Degrees are awarded at three different times throughout the year:
- Fall semester degrees are officially awarded in January;
- Spring semester degrees are awarded in May;
- Summer semester degrees are awarded in August.
One graduate commencement ceremony, including the doctoral hooding ceremony, is held each year in May. All doctoral students who have earned their degree in the preceding summer and fall semesters, along with the current spring graduates, are invited to attend. Information regarding commencement, including cap & gown information, RSVP requirements and information for students, family and friends who plan to attend can be found on Lehigh University's commencement page.
Doctoral candidates who are preparing to graduate have several deadlines that must be met in order for a student to be cleared for graduation. Specific deadlines for any given academic year can be found on the Lehigh University academic calendar.
The first step, completing an application to graduate, is important because it notifies the college graduate studies office and the university Registrar’s Office of your intention to graduate. The application should be completed as soon as possible so we can begin to communicate all details, deadlines and requirements.
Complete online Application to Graduate
Deadlines to submit the application are as follows:
- Fall graduation - October 1st
- Spring graduation - February 1st
- Summer graduation - July 1st
The application may be completed up to one year in advance of the date you plan to graduate.
Applications completed after the appropriate deadline will be charged a $50 late fee.
Detailed instructions for completing this application can be found here.
- Login to connect.lehigh.edu;
- Select Student Self Service 9 from the Banner drop down menu;
- Select Student Profile;
- Select “Apply to Graduate” from the menu on the left side of the screen.
Dissertation Draft Deadline
The dissertation draft deadline is approximately three (3) weeks prior to the last day of classes in the fall or spring semester and two (2) weeks prior in the summer. Exact dates will be found in the academic calendar. It is a formatting review only, NOT a content review.
To meet this deadline students must submit the following to the engineering college graduate program office (Shaku Jain-Cocks at shj208@lehigh.edu):
- A draft of their written work, up to that point. Please send drafts in PDF format. The draft does not need to be complete.
- Evidence, in the form of an email, that your advisor and one other committee member have reviewed your draft up to that point and are aware of your intention to graduate.
Your draft will be reviewed and any comments, required edits, etc. will be emailed to as soon as possible. Formatting requirements and sample pages can be found in the Formatting Guides and Required Documents sections below.
Final Degree Deadline
All degree requirements must be fulfilled by the last day of classes of the semester in order to be cleared to graduate. Exact dates will be found in the academic calendar. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Passing the doctoral defense;
- Submission of an approved, final written dissertation to the publishing website;
- Submission of all required forms (see Required Documents section below);
- Removal of any incomplete grades from academic record;
- Payment of all fees and outstanding charges on your student account.
The written dissertation must follow specific formatting guidelines in order to be accepted for publication. The dissertation draft deadline is specifically for reviewing your formatting so you are aware of any changes that need to be made prior to submitting your final written work. Several guideline documents and template samples can be found below.
Commencement Program Information (fillable PDF): Form must be completed and returned to Shaku Jain-Cocks at shj208@lehigh.edu. If any degrees were received outside the United States please include which country the degree was received in. Example: BS, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China)
Lehigh Open Access Permission Form This form allows a student's work to be made available within the Lehigh Libraries or establishes an embargo upon the dissertation for an alloted period of time. The form is completed using DocuSign. Click on the link and follow the instructions to complete the. Once complete, you will need to submit a copy of this form to Shaku Jain-Cocks at shj208@lehigh.edu.
Lehigh Next Destination Survey This survey must be completed online by clicking on the link provided. Once completed, an email will automatically be sent to the engineering graduate programs office to confirm its completion.
Publishing Fee Receipt This is a $90 fee that must be paid through the LU Market. Click on the link provided, select Publish/Archive Doctoral Dissertation. Follow the instructions to complete the transaction. Once completed, you must send a copy of the receipt to Shaku Jain-Cocks at shj208@lehigh.edu. Please note that this publishing fee will be increasing as of Summer 2026.
Survey of Earned Doctorates This survey must be completed online by clicking on the link provided and following the instructions to register and complete the survey. Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent to you that includes a Certificate of Completion. This certificate must be forwarded to Shaku Jain-Cocks at shj208@lehigh.edu.
Report on the Doctoral Defense Examination Form You will initiate the signing process by clicking on the link and following the DocuSign instructions. When entering email addresses for all Lehigh personnel you MUST use their username address (abc123@lehigh.edu). Email aliases WILL NOT WORK. When you are asked to enter your Graduate Program Manager please enter Shaku Jain-Cocks (shj208@lehigh.edu). Signatures on this form are collected simultaneously, meaning that all committee members are emailed to review and sign the form as soon as it is ready. Once all signatures have been collected Shaku will get a copy in PDF form and confirm its receipt with you.
Written Dissertation Approval Signature Sheet You will initiate the signing process by clicking on the link provided and following the DocuSign instructions. Please be sure to read the instructions carefully so that you enter your committee members in the appropriate spot. When entering email addresses for all Lehigh personnel you MUST use their username address (abc123@lehigh.edu). Email aliases WILL NOT WORK. When you are asked to enter your Graduate Program Manager please enter Shaku Jain-Cocks (shj208@lehigh.edu). Signatures on this form are collected sequentially, meaning the first committee member will receive an email request to sign, once they sign the next committee member will be contacted for their signature and so on. Once all signatures have been collected Shaku will get a copy in PDF form and confirm its receipt with you.
