email for thesis submission

Sample emails to your thesis supervisor

A good thesis requires good communication between you and your thesis supervisor. This includes emails! Yet, even a simple email can lead to stress and overthinking. If you struggle to communicate with your thesis supervisor via email, have a look at six sample emails for inspiration.

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General tips for emailing your thesis supervisor

Sample email to thesis supervisor inquiring about potential supervision, sample email to thesis supervisor setting up a meeting, sample email to thesis supervisor sharing post-meeting action points, sample email to thesis supervisor asking for feedback, sample email to thesis supervisor asking for support, sample email to thesis supervisor when not meeting a deadline.

Every relationship between student and thesis supervisor is unique. And everyone has a unique (email) writing style.

Nonetheless, there are a few general tips for emailing your thesis supervisor:

• Properly address your supervisor. In some contexts, it is acceptable that students address their supervisors on a first-name basis. In others, it would be completely unthinkable! So make sure to follow context-specific standards, and learn how to address your supervisor depending on their position and rank in the university hierarchy . When in doubt, always go for the more formal option (Dr. x, Professor x, Prof. Dr. x, Mr. x, Ms. x).
• Keep your emails short. No one wants to read an email of the length of a novel. Too much text can bury your main request. Always state clearly what you want. Don’t expect your thesis supervisor to read between the lines.
• Create accompanying calendar invites to your emails. Once you and your thesis supervisor/s agree on a meeting date via email, make sure that you send everyone involved a calendar invite via email. It will be greatly appreciated.
• Don’t overthink your emails too much. You may obsess about formulating a certain sentence or making sure no word is missing and no grammatical mistake is made. While emails to your supervisor should not read like a jotted-down text message, overthinking your emails is also a waste of time. Your supervisor will not judge you if your email includes one whacky sentence or a single spelling mistake.

The first email to a potential thesis supervisor tends to be very formal. If you have never met the potential thesis supervisor in person before, make sure to check out tips on how to cold-email professors. In the following sample email, however, we assume that the student and the potential thesis supervisor met before.

Successful (postgraduate) students are proactive and take matters into their own hands. Reaching out to their thesis supervisors to set up a meeting is one part of it. The following sample email contains a simple request from a student to meet with her thesis supervisor.

To get the most out of thesis supervision meetings , it is highly recommended that the student takes notes during the meeting. Based on these notes, the student then summarises the key takeaways from the meeting, or action points, so to speak. These action points will guide the student’s work until the next meeting, and provide a written record of agreements.

Sometimes, it does not make sense to wait for feedback until the next supervision meeting. Of course, students should not bombard their supervisors with constant questions via email. However, a kind request once in a while is usually accepted and appreciated. The following sample email showcases a student asking for feedback.

As a student, it can also happen that you get stuck. Often, it is better to reach out and ask your thesis supervisor for support, both in terms of content or any other challenges you experience. Don’t suffer in silence. The following sample email shows an example of a student asking for support.

And lastly, there are the unfortunate occasions where you made agreements with your thesis supervisor, which you cannot meet. Pulling an all-nighter is generally a bad idea, as sleep is crucial for efficient thesis writing . It might be smarter, to be honest, and open about it and to inform your thesis advisor in advance. In the following sample email, the student informs the supervisor that he cannot meet the agreed deadline.

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6 Email Templates to Ask Someone to be on Your Thesis Committee

By: Author Hiuyan Lam

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Professional Etiquette

Writing a thesis is one of the most challenging parts of being an undergraduate or graduate student. You need to know how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee, especially if you are looking for a mentor to guide you through the writing process.

If you are currently starting the dissertation process, these unique email templates will help show you how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee.

How to ask someone to be on your thesis committee: When asking senior students

  These email templates will help you figure out how to ask a senior student to be on your thesis committee.   Senior students are perfect for helping you through the writing process. You can ask a student with whom you get along and share similar ideas.  

When asking professors to be on your thesis committee

  Your professor would be an invaluable addition to your thesis committee, especially since they could provide you with unique insight and constructive criticism.   Here is how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee if the person is your professor.  

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How to ask someone to be on your thesis committee: When asking professionals in your field

  Professionals can offer diverse and useful expertise if they choose to join your thesis committee. Here is how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee if you’re asking professionals in your field.  

  These are unique email templates that you can use when trying to figure out how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee.   Whether it is your professor, a senior student in your faculty, or a professional in your field, these templates will help you get that positive response that you are seeking.   If you are currently working on your thesis and wondering how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee, these templates will surely help you get some ideas.  

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="email for thesis submission"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Submitting your thesis/dissertation.

Submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be within 60 days of the final exam. Students who miss the 60 day submission deadline are ineligible to register in future terms.

The Graduate School uses ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process that results in publication in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database and Cornell’s Library Repository, eCommons. Before initiating the electronic process, students are required to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (for doctoral students only). A SED Certification of Completion is provided to the student when the survey has been completed. Once the survey is completed, the final ETD can then be submitted to the Graduate School using the ProQuest system. The SED Certification of Completion is required for submission to ProQuest.

ProQuest Submission Steps

In order to complete the submission process, you will need to have the following:

• A single PDF file of your thesis or dissertation
• Your abstract
• Supplemental material
• SED Certification of Completion 

Step 1: Begin Submission Process

Master’s students go to  Cornell Master’s ProQuest site, doctoral students go to  Cornell Doctoral ProQuest site. Click on the “sign up and get started today” button and follow instructions to begin the submission process.

Submission Process: Submission steps are outlined on the left menu. You will see the items checked off as you progress through the submission steps. You must click “Save & Continue” at the bottom of each page, even pages on which you do not enter any information. Using the left menu, you can return to any page and make changes until the point of final submission.

Step 2: Publishing Options

Traditional Publishing:  “Traditional Publishing” is automatically selected and is included in the Cornell Thesis and Dissertation filing fees.

Delayed Release:  ProQuest provides six months, and one and two year embargoes. The Graduate School recommends you discuss the publishing options with your advisor. If your advisor is unavailable or has no opinion, the conservative approach is to choose a two-year embargo.

Step 3: Read and Agree to ProQuest and University Distribution License

Both ProQuest and Cornell University distribution licenses will be presented for your acceptance.

Step 4: Enter Thesis/Dissertation Information

In addition to the mandatory information, such as title and abstract, you will have the opportunity to select up to three categories (subject areas) and six key words that describe your ETD. This information will make it easier for others to find your work when searching the web.

Step 5: Upload PDF and Supplemental Files

Upload PDF: Whether you use the PDF conversion tool provided by ProQuest or you convert your document to PDF yourself, review your PDF to ensure your formatting remains as you intended after conversion.

Supplementary Materials: If supplementary materials – such as audio, video, and spreadsheets – are an integral part of your ETD, you can submit them as supplementary files during the online submission process.

Step 6: Upload Required Documents

The SED Certification of Completion if you are a Ph.D. candidate is required for submission to ProQuest.

Step 7: Register for Copyright

You can complete this process through ProQuest for a fee, or you complete the process independently through the U.S. Copyright Office.

Step 8: Order Copies

If you would like to purchase additional copies of your thesis/dissertation for yourself, your field, or your committee members, you may order bound copies through ProQuest (Order Copies page). The required bound archival copy for the library is automatically ordered for you and included in the Cornell thesis and dissertation filing fees.

Select the “Decline – do not order” option if you don’t wish to order additional copies.

Bound copies can also be ordered through Cornell Print Services .

Step 9: Review and Submit

Once the thesis editor has reviewed the formatting of your thesis/dissertation, you will receive an email to let you know whether any corrections are required. You will then have five days to make the changes and upload the revised PDF. You will not be certified for graduation until the formatting of your ETD has been fully approved by the Graduate School. You will receive a confirmation email of final acceptance.

Step 10: Submitting Revised PDF (if needed)

You will receive an email describing the formatting changes needed with instructions and a link for resubmission.

Checklist: Submitting My Dissertation or Thesis

Main navigation.

The following checklist includes all items that should be prepared in order to complete the submission of your dissertation or thesis, using the Axess Dissertation and Thesis Center  

We recommend that you take all necessary steps in order to upload your dissertation or thesis in time to meet all of the applicable posted deadlines and give your Final Reader plenty of time to approve the dissertation or thesis once it has been uploaded.

Prior to Online Submission

• Enroll in the quarter for which you intend to submit
• File online “Application to Graduate” through Axess by the appropriate deadline.
• Submit Reading Committee Signature Page requirement online.
• If a committee member is missing, or has been assigned an incorrect role, meet with your department who maintains reading committees and changes permitted within policy.
• For thesis: The name of your Thesis Advisor and designate them as your Final Reader.
• Confirm with your department that your candidacy is valid through your degree conferral date.
• Confirm with your department that you have completed all required university Milestones .
• Review Copyright Considerations for Authors of Electronic Theses and Dissertations . Discuss embargo and other release options with your co-authors and advisor before preparing the submission online.
• For students submitting a dissertation: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .

During Online Submission 

Ensure your electronic dissertation or thesis is formatted following these guidelines:

• One electronic copy of the dissertation or thesis in PDF format.
• For D.M.A Composition students, score page size is 11" x 17".
• Type size 10, 11, or 12 point. Smaller fonts are acceptable for tables, captions, etc. 
• Font style is New Times Roman. If applicable, mathematic/scientific notation fonts are embedded in the PDF file.
• Line spacing of dissertation or thesis text is 1.5 or 2.
• Margins are 1.5 inches on the binding edge and 1 inch on all other sides.
• Text is divided correctly.
• Title page is formatted correctly.
• No signature page or copyright page is included.
• Pagination begins with the first page of the Abstract (page “iv” or if formatted for double-sided printing with the Abstract to appear on the right page, then pagination begins with a blank page as page "iv"). Pagination is continuous and placement of numbers is consistent throughout the manuscript.
• Dissertation contains no multimedia or large images embedded into the PDF file.
• The dissertation or thesis is ready-for-publication in appearance. All pages and sections are in order.
• The dissertation or thesis contains no unnumbered pages, except for the title page which is unpaginated, but is assumed page 'i'.
• PDF file size does not exceed 1 GB.
• PDF file has no encryption or other security measures applied.
• One version of the abstract, containing no special text formatting or HTML, entered into an online submission form.
• File size(s) do not exceed 1 GB. 
• Short description or label is applied to each file after upload. 
• Maximum 20 supplemental files.
• Agree to Stanford University publication license.
• Optional: Limit amount of dissertation or thesis content available via third-party distributors.
• Optional: Creative Commons license selected and applied.
• Optional: Delayed release (embargo) of the dissertation or thesis.
• Written permission from the appropriate copyright holder(s) to reproduce any copyrighted material in the dissertation or thesis. Each letter is formatted and uploaded as a single PDF file. Maximum 10 permission files.

After Online Submission

• Confirm via Axess that your designated Final Reader certifies the submission by noon of the final submission deadline date .
• For students submitting a dissertation, if you haven't done so already: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .

Graduate Thesis Submission Guide

• Thesis Guide
• Formatting Requirements

Submitting Your Thesis

• Managing References
• Database Pro Tips
• Avoiding Plagiarism This link opens in a new window
• Discoverability, Embargo, and the Scholarly Conversation
• Open Access Images
• Requesting Permission for Copyrighted Materials
• Thesis Collection This link opens in a new window

Preparing to Submit

Once your thesis has been approved by your department, you are ready to prepare for submission to the Library through the ProQuest ETD Portal.

In preparation to submit, gather the following:

• A PDF version of your approved thesis.  This must be a single file, and the first page(s) must be the appropriate  departmental title page . Do not include any authentic signatures in your thesis PDF. 
• An abstract.  An abstract is a short paragraph (approximately 150-200 words) that distills the intention of your thesis. The  Purdue OWL guide provides general guidance on writing an abstract. (See examples:  1 , 2 , 3 )
• Supplementary files (e.g., images, data, etc.).  These may be an integral part of the project, but have not been included in the main thesis PDF. Supplementary files will be bundled together as a ".zip" file with your thesis, like this example.  Note: Any images embedded in the full-text PDF will appear as such in the final published version.
• Optional : A list of keywords. This   can help make your thesis more discoverable.- A note on keywords: Consider what your thesis project is about. What unique words would you use to describe it? How would you search for it if you were browsing on Google? It is preferable to use single words or phrases.
• Optional :  Any necessary copyright documents . Keep in mind Pratt's Intellectual Property Policy .

1. Create an account on Pratt's ProQuest ETD site .

2. Read and accept ProQuest's Publishing agreement . 

3. Read and accept Pratt's Publishing agreement.

4. Determine if you wish to put your thesis under an embargo. For more information about embargoes, please see this guide:  Discoverability, Embargo, and the Scholarly Conversation . 

5. Enter your contact information, including a non-Pratt email address.

6. Enter the title and abstract of your thesis; your degree information; relevant  subject categories and keywords ; and your thesis committee's information.

7. Upload your thesis PDF document. Make sure your PDF file conforms to ProQuest's standards . At this time,  ProQuest will ask you to upload any additional copyright documents. Please see our guide  Copyright and Your Thesis for information on obtaining copyright documents.

8. Upload any supplemental files.

9. OPTIONAL : Determine whether you want ProQuest to register copyright of your thesis on your behalf. Keep in mind Pratt's Intellectual Property Policy . This costs $75 and is  optional .

10. OPTIONAL : Determine whether you want ProQuest to make your thesis Open Access. This costs $95 and is  optional .

10. OPTIONAL : At this point, you may order bound copies of your thesis. This is entirely up to you.

11. Submit your thesis! If there are any errors with your submission, a library staff member will contact you to make corrections.

Congratulations!

Video Walkthrough

Do you need help submitting your thesis, or have questions , are you feeling overwhelmed by the entire process.

We're here to help!

Get support by contacting the Reference Desk:

• Visit us in person at the Brooklyn Library (1st floor)
• Chat virtually using LibChat—you can find this function in the bottom right corner of our website , labelled "Live Chat" or "Chat Offline"
• Telephone: 718.636.3704
• Email:  [email protected]
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MIT Thesis FAQ: Thesis Checklist

• New Degree Candidates
• Thesis Checklist
• Creating an Accessible Thesis
• Saving Your Thesis as a PDF/A-1
• Student Frequently Asked Questions
• Access and Availability Questions

If these apply to you and your research, plan to do these early in your research and writing process!

Preparing your thesis for submission

At time of submission, quick links.

• Thesis Specifications
• Distinctive Collections
• Scholarly Publishing@MIT
• About DSpace@MIT
• Dissertation/Theses

Have questions?

Contact us at [email protected] .

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• Last Updated: Aug 30, 2023 4:55 PM
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Graduate School Updates>

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update

On March 11 th  the University announced that beginning March 16 th  instruction for all students will be moving to a remote delivery format. Graduate students enrolled in resident courses should plan on participating remotely, and not coming to campus specifically for face-to-face instruction. Learn more at gradschool.psu.edu/covid19 .

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How to Submit a Master's Thesis

•  /  Complete Your Degree
•  /  Thesis and Dissertation Information
•  /  How to Submit a Master's Thesis
• Become familiar with the format requirements by reading the  Thesis and Dissertation Handbook .
• Apply to graduate on LionPATH during the semester in which you plan to graduate. Deadlines for submitting your thesis can be viewed on the Thesis, Dissertation, Performance, and Oral Presentation Calendar.
• Upload a draft of your thesis for format review (PDF only) to the eTD website by the specified deadline. Corrections and detailed instructions will be returned to you by email.
• Make any changes required by adviser and/or readers.
• Review the thesis one final time to be sure that no further changes are needed. It will not be possible to make corrections after final approval by the Office of Theses and Dissertations. Convert the file into a PDF for eTD submission. If you cannot do this, contact the Office of Theses and Dissertations for assistance.
• Go to the eTD website and upload the final eTD; and pay $10 thesis fee. The fee can be paid at the Payment Section of the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Information webpage.
• Await notification of eTD approval by email. If changes are required, you will be notified. Your eTD will be accessible on the eTD website immediately after graduation, unless you have chosen restricted access.

If bound copies are needed, contact any Multimedia & Print Center on campus or you may use an off-campus source. All copies are the author’s responsibility. The Graduate School does not provide copies.

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures (etc.)
• Acknowledgements
• Text and References Overview
• Figures and Illustrations
• Using Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Using Copyrighted Materials by Another Author
• Open Access and Embargoes
• Copyright and Creative Commons
• Ordering Print (Bound) Copies
• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window

Electronic Submission in Proquest

Step 0 (optional): complete a pre-submission critique.

You may submit a complete or in-progress manuscript and have a UCI Libraries staff member review it before you submit the final version. This is a service that is free of charge and available up to seven (7) days before the filing deadline. Allow two (2) business days for each review.

Request a pre-submission critique by uploading your thesis/dissertation to the  Pre-Submission Request form .

STEP 1: Create an account in Proquest

The UCI Proquest URL:  https://www.etdadmin.com/main/home?siteId=200

• Ensure that you are on the UCI ProQuest page and not on another university's page.
• Create an account and complete all fields.
• Use an email address that you will check frequently , as this is the address to which your Acceptance email and/or Revision requests will be sent.

