply intertwined with conspiracy theories. This approach illuminates disinformation vulnerability and consumption at the community level as products of micro-level social interactions and macro-level political communication. Lanuza is also a graduate fellow in the newly launched Global Technology for Social Justice Lab and co-author of a study comparing  Brazil and Philippines elections .

M'Barek’s dissertation is a comparative historical sociological project that seeks to analyze how colonization affected North African and North American semi-nomadic communities in the long term, and how these communities are re-engaging in land-based relations while celebrating their nomadic past. Drawing on indigenous methods, her research contributes to the field of sociology by conceptualizing mobility as a web of social relationships and connections with land and natural environment — deepening the understanding of the articulation between colonialism and capital accumulation.

The research pursued by Smith employs an interdisciplinary methodology, drawing from history, ethnography and landscape studies to examine the development of grassroots museums in historically Black rural, agro-urban and coastal communities as sites of community empowerment and resistance. His project investigates and recounts the narratives of museum inception, community mobilization, resource acquisition, curatorial decision-making and establishing the museums as viable and sustainable institutions in different social, political and economic contexts.

The ACLS launched the fellowship program in 2023 with the support of the  Mellon Foundation to advance a vision for doctoral education that prioritizes openness to new methods and sources, underrepresented voices and perspectives and scholarly experimentation. The awards are designed to accelerate change in the norms of humanistic scholarship by recognizing those who take risks in the modes, methods and subjects of their research.

More information about these other fellowship programs offered by the ACLS can be found at https://www.acls.org/fellowship-grant-programs .

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