Upload Final Written Dissertation Follow the link to the ProQuest publishing site and follow the instructions to upload your final written document. Confirm your submission to Shaku Jain-Cocks at shj208@lehigh.edu once you are done. She will review the document once more on the ProQuest site. If all looks good you will receive an approval email. If any formatting adjustments need to be made you will receive an email detailing what is needed.
Can I change committee members after being admitted to candidacy?
Yes, under certain circumstances this is allowed. A SOGS Petition form should be completed and approved in order to make this change.
Do I have to pay the Open Access Publishing fee?
Two publishing agreements are signed by the student during the submission process. One that is specific to Lehigh University and one that is specific to ProQuest. All students earning their doctoral degree must pay a publishing fee of $90 through Lehigh University (see Required Documents section). Lehigh University provides open access to your work (once any embargo has expired) as part of this fee. ProQuest also provides the option to select open access publishing. This is separate from the Lehigh service and is a duplication of that service. It costs an additional $95 (paid to ProQuest at the time of submission) and is unnecessary. ProQuest provides a Traditional Publishing option that does not cost you an additional fee, it is included as part of the $90 fee you are required to pay through Lehigh.
Do I need to file for Copyright through ProQuest when I submit my dissertation?
No, this is not required. This is a service ProQuest provides, for a fee, that you may choose to utilize, but it is not required. A thesis or dissertation is copyrighted the moment it is "fixed in a tangible medium," such as a digital file or printed document. However, formal registration with the U.S. Copyright Office does offer legal benefits. For many students, these benefits do not end up being utilized or needed. However, this is something you can discuss with your advisor. In addition, if your dissertation includes work that has been previously published or contains published research that is the work of multiple authors, you may not be eligible for this service through ProQuest.
Should I add my Written Dissertation Signature Sheet from DocuSign to my ProQuest submission?
No, we do not include actual signatures in your final written submission for publication. You should include a blank version of the signature page that includes the names and titles/positions of your committee members only, no signatures. You can find a sample template of this page in the Formatting Guides section.
Do I need to order hard copies of my dissertation for the department?
It is not required. You can check with your home department to see if they encourage their students to order hard copies for department records, but most do not. You have the option to order a hard copy for your personal records. You may do this during the ProQuest submission process OR you can use a different third party of your choosing. You should use the same document that was uploaded to ProQuest as your final submission.
Can I get a degree verification letter?
Yes, once you have submitted all your required documents and completed all degree requirements, please email Shaku Jain-Cocks (shj208@lehigh.edu) to request the letter.
When will ProQuest submissions be published?
Approved ProQuest submissions will be submitted to ProQuest for publishing once the official degree award date has passed (typically during the week following the degree award date).
When will I receive my diploma?
Diplomas will be mailed to the address provided on the graduation application approximately 4-6 weeks following the degree award date. Students are responsible for providing a valid mailing address when submitting the graduation application. Students can review their graduation application including the diploma mailing address in their Banner account (Student Services --> Student Academic Records --> View Graduation Application). Students who wish to change their diploma mailing address should complete the diplomas address update form (Lehigh account and login required) at least two weeks prior to their graduation date.
Beginning with spring 2020, we are pleased to offer our graduates a Certified Electronic Diploma at no charge. This is an official, secure, and verifiable PDF diploma that can be shared with anyone. Additional questions should be directed to the Registrar at ras@lehigh.edu. You can also Live Chat with the Registrar’s Office here.
I will no longer be able to graduate this semester. What do I need to do?
Please email the Registrar and copy your graduate coordinator and Shaku Jain-Cocks and request that they remove your application to graduate in that semester. Once they have done so you will need to complete a new application to graduate in the semester you now intend to complete your degree.
What happens if I am unable to submit all the documents by the required deadline?
If you plan to graduate in a specific semester but are unable to complete the degree requirements by the final deadline (last day of classes) you will need to delay your semester of graduation. You would need to contact the Registrar’s Office via email (and copy your graduate coordinator and Shaku Jain-Cocks) to request that your current application to graduate be removed. You would then need to complete a new application to graduate in the next available semester.
University policy requires that students be registered in the semester of graduation (fall and spring semesters). Summer registration is not required as long as the student was registered during the previous fall and spring semesters. Please note: students studying on a visa are required to be registered in their final semester of study, including summer, under immigration law.
If you are able to complete all degree requirements BEFORE the start of the next semester (Friday before classes begin) you are able to submit a SOGS Petition requesting a waiver of the registration in the semester of graduation requirement. Please note: students studying on a visa may not be eligible for this waiver and should consult with OISS before proceeding.
If I planned to graduate in May but now need to delay until August, can I still participate in the May Hooding Ceremony?
In order to be eligible to participate in the May hooding ceremony if you will officially earn your degree in August, you must submit a SOGS petition requesting permission to do so. Any student who wishes to be hooded must have passed their defense PRIOR to the May hooding date. A completed Defense Signature Sheet (completed via DocuSign) must be presented as proof of passing the defense. There will be a deadline to submit your SOGS petition. This deadline changes each semester and you should check with your department graduate coordinator for more details.
When should I schedule my defense?
There is no set date or deadline by which you must hold your defense in a given semester aside from the final deadline by which ALL degree requirements must be completed. However, it is extremely important that you communicate early and often with your doctoral committee when it comes to preparing to graduate and scheduling your defense. It is not always easy to find common times for all of your committee members to meet in person (virtual options should be discussed with your committee chair/advisor) for the length of time required to hold a proper defense (particularly over the summer). You may also want to provide yourself as much time as is reasonable to make any suggested or required edits, changes, etc. to your final written research document based on feedback received during the defense, if necessary.