STEP 2: Enter thesis information in Proquest and upload your document(s)

Take your time in entering the fields related to your thesis submission. There are many fields, but Proquest provides comprehensive documentation for all fields. 

• Your manuscript must be a PDF when you upload. Your manuscript must comply with the Formatting Requirements specified in this manual and in ProQuest ETD publishing guide . 
• You will also have the option of uploading permission letters and other supplementary materials (e.g. data sets, multimedia files, etc.)
• Any errors or typos you make in your metadata fields (e.g. your name, your advisor's name, your abstract, etc) will be replicated in cataloging records. If you type your name in all caps, it will appear in all caps in all future records.
• If you have questions about any of the fields, please consult the Tutorials section of this Thesis manual, or email [email protected]

STEP 3: Wait and check your email

Once you upload and submit your manuscript, you will receive a verification email from ProQuest telling you that your submission went through. This is NOT your Acceptance Email.

Over the next two (2) business days (excluding weekends and holidays), a team from UCI Libraries will be reviewing your manuscript for basic formatting. We will be reviewing the manuscripts in the order that they are received. Within those two (2) business days, you will receive another email from ProQuest. This might be your Acceptance email. Or, it might be an email requesting revisions. If revisions are required, you must submit a revised document with corrections. Your updated resubmission is subject to the same two (2) business day wait time.

If your ProQuest account says that your manuscript has been accepted, but you did not receive an email, double-check that you are looking in the correct email account (many students check their UCI email, but forget that they set up their ProQuest account with their Gmail address). If you still cannot find an email, you can email [email protected] .

STEP 4: Turn in your Acceptance email with your final paperwork to Graduate Division

Save your Acceptance email as a PDF, and then include it with the final paperwork packet that you submit to Graduate Division before the filing deadline. Failure to meet this deadline may result in your degree being delayed one (or more) terms. All necessary paperwork and Docusign forms are available on the Graduate Division Thesis Submission page .

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• Submitting your eThesis

Postgraduate Research Students are required to submit an electronic version of their thesis as part of the PGR examination process.

Electronic submission is completed via the eThesis submission portal:

• eThesis submission portal (log in required)

Following successful final submission, University of Manchester eTheses are available via the institutional repository, Pure , and discoverable via the University’s Research Explorer and Library Search .

eThesis Submission FAQs

1. Where is the link to submit my eThesis?

You can submit your eThesis here: https://my.manchester.ac.uk/portlet/etd . Scroll down to ‘PGR Services’ and click on the link for ‘eThesis submission’.

2. I’m planning on publishing content from my thesis. Can my thesis still be Open Access?

The majority of PGR students will be able to comply with the  Presentation of Theses policy by selecting either immediate Open Access or Open Access with a 12 month embargo, for their final eThesis. You can find more information about publishing your thesis here.

If you're planning to submit a  Journal format thesis , there are likely to be additional considerations related to sharing your thesis, so we recommend consulting our  Journal format thesis submission guidance .

3. I’ve submitted the final version of my thesis but I can’t find it online. When will it be Open Access?

If you selected ‘Immediate Open Access’ as the access level for your final eThesis but you can’t find it online via Research Explorer, please contact the eThesis Support Service  and we will investigate this for you.

If you selected a 12 month, 2 year, or 5 year embargo (or if you selected ‘Indefinitely closed’) it will not be available online until the end of this embargo period.

4. The personal information or supervisor details are wrong. Can these be changed?

If you notice that your personal details, or the details of your supervisor, are wrong when submitting your eThesis online or the viewing the webpage of your eThesis online via Research Explorer, please  contact the eThesis Support Service .

5. How do I record supplementary data when I submit my thesis online?

You can include any supplementary material or data by recording the details of these on Step 3 of the eThesis online submission form. Space to record these are in two free text-boxes marked ‘Describe any digital materials that make up your thesis and are not submitted here’ and ‘‘Describe any non- digital materials that make up your thesis and are not submitted here’.

6. Do I need to submit physical copies for the examination version and/or final version of my thesis?

Submission of physical copies of the thesis is NOT required. 

7. I can’t see my submission window

Your submission window is opened automatically once you have completed your Notice of Submission form and you should receive an email advising you that your window is now open. If you have not received this or your window is not displaying when you log in, you should contact your PGR administrator for advice.

8. I have received an error message while trying to submit

If you do receive an error message then please contact the eThesis Support Service  and we will be able to investigate this for you.

Examination submission

You will be notified by email when your PGR Administrator has opened a submission window for you.

You are required to select your preferred access level for your final eThesis when completing examination submission. The University's  Presentation of Theses policy  requires that all final Postgraduate Research eTheses are made Open Access no longer than 12 months after submission, unless an exception to the policy is required for reasons of sponsorship or sensitive content. Your final eThesis access level is subject to supervisor approval. See  Access to your final eThesis  for more information.

After submitting your examination eThesis, your supervisor will be notified of your preferred access level and prompted to approve or override your selection. You will be notified via email once your supervisor confirms your access level. 

Depending on the recommendations of your examiners, you may be required to complete resubmission of your eThesis. In this case, a resubmission window will be opened by your PGR Administrator.

When you’re ready to submit of your final eThesis, your PGR Administrator will open a final submission window for you to complete. Once final submission is completed, your final eThesis will be available via the institutional repository,  Pure , and discoverable via the University’s  Research Explorer  and  Library Search .

Help and guidance

Download our  eThesis submission guide   for detailed information to support your eThesis preparation.

To help you prepare for your eThesis submission, you may wish to view these screenshots of the eThesis submission form:

Screenshots: eThesis examination submission form

Screenshots: eThesis final submission form

You should familiarise yourself with the University’s regulations and guidance notes on submission and presentation of Postgraduate Research theses:

• University Ordinances and Regulations for Graduate Education  
• Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Degrees  
• Presentation of Theses Policy  
• Guidance Notes for the Presentation of Masters Level Dissertations

Your Postgraduate Research Development team will be able to provide training and guidance on thesis preparation and submission.

You can also contact the eThesis Support Service  if you would like more information or assistance.

Hints and tips

• Use Google chrome or Mozilla Firefox
• Turn off pop-up blockers
• Your eThesis must be in PDF format
• Large files take longer to upload. Reduce the size of your eThesis file as much as possible

The eThesis team is here to support you; contact us if we can provide more information or assistance.

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• Access to your final thesis
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Electronic Theses and Dissertation Submissions

Thesis/Dissertation Office, 466 West Circle Drive, 2nd floor, Chittenden Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824

Phone: 517-353-3220; Email: [email protected] .

The links below provide instructions on what needs to be completed and approved by the Graduate School in order to graduate.

Each semester has a firm submission deadline by which students must submit their thesis/dissertation to ProQuest. The document must have been successfully defended, corrections from the committee addressed and is to be a final version. After submission it may take several days for the Graduate School to review and approve the documents, especially if formatting revisions are needed. Each semester has a final deadline (usually 2 weeks later) by which students must have all required paperwork turned in, all milestones completed and their thesis/dissertation accepted by the Graduate School. 

• Printable Formatting Guide (PDF) Note the absence of List of Tables and List of Figures in the new formatting guide. These sections are generally not necessary and leaving them out helps quicken the review process. Also note that the Table of Contents is more useful when entries are limited to chapter-level headings or chapter-level headings and first-level subheadings.
• Printable Sample Pages (PDF) This includes examples of the title page, abstract, copyright, dedication page, preface, bibliography, table of contents, etc.
• Master’s Title Page Template
• Dissertation Title Page Template
• Dissertation Title Page with Dual Degree Template
• Spring 2024 Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Tutorial (PDF)
• Spring 2024 Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Tutorial (Video)
• All Plan A Master’s and all Doctoral students must turn in the Approval form.
• The Approval form is taken as evidence that the document has been examined and approved by the major professor or thesis/dissertation director. It also serves to document compliance with the appropriate Institutional Review Board for the use of human and vertebrate animals for research.
• Supplemental files may be included with the electronic submission of the thesis or dissertation in the student’s ProQuest account ONLY if the files have been approved by the faculty advisor/committee on the Approval Form.
• ETD Approval Form

Human Research Protection Program

• If human subjects were used in your research, the IRB letter (on letterhead from the Human Research Protection office) should be uploaded with your electronic Approval Form.
• The IRB number that is to appear your approval form is the “Approved” number on the IRB letter (e.g. STUDY00004871 or AMEND202100608), not the application number (e.g. i45603).
• Sending a screenshot from the “CLICK” site where you are listed as a researcher (CLICK photo must start at the green box that says “APPROVED” and extend so it includes information in the “Contacts” tab below the flow chart) OR
• Having your PI send an email to [email protected] stating the IRB number, the project title, and that you are an approved researcher on the project.  (If you used animal subjects, your name does not need to appear on the IACUC letter.)  

MSU Requirements

MSU IRB review and approval or an exempt determination is required for all projects that involve research or clinical investigations with human subjects conducted by faculty, staff, students, or agents of MSU before initiation of any human subject research activities.

For those projects that may qualify as exempt from IRB approval, an exempt determination must be obtained from the MSU IRB office prior to initiation of the human subject research. For those projects that do not qualify as exempt, IRB approval must be obtained prior to initiation of the human subject research.

Please note: your thesis or dissertation may be rejected if you did not obtain IRB approval prior to the start of your research, if your IRB request was backdated or if your review request was denied by the Human Research Protection office. For further information, please see the Human Research Protection Program website at:  https://hrpp.msu.edu/ . Phone: 517-355-2180. Email:  [email protected] .

Animal Care Program

• If vertebrate animals were used in your research, the IACUC (AUF) letter (on letterhead from the Animal Care Program office) should be uploaded with your electronic Approval Form.
• The IACUC (AUF) number that is to appear on your approval form is the “IACUC ID” number on the IACUC letter (i.e.: PROTO201800030).

Activities Needing Approval

Any ownership or use of animals for research, teaching, testing, or public outreach by or for MSU must be approved by the IACUC. Some activities are exempt but check first.

Check with the IACUC before you do any of these:

• breed, buy, or conduct research involving animals
• study wild animals
• conduct farming and food production with animals
• euthanize an animal
• import or export animals
• test products, procedures, or treatments on animals
• transport animals
• initiate a new project
• add a new procedure or controlled substance
• change your protocol
• change the breed you are using
• schedule a public performance or demonstration with animals

Get approval before you begin ANY activities involving animals.

The  laws and guidelines  for using animals are numerous. Non-compliance can affect animal care. Non-compliance will be costly to the investigator and the University (such as damage to our reputation and funding). The IACUC committee and staff have up-to-date information on legislation and regulations and contacts with agencies providing guidelines for the care and use of animals.

Please note: your thesis or dissertation may be rejected if you did not obtain IACUC approval prior to the start of your research, if your IACUC request was backdated or if your review request was denied by the Animal Care Program office. For further information, please see the Animal Care Program/IACUC website at:  https://animalcare.msu.edu/iacuc/index.html . Phone: 517-432-8103. Email:  [email protected] .

• Please take a few moments to complete this survey the semester that you plan to graduate. Only students who have applied for graduation will have access to this online survey. Your participation is important and is greatly appreciated by the Graduate School. The survey will ask you questions about your educational experience in your graduate program. The Graduate School uses data from this survey when reviewing graduate programs and to guide decisions about services and initiatives for graduate students.
• Doctoral students:  https://www.egr.msu.edu/doctoral/survey
• Master’s students:  https://msu.12twenty.com
• Enter your MSU NetID (Login name) and password.
• Complete all items on the survey. When finished, click Submit.
• If you cannot open the survey, please contact the Graduate School by email at  [email protected]  and include your name, student ID#, degree level (PhD, MA, MS, etc), and the semester of graduation. You will then be notified when you are able to access the survey.
• The Survey of Earned Doctorates is the definitive source of information on the nation’s new research doctorates. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and five other federal agencies and conducted by RTI, the SED is critical to the understanding in what specialty areas doctorates are produced and their post-graduation employment plans.
• Results are used by government as well as academic institutions to make decisions about graduate education funding, developing new programs and supporting existing ones.
• Michigan State University REQUIRES verification of completion of the survey. When you submit your survey, a notification of completion will automatically be sent to the Graduate School office. It is recommended that at the end of the survey, you also have a copy of the “certificate of completion” emailed to your personal email for your records.
• The registration URL for the survey is:  https://sed-ncses.org . You will receive an email with a PIN and password as well as the URL to the survey upon registering.
• Confidentiality Assurance: The information provided in the survey questionnaire remains confidential and is safeguarded in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and the NSF Act of 1950, as amended. The survey data are reported only in aggregate form or in a manner that does not identify information about the individual.
• Questions about the survey may be directed to RTI at  [email protected]  or at 1-877-256-8167.
• You may submit your document to ProQuest once you have successfully defended your thesis or dissertation and you have made the corrections that your committee wishes you to make.  Do not submit your document prior to your defense. 
• Go to  www.etdadmin.com/grad.msu  and follow the directions for submitting your thesis/dissertation to Michigan State University via ProQuest.
• When creating your account be sure to use an email address that you use regularly. In order to continue the submission process, you will be asked to “confirm” your account using the email address you provided. This is the email address that all correspondence from the Graduate School regarding your document will go.
• Once you “confirm” your account, you are ready to begin the submission process. Please be sure you are on the Michigan State University website within ProQuest. 
• The submission steps are listed on the left side of the screen in the ProQuest website. As each step is completed, a check mark will appear in the appropriate box indicating that you have completed that step. In order to make your initial submission, you must go through each step of the process.
• Once you submit to ProQuest, your electronic submission will be reviewed by a Michigan State University Graduate School Administrator for possible formatting revisions and/or required paperwork before it is “officially” accepted and delivered to ProQuest for publishing.
• You may expect a response with necessary corrections or paperwork from the Graduate School within two business days from the time we receive your electronic submission (or resubmission). NOTE: Response times increase dramatically closer to deadline dates.
• Once all corrections have been made and all necessary paperwork has been turned in to the Graduate School, your document will be accepted and delivered to ProQuest for publishing.
• Please contact ProQuest directly at 800-521-0600 with any technical questions regarding your submission or any questions regarding an order you placed.
• If you wish to have ProQuest file a copyright on your behalf, the current fee is $75.00 and must be paid to ProQuest when you create your submission.  You must be the sole author of the entire document for ProQuest to file for a copyright on your behalf.
• For information regarding a publication hold/embargo on your thesis/dissertation please go to the Embargo link .

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Thesis Submission Guidelines

This webpage provides guidelines for thesis submission to postgraduate students at the Department of Civil & Construction Engineering of the University of Nairobi. This webpage is continuously updated, the student and supervisor are requested to review it each time before corresponding with the department. 

Proposal Document Standards

The student should use the following template to ensure their document is up to standard. 

• Faculty of Engineering (FEng) proposal template. The FEng Title Page Proposal template . The main body of the proposal (Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Workplan & Budget and References) of the proposal should not exceed 30 pages. 
• The student may use this  Thesis Proposal Checklist   (used to review the student's thesis proposal) as a guide to ensure the document is in order. 

Thesis Document Standards

The student should use the following template to ensure their thesis is up to standard. 

• Faculty of Engineering (FEng) thesis template. The student may use this  Thesis Template  as guide. The Thesis Template  template is slightly modified from the Proposal template. 

Correspondences and Email Header Guidelines

All correspondences to the department regarding thesis submission must be done using the dedicated department's email. Postgraduate Correspondence, Civil & Construction Engineering [email protected] . Please copy your supervisors in all communications sent; doing so will enable the department to capture the student's and supervisors' email addresses and will make future correspondences with the student and the supervisor much easier. Endeavour to use the students' university email ([email protected]). The student must include their registration number in all correspondences to the Department. The subject of every inquiry should be as follows, ' Inquiry - Student Name - Registration Number ', for example, ' Thesis Submission Follow Up - Anony Mous - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Use of the title case allows the department to easily copy and record the requests to a spreadsheet without a lot of further formatting. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). It helps a lot. 

The department keeps the requests in digital form, kindly comply with these requirements of writing the subject to assist in the retrieval of records. Email filters have also been configured to automatically forward the email to the appropriate staff based on the subject header. The sender's compliance will ensure faster delivery of service. 

Because of the large correspondences received, the department may not respond to your email but the request will be recorded in the spreadsheet at the end of this webpage. 

Filenames of PDF documents

The files the student should also take the format of the Email Subject. However, when writing the registration number, the student should use the hyphen character instead of the back slashes. For example, when submitting a fresh thesis proposal, the subject of the email should be ' Fresh Proposal Submission - Mous Anony - F56/1234/2021 ' and the PDF file should be named ' Fresh Proposal Submission - Mous Anony - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Student University Email Account

Students are encouraged to set up the university email account via the student's portal on https://smis.uonbi.ac.ke .

Students who have forgotten their previous passwords and require recovery of the student email account can request a recovery code by writing an email to [email protected] through their personal email (Gmail, Yahoo, Work Email etc.). The subject of the email should be 'Student Email Recovery - Student Name - Registration Number' , for example, 'Student Email Recovery - Another Student - F16/12345/2021' .The body of the email should also include the student university email account to be recovered, phone number and any other relevant information. Copy the Department, [email protected] to assist you with follow up. The student will receive a code to activate the student university email from their personal email. The student is advised to be alert as the code sent to the student will expire six hours after the code is generated. The student should act immediately to restore their account once they receive the code. 

The student can also make a physical visit in to the Faculty of Engineering ICT office on Ground Floor, Mechanical Engineering Block, Harry Thuku Way. 

WhatsApp Support Group

There is a support group on WhatsApp where a student can submit queries, compliments, and complaints. WhatsApp - CCE Thesis Support Group . 

Extension of Registration

Students whose registration has expired will be required to renew their registration. Students who registered more than five years ago have expired registrations. For example, in the year 2024, students with registration number ending /2018 have their student status expired and must extend their registration. The student should write to the Chairman, Department of Civil & Construction Engineering requesting an extension of their registration.  The Faculty will then process the request for Senate approval according to student progression guidelines. The student may use this Extension of Registration template as a guide.  The student should ensure that the supervisor signs next to their name on the document before sending it. The student should send the letter as a signed PDF document to [email protected] . The subject of the email should be ' Extension of Registration - Student Name - Registration Number '. Do not use all uppercase in the subject. Use title case. Title case is a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters as indicated on this webpage. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The student should copy all the supervisors' email addresses. 

The filename of the PDF document

The PDF file should be named ' Extension of Registration - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Provisional Extension of Registration (PhD Students Only) 

PhD Students whose provisional registration has exceeded six months willl be required to extend their registration. The student should write to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic Affairs, through the Dean, Faculty of Engineering and through the Chairman, Department of Civil & Construction Engineering requesting provisional extension of registration.  The student may use this Provisional Extension Request as a guide.  The student should send the letter as a signed PDF document to [email protected] . The subject of the email should be ' Provisional Extension - Student Name - Registration Number '. Do not use all uppercase in the subject. Use title case. Title case is a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters as indicated on this webpage. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The student should copy all the supervisors' email addresses. 

The filename of the PDF document (PhD Students Only)  

The PDF file should be named ' Provisional Extension - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

The student will receive a letter from the academic registrar extending their registration status on the condition that they pay an extension fee. The letter provided will have instructions on how to make the payment. A student who has an overpayment in their fees can direct the excess fees to pay the extension fees by instructing the Finance Department to do so. The narrative for the transfer should be 'Registration Extension Fee Deduction'. The Student Finance Department is in Room G3, Ground Floor, Mahatma Gandhi Wing, Main Campus, Harry Thuku Way, Nairobi. 

Payment of Extension of Registration

Once payment is made. Kindly send the payment receipt to  [email protected]   as indicated in the letter. Copy  [email protected]   so that the department can keep the record in your file and assist with follow-up. The subject of the email should be ' Payment of Extension - Student Name - Registration Number '. Do not use all uppercase in the subject. Use title case. Title case is a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters as indicated on this webpage. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The student should copy all the supervisors' email addresses.

Advisory: All payments should be made by direct physical deposit to the bank, where a deposit slip should be obtained. The narrative or description of the financial transaction should include the student's registration number. MPesa and RTGS Payments are not encouraged as they will require further follow-up with Student Finance by the student. The Student Finance Department is in Room G3, Ground Floor, Mahatma Gandhi Wing, Main Campus, Harry Thuku Way, Nairobi. 

The PDF file should be named ' Payment of Extension - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Advisory: The most opportune time to make the payment of extension (to maximise on the limited additional time) is as the student submits the 'Uploaded Thesis Proposal' if the proposal had not yet been approved by the Academic Registrar/Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic Affairs or as you submit the 'Intent to Submit Thesis' if your proposal had already been approved by the Academic Registrar/Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic Affairs. 

Change of supervisors

A change of supervisors is usually initiated by the student. Students whose proposals have NOT yet been approved by the department can change at any point during the proposal stage. Students whose proposals have already been approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor can request to change their supervisors through a letter. The student should address the letter to the Chairman, Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, requesting a change of supervisor. The student may use this Change of Supervisors template as a guide. The student should ensure that the supervisor signs next to their name on the document before sending it. The student should send the letter as a signed PDF document to [email protected] . The subject of the email should be ' Change of Supervisors - Student Name - Registration Number '. Do not use all uppercase letters in the subject. Use title case. Title case is a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters as indicated on this webpage. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The student should copy all the supervisors' email addresses. 

Students who wish to drop a supervisor must have their request supported with a letter from the supervisor to be dropped. The supervisor may take advantage of the Supervisor's Withdrawal template as a guide. 

The PDF file should be named ' Change of Supervisors - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Other general queries such as Transcript requests, Missing marks, Course registration, Timetables and other requests must be directed to the Department's main email address: [email protected].  

Identifying a research topic

Candidates will be required to undertake research guided by at least one supervisor competent in the subject area and field of research in which the candidate proposes to work. The main supervisor must come from the Department where the student is registered. After the research, the candidate shall be required to submit a thesis for examination. 

The student should approach any of the lecturers that hold a PhD degree whose speciality is in a field that the student is interested in researching on. The supervisors should guide the student in the process of writing a thesis proposal. The student may use this Proposal template as a guide . The candidate, in close liaison with the supervisors, shall develop the proposal. When the supervisors are satisfied that the draft proposal has attained a reasonable quality, they will allow the candidate to present it at a seminar with at least 30% of the academic members of staff of the Department.

Requirements for the supervisors

A minimum of two supervisors shall be appointed for each candidate of whom the first should be an academic staff in the Department of Civil & Construction Engineering. The first supervisor must be a PhD holder. The second supervisor must be an academic member of staff. The second supervisor can be from the Department of Civil & Construction Engineering or any other Department at the University of Nairobi. The Department may appoint a third supervisor from any other institution. If the third supervisor from another institution is appointed, the supervisor's CV must be attached. 

Letter of Introduction

Candidates requiring a letter of introduction in order to carry out research in a different institution should request the letter from the Department via email through [email protected] . The subject of the email should be as follows ' Letter of Introduction - Student Name - Registration Number '. The student must include the topic of their thesis and the address/es to which the letters should be addressed to. If no specific address is mentioned, the letter will be addressed "To Whom It May Concern". 

Renewal of Scholarships

Students who were awarded scholarships in the first year will be required to apply for the renewal of the scholarship for the second year. The scholarship renewal form can be downloaded here . The scholarship renewal application should be accompanied by the first year transcript. By the time the student requests the renewal, it is expected that the scholarship student should already be involved in some teaching assistantship and have made some significant progress on their research proposal in consultation with their supervisor since the supervisor will be required to fill in some sections of the form.  

Setting up a Proposal Seminar Online

The candidate should prepare presentation slides on their proposed research. The student should rehearse to ensure that their presentation lasts no more than 15 minutes.  The candidate may use university slides template to make the slides . The candidate should set up an online meeting via Google Meet and invite academic members of staff and other interested stakeholders. The student may use this guide on setting up online classes to schedule and present in the seminar . The main supervisor must attend the meeting. The minutes of the recommendations made during the presentation shall be forwarded to Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC) together with the revised version of the proposal.  The student may use this Minutes template as a guide . The student should make arrangements prior to the online meeting on who will take the minutes. 

Getting a Turnitin Similarity Index Report

To get a similarity index report, send the proposal document to [email protected]  and copy all the supervisors' emails. Endeavour to use the students' university email ([email protected]). The document to be sent should only contain Item No. 1 to Item No. 4 of the list in the requirements below. Item No. 5 to Item No. 7 should not be in the document to be checked. The document to be checked for plagiarism need NOT be signed by the student nor the supervisors. . The document sent must be in editable format (DOCX) format. Documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) will not be scanned. 

The subject of the email should be as follows 'Similarity Index Report - Student Name - Registration Number'. For example. ' Similarity Index Report - Mous Anony - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). It is important that you stick to this format for the following reasons:

• The email received is automatically forwarded to the email of the staff responsible for running your document through Turnitin. Email filters have been configured to only forward the document based on the subject header.
• The department will capture the student's and supervisors' email addresses and will make future correspondences with the student and the supervisor much easier. Emails requesting the Similarity Index Report without copying the supervisors' email addresses will not be acted on. 

A Turnitin report will be sent back to the student in five business days. The student should extract the summary pages of the similarity index report for signing by the student and the supervisors. Please note that any Similarity Index Report that is not signed and dated by the student and the supervisor is invalid.  The student may use this  signed Turnitin sample report for guidance . Some technical knowledge of editing PDF documents is necessary. The similarity index report should be below 15% ( 14% and below only ). 

Please note the whole document (Item No. 1 to Item No. 4) [Listed below] should be scanned hence the allowance of below 15%. Sentences in quotes and the bibliography will not be marked as plagiarised. A 30-word source exclusion has been set. The document to be submitted will not be deposited to any repository. 

Filename of the DOCX (Microsoft Word) document

The DOCX file should be named ' Similarity Index Report - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Getting Academic Transcript for First Year (MSc Students)

The student can request a transcript from the Department through writing and delivering it to the Office of the Chairman. A typed letter is preferred. The letter should have the student's registration number and name. The student can also make the request through the department's main email address: [email protected] . 

Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities are available on successful application to a relevant grant. These opportunities are advertised every Thursday via the University email from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation & Enterprise).  The funding opportunities are collated on the landing page of  https://uonresearch.uonbi.ac.ke  under the funding news tab. The candidate is advised to reach out to the Office of the DVC - RIE for further guidance and facilitation. Seeking research funding is one of the office's key role and the staff there will be glad to assist you. The office is located on the 15th Floor, UoN Tower, Main Campus, University of Nairobi, Nairobi. 

Submission of the Thesis Proposal to the Faculty of Engineering

The requirements to submit the Thesis Proposal to the Faculty of Engineering are as follows: 

• Faculty of Engineering (FEng) Title Page without a page number. The FEng Title Page is included in this  Proposal template . 
• Declaration and Approval page with all the signatures on the second page [Page number (i)].  The Declaration and Approval Page is included in this  Proposal template . 
• Signed UoN Declaration of Originality.  The UoN Declaration of Originality Form is included in this  Proposal template . 
• Main Proposal Document (Acknowledgement, Table of Contents, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Budget & Workplan, References and Appendices). The student may use this Proposal template as a guide. 
• Minutes of the Proposal Seminar. The student may use this Minutes template as a guide. 
• First Year Transcript (MSc Students). 
• Turnitin Antiplagiarism Report. The similarity index should be below 15%. (The student and the supervisors should sign and date on the page that shows the percentage). 

Order of Components

Please compile your document into one PDF in the order above. The student should NOT upload the thesis proposal yet. Guidance and requirements for uploading are given further below on this webpage. 

Submit the document through your supervisors, through the Department of Civil & Construction Engineering [email protected]  to the Dean, Faculty of Engineering. The student may use this  Thesis Proposal Checklist   (used to review the student's thesis proposal) as a guide to ensure the document is in order. 

Filename of the PDF document

The PDF file should be named ' Fresh Proposal Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Submission of Thesis Proposal through Email

Submission must be done by email in soft copy. Only one compiled PDF document is to be submitted. The subject of the email should be as follows, 'Fresh Proposal Submission - Student Name - Registration Number'. For example, ' Fresh Proposal Submission - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). There are two ways of submitting the document via email. Please use this subject header so that the email received is automatically forwarded to the email of the staff responsible for acting on the document. Email filters have been configured to only forward the document based on the subject header. 

• The student can ensure the document is signed by the supervisors before sending it to the Chairman of the Department, [email protected] and copy the supervisors' email, or 
• The student can send the document to the Chairman of the Department, through the supervisors via email. 

Option 1 is strongly preferred and recommended . To use Option 2 to submit your document, kindly send an email to the second supervisor asking them to sign and date on the relevant pages and forward it to the first supervisor and to inform them to sign and date on the relevant pages and forward it to the Chairman [email protected] . The student should not just copy all the interested parties in one generic email; the forwarding email should have detailed instructions to the various supervisors on what the supervisors should do. See the sample email below: 

The chairman will approve and forward the Fresh Thesis proposal to the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC). At the FPSC, the document is distributed to reviewers at their next scheduled meeting. The reviewers will give comments, suggestions and improvements to the submitted proposal at various dates. The FPSC chairman will consolidate all the reviews into one report and send it to the student through the department. 

It is the student's responsibility to follow up on the approval process of their thesis proposal. If the student has not received feedback after one month from the date of submission, the student should follow up on their thesis status with the Coordinator of Postgraduate Studies, Department of Civil & Construction Engineering.

The physical location of the office of the Coordinator of Postgraduate Studies , Department of Civil & Construction Engineering is: Office Number 110, 1st Floor, Mechanical Engineering Block, Harry Thuku Way, Main Campus, Nairobi. 

Resubmission of the Thesis Proposal to the Faculty of Engineering

The thesis proposal will be reviewed and it will be returned with some corrections from the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC). As you submit the corrected proposal, ensure you meet the following requirements: 

• Faculty of Engineering (FEng) Title Page without a page number.  The FEng Title Page is included in this  Proposal template . 
• Declaration and Approval page with all the signatures on the second page [Page number (i)]. Please note that the supervisors should sign again. Avoid repasting the signatures that were in the initial document.  The Declaration and Approval Page is included in this  Proposal template . 
• Main Corrected Proposal Document (Acknowledgement, Table of Contents, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Budget & Workplan, References and Appendices).  The student may use this Proposal template as a guide. 
• Original Minutes of the Proposal Seminar. 
• Turnitin Antiplagiarism Report on the Corrected Proposal Document. The Corrected Proposal Document should then be rechecked for plagiarism. The procedure for getting the Turnitin Similarity Index Report is outlined above (The student and the supervisors should sign and date on the page that shows the percentage). Please note that the supervisors should sign again. The student must NOT  repaste the signatures that were in the initial document. 
• The original Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC) Reviews. 
• Table of Corrections. Avoid the use of lazy comments such as 'Ammended', 'Done', 'Corrected in Manuscript' or 'Attached'. Instead, make detailed responses to the reviewers' comments. Be clear about how you responded (copy and paste the updated text next to the reviewers’ comments) and state where this fits into the manuscript (with a page number). This practice allows the reviewers to easily see that you have taken all the reviewers’ comments on board and evaluate your response to each of their concerns. Please read this  article on how to properly respond to Reviewers' comments. The student may use this Table of Corrections Sample as a guide . 
• Certificate of Corrections from the supervisors addressed to the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, through the Chairman, Civil & Construction Engineering and through the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC). The student may use this Certificate of Correction template as a guide. 

IMPORTANT: Please review your work plan to match the current dates. The dates signed on the proposal must also reflect the current dates. The date on the cover page must also be updated. 

Please compile your document into one PDF in the order above. The student should NOT upload the thesis proposal yet. Guidance and requirements for uploading are given further below on this webpage. 

Submit the document through your supervisors, to the Department of Civil & Construction Engineering [email protected]  and copy the supervisors' email addresses. The Department will forward the document to the Dean, Faculty of Engineering. The subject of the email should be as follows, 'Revised Proposal Submission - Student Name - Registration Number'. For example, ' Revised Proposal Submission - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). Please use this subject header so that the email received is automatically forwarded to the email of the staff responsible for acting on the document. Email filters have been configured to only forward the document based on the subject header. 

The PDF file should be named ' Revised Proposal Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

The chairman will approve and forward the Revised Thesis proposal to the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC). At the FPSC, the document is distributed to reviewers at their next scheduled meeting. The reviewers will then confirm that the initial comments they gave have been addressed satisfactorily. It is for this reason that the student should include the FPSC reviews as they were. If fully addressed, the proposal is approved. If the comments have not been fully addressed, the FPSC returns the document to the student through the department to address the unattended comments.  The department will send the student further comments. 

Further Revised Proposal

To resubmit the further revised proposal, kindly submit with the subject ' Further Revised Proposal Submission - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 ' and copy all the supervisors' emails. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens).

The PDF file should be named ' Further Revised Proposal Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

FPSC Approval

Once FPSC approval is done, the student will also receive minutes of the deliberations from the FPSC and the filled out Declaration and Approval Page [Page i] (including the Dean's Signature and Stamp). The student should then compile a single document in the order below. 

Final Approved Document to be Uploaded to Postgraduate Tracking System

• Declaration and Approval page with all the signatures on the second page [Page number (i)]. This declaration page should have all the parties signatures: the student, the supervisors, the Chairman - Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, the Chairman - FPSC and the Dean - Faculty of Engineering. 
• Minutes of the Proposal Seminar. 
• Turnitin Antiplagiarism Report on the Corrected Proposal Document. 
• Certificate of Corrections from the supervisors addressed to the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, through the Chairman, Civil & Construction Engineering and through the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC). This Certificate of Corrections should have all the parties signatures
• Signed Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPSC) minutes approving the forwarding of the proposal to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic Affairs. 

The PDF file should be named ' Uploaded Thesis Proposal - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Uploading to the Postgraduate Tracking System 

Before uploading the compiled document above, the student should ensure that they have first been assigned supervisors on the Postgraduate Tracking System on the Students Management Information System  on smis.uonbi.ac.ke . The student can check the assigned supervisors as shown in the screenshot below: 

If the students has not been assigned, the student should notify the department via email [email protected] with the subject being ' Supervisors - Student Name - Registration Number '. The body of the email should have the names of your supervisors.

Once assigned, the student should upload the compiled PDF document onto the Postgraduate Tracking System.

Uploading to the Postgraduate Tracking System

Please see this Guide on using the Postgraduate Tracking System. When uploading to the Tracking System. The student should ensure that the following instructions are followed to the letter. Step 6 in the photograph below is absolutely critical and the student must wait for the document to upload to the system before forwarding the submission. Please note that it is impossible to change any item once this process has been performed.  

The student should then alert the supervisor that they have uploaded their fully signed proposal (Item No. 1 - Item No. 11) on the Postgraduate Tracking System. The student may use this uploaded thesis sample for reference.  Students who had uploaded the proposal before approval will require reuploading the thesis proposal.

Reuploading to the Postgraduate Tracking System

To reupload, the student should click on the ' Test proposal submit ' link (circled in the image below). Once the student clicks on this link, they should click on 'Create Proposal' to reupload. 

Please see this Guide on using the Postgraduate Tracking System. The student and the supervisor are encouraged to review this guide and understand their roles. 

Sending the Uploaded Thesis Proposal to the Department

Once uploaded, the student should also send the compiled PDF document to the Department, [email protected] and copy the supervisors, the email subject should be ' Uploaded Thesis Proposal - Student Name - F56/1234/2020 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The student should ensure that their registration status is in order prior to sending out the uploaded thesis proposal. For example, in the year 2024, students with registration number ending /2018 have their student status expired and must extend their registration and pay the required charges.

Advisory: Kindly note that the department has no access to the Postgraduate Tracking System and it is only by sending the Uploaded Thesis Proposal that the department gets the knowledge that you have uploaded the proposal and initiates the subsequent procedures. 

Based on the fully signed uploaded proposal, the supervisors, Chairman and Dean will then approve the online document for forwarding to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic Affairs. Once approved by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Academic Affairs, the student will receive a letter from the Academic Registrar, accepting their proposal. The letter will grant the student the authority to officially begin their research and assign the supervisors officially. Please see the sample Letter of Approval that the student and supervisors will receive to commence research . 

It is at this point that your proposal is considered fully registered in the system. 

Technical Challenges with the Postgraduate Tracking System 

Students with technical challenges with regard to the Postgraduate Tracking System should write an email to [email protected] . Copy the Department, [email protected] to assist you with follow-up. The subject of the email should be 'Postgraduate Tracking - Student Name - Registration Number' , for example, 'Postgraduate Tracking - Another Student - F16/12345/2021' .The body of the email should include the nature of the problem such as documents not attaching, or no documents available for download and request the ICT department to clear all documents in your portal and allow you to re-upload the documents. 

Once the documents have been cleared, the student should reupload and request the supervisor to approve the online documents. Once reapproved by the supervisor, the student should notify the department that the documents have been approved. 

The student can also make a physical visit to the Faculty of Engineering ICT office on the Ground Floor, Mechanical Engineering Block, Harry Thuku Way. 

Advisory: The student is advised to start writing a journal article first before writing the thesis. Writing the journal article first will save the student a lot of stress and effort when it comes time to writing the thesis.

CUE requirements: A Master's thesis should be about 20 000 to 30 000 words while a PhD thesis should be about 40 000 to 50 000 words. 

Progress Reports

The student can only get the letter to begin research if their compiled PDF (Items No. 1 - 11) has been uploaded to the Postgraduate Tracking System. Once they receive the letter, the candidate should immediately fill out their first progress report, have it commented and signed by the student and the supervisors only and then upload it on the Postgraduate Tracking system. Only fully signed progress reports should be uploaded on the tracking system.  The student may use this Progress Report template . Please note that comments by the Chairman, Dean and Deputy Vice-Chancellor will be made on the Postgraduate Tracking System. T he student may use this Progress Report sample for guidance . 

The student should also send the Progress Report to the Department department via  [email protected]  for record-keeping. The student must copy all the supervisors. The subject of the email should be, ' Progress Report Q1 - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 ' and so on for the other two progress reports for Q2 and Q3. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The supervisors must be copied to the email sent to the department. 

The PDF file should be named ' Progress Report Q1 - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

The student is required to upload three fully signed progress reports by the time the student sends out the 'Intent to Submit Thesis'. 

Conducting the Thesis

The candidate will then perform the research and make a report. The candidate will be required to make progress reports after every quarter. 

Publishing - Paper Submission to Peer-reviewed Journals

The candidate should make a paper submission to peer-reviewed journals. One journal article is required for MSc students while two journal articles are required for PhD students . This requirement is in line with the Commission for University Education's guidelines. After the publication of the journal article(s), the student may then issue an Intent to Submit the Thesis for Examination. The student may refer to these notes when considering publishing in a peer-reviewed journal. The journals should be indexed in SCOPUS, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Clarivate Analytics or Africa Journals Online (AJOL). Publications in predatory journals will not be considered legitimate publications. Read this article to understand more on predatory journals. A quick method of determining predatory journals is that they have short publishing times and require significant publication fees. Secondly, a student may Google the name of the publication followed by the word "predatory" and read the reviews online. 

The student is strongly encouraged to see the University of Nairobi's library guide for publishing.

Some good journals can be found on: 

• https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jat/
• https://journalsuggester.springer.com/
• https://journalfinder.wiley.com/
• https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/
• https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php 
• https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/choosing-a-journal/journal-suggester/
• https://doaj.org/ 

Good publishers also belong to the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE). Please note some of the journals available from the links above require an additional fee to make your accepted publication open-access. However, it is not a requirement of the University of Nairobi that the journal article be made open-access. Some good journals are free to publish so long as the author accepts that there will be no free access and the reader will have to pay to download the article. The only university requirement is that the journal article should be published in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Once the student has published a paper, the student should send the final published manuscript to the department with the subject ' Published Paper 1 - Student Name - Registration Number '.For example, ' Published Paper 1 - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 ' and so on for the other published papers. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The supervisors must be copied to the email sent to the department. The department will then investigate the journal and confirm that the paper has been published in a reputable and credible journal. 

Paper Publications Review (PhD students only)

Journal articles done by the PhD student will be subjected to further review and scrutiny by the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee to ensure that the journal articles were of high quality and were published in peer-reviewed journals. 

Once the student has published two papers, the student should send a request for publications review to the department [email protected] . The student may use this template as a guide. The subject of the email should be ' Publications Review - Student Name - Registration Number '.For example, ' Publications Review - Another Student - F80/56789/2021 ' and so on for the other published papers. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The supervisors must be copied to the email sent to the department.

Filenames of the PDF documents

The PDF file should be named ' Publications Review - Student Name - F80-56789-2021 '. For this request, there should be three attachments. 

• Publications Review - Student Name - F80-56789-2021.pdf
• Published Paper 1 - Student Name - F80-56789-2021.pdf
• Published Paper 2 - Student Name - F80-56789-2021.pdf

Thesis Registration on SMIS

The candidate should request for registration of FCE 699 after full payment of fees. The student may use this Course Registration Template for guidance . The student should send the Course Registration Request to the Department via  [email protected] . The subject of the email should be ' FCE 699 Course Registration - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens).

Once the request is sent and all the fees paid, the student may continue with the successive steps. 

Filename of the PDF document 

The PDF file should be named ' FCE 699 Course Registration - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Payment of Fees and Fee Statement 

The school fees should be fully paid before sending out the 'Intent to Submit Thesis'. Fees payable is as advised in the admission letter available on the application. For ease of the reference, the fee statements have been provided here: 

• Master's Fee Statement:    A. Admitted before 2021 *    B. Admitted 2021 and later
• PhD Fee Statement.              A. Admitted before 2021 *     B. Admitted 2021 and later  

*The university updated the cost for the student ID in 2020 from KES 500 to KES 1 000 and the amount to be paid should be KES 500 more than what is stated in the PDF form shared. 

Advisory: Bank A/C: UON CESSP Collection Account No.  2032771362  at Absa Bank, Plaza Branch.All payments should be made by direct physical deposit to the bank, where a deposit slip should be obtained. The narrative or description of the financial transaction should include the student's registration number. MPesa and RTGS Payments are not encouraged as they will require further follow-up with Student Finance by the student. The Student Finance Department is in Room G3, Ground Floor, Mahatma Gandhi Wing, Main Campus, Harry Thuku Way, Nairobi. 

Intent to Submit the Thesis for Examination

The candidate should submit a form giving notice of Intent to Submit the Thesis for Examination. The Intent to Submit the Thesis form must have TWO  attachments: 

• Abstract (in one page of approximately 300 words). 
• Detailed Fee Statement (showing complete fees). The Detailed Fee Statement can be printed from the Students' Portal . 

The candidate must use this Intent to Submit Thesis form . 

Submission of Intent to Submit Thesis for Examination through Email

Submission must be done by email in soft copy. Only one compiled PDF document is to be submitted. To submit your document, kindly send an email to the second supervisor asking them to sign and date on the relevant pages and forward it to the first supervisor and to inform them to sign and date on the relevant pages and forward it to the Chairman [email protected] . The subject of the email should be, ' Intent to Submit Thesis - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). The student should not just copy all the interested parties in one generic email; the forwarding email should have detailed instructions to the various supervisors on what the supervisors should do. See the sample email below:

It is recommended that the student ensures the document is signed by the supervisors before sending it to the Chairman of the Department, [email protected] and copy the supervisors' email addresses to the email. 

The PDF file should be named ' Intent to Submit Thesis - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. 

Submission of the Thesis

Submission must be done by email in soft copy. Submission is done to the Faculty of Engineering through the department Postgraduate Correspondence, Civil & Construction Engineering [email protected] . The constituents of the compiled PDF are listed below. The subject of the email should be as follows, 'Fresh Thesis Submission - Student Name - Registration Number'. For example, ' Fresh Thesis Submission - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens). All supervisors' email addresses must be copied. The department will forward the thesis to the Faculty for examination and will follow up on behalf of the student. 

Requirements for submission of the thesis are: 

• Faculty of Engineering (FEng) Title Page without a page number. 
• Declaration and Approval page with all the signatures on the second page [Page number (i)].  
• Signed UoN Declaration of Originality. 
• Main Thesis Document (Acknowledgement, Table of Contents, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results & Discussion, Conclusions & Recommendations, References and Appendices). 

The thesis will then be forwarded for examination by the Faculty of Engineering. 

Please compile your document into one PDF in the order above and attach the thesis submission form as a separate attachment. 

Filenames of the PDF documents 

The compiled PDF file should be named ' Fresh  Thesis Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. For the fresh thesis, there should be two attachments to the email. 

• Fresh Thesis Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf 
• Thesis Submission Form - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf 

The candidate must use this Submission of Thesis form . 

Thesis Examination and Defence

This examination and defence shall comprise two parts:

• Independent written assessment of the thesis by Internal and external examiners.
• Oral examination of the thesis by a committee of examiners as prescribed by the University of Nairobi statutes. The student may view a past defence presentation on YouTube via this link . Defence is done virtually. Even though the defence is virtual, the student will be expected to be present physically at the University with the student ID and other identification documents. 

Defence The candidate should prepare presentation slides on their research. The student should rehearse to ensure that their presentation lasts no more than 15 minutes.  The candidate may use university slides template to make the slides .

The candidate, in collaboration with the main supervisor, might be given some minor/major corrections to implement. The student will receive a consolidated list of corrections from the first supervisor. The student should ensure that the consolidated list is signed and dated by the supervisor. 

Resubmission of the Corrected Thesis after Thesis Defence and Examination

The student should correct the thesis as advised and prepare a Table of Corrections which should be sent to the main supervisor. The main supervisor will compile the following documents for forwarding to the Dean, Faculty of Engineering: 

• Table of Corrections made by the student. The student should avoid the use of lazy comments such as 'Ammended', 'Done', 'Corrected in Manuscript' or 'Attached'. Instead, the student should make detailed responses to the examiners' comments. Please read this  article on how to properly respond to the examiners' comments. The student may use this Table of Corrections Sample as a guide. 
• Certificate of Corrections. The main supervisor must use this   Certificate of Correction form . 

The supervisor should send the two documents to the Faculty on [email protected] . The supervisor may copy the email to the Department [email protected] . The subject of the email should be ' Certificate of Correction - Student Name - Registration Number '.For example, ' Certificate of Correction - Another Student - F56/1234/2021 '. 

Requirements for submission of the corrected thesis are:

• Main Corrected Thesis Document (Acknowledgement, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results & Discussion, Conclusions & Recommendations, References and Appendices). 
• Digital Repository Agreement Form . (Sent separately with the main thesis) 
• Turnitin Antiplagiarism Report on the Revised Thesis Document. (Sent separately with the main thesis) 
• Another Signed UoN Declaration of Originality . (Sent separately with the main thesis) 
• Valid Student ID. (Sent separately with the main thesis) 

For the corrected thesis, the Digital Repository Agreement Form and the Turnitin Antiplagiarism Report are submitted separately to the final compiled PDF document. The similarity index should be below 15%. (The student and the supervisors should sign and date on the page that shows the percentage). 

Submission of the Revised Thesis

Submission must be done by email in soft copy to [email protected] . The student must copy the supervisors and the Department through  [email protected] . Five (5) separate PDF documents are to be submitted as attachments in ONE email. Do NOT  send the attachments in separate emails. The subject of the email should be as follows, ' Revised Thesis Submission - Student Name - Registration Number '. For example, ' Revised Thesis Submission - Another Student - F56/12345/2021 '. The subject should be in title case (mixed upper and lower cases). Do not use all uppercase letters. All supervisors' email addresses must be copied. Similarly, ensure the registration number on the email subject has slashes (not hyphens).

The PDF file should be named ' Revised Thesis Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021 '. For the revised thesis, there should be five attachments to the email. 

• Revised Thesis Submission - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf 
• Digital Repository Form - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf
• Similarity Index Report - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf
• Declaration of Originality - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf
• Valid Student ID - Student Name - F56-1234-2021.pdf

*The Similarity Index Report should be signed and dated by the student and the supervisors on the page that shows the percentage. 

Valid Student ID

A Valid copy of the Student's ID should is required. Application of the ID is done by the student on their SMIS portal. Where the ID is not valid, the student will be required to apply for the renewal and print out the page showing the renewal application from their SMIS portal. The student will attach the printout page as their application. 

The student may follow up with the Admissions Office. The Admissions Office is located in Room 114, First Floor, Central Administration Office, Main Campus, Harry Thuku Way, Nairobi. 

The student will be required to clear in the following departments and offices:

• Department/Faculty
• Sports & Games
• Halls of Residence
• Faculty Registrar
• Finance Office

Department/Faculty - The department is the mandatory first step of clearance. The student will be given a physical form at the Chairman's office. The student will have the form signed by the technologists of the various laboratories and resubmit it to the department. After resubmission, the clearance on the portal will activated and the status will change. 

Sports & Games - The location of Sports & Games is along Lower State House Road, near the Student's Clinic. 

Library - The location of the library is in JKML. 

Halls of Residence - The student should go to the Student's Welfare Authority along Mamlaka Road, close to Hall 9 and the Students' centre. 

Faculty Registrar - The Faculty Registrar's office is on the second floor of the Central Administration Offices in Main Campus. 

Finance Office - The Student Finance Department is on Room G3, Ground Floor, Mahatma Gandhi Wing, Main Campus, Harry Thuku Way, Nairobi. 

Once you have cleared you will be issued with a Letter of Award from the Senate. 

Library Clearance Procedure for Submission of Soft Copy Thesis

1. Graduating student forwards a duly signed PDF version of their Dissertation/Theses/Project alongside other mandatory documents to their respective Deans.

2. Dean confirm that the above documents meet the expected requirements and forward the same to the Graduate Studies Secretariat for verification for graduation.

3. Graduate Studies Secretariat forwards to the Library the above documents (No.1) for printing and binding through [email protected] for purposes of reference in the respective departments, Libraries and archiving in the repository.

4. The Library Bindery raises invoices and emails to the students to pay for printing and binding services.

5. Printing and Binding Charges are:

• Four (4) copies for PhD theses @Kshs.3,000.00 per copy totalling to Kshs.12,000.00
• Four (4) copies for Masters by Thesis @Kshs.1,950 per copy totalling to Kshs.7.800.00
• Two (2) copies for Postgraduate diploma and Masters by projects/dissertation
• @Kshs.1,450.00 per copy totalling to Kshs.2,900.00Kindly note that all bound copies shall be retained by the University. Any student who requires an extra copy or copies can place a request to the Library after paying for printing and binding charges.

Payment shall be done through either of the following modes:-

LIPA NA MPESA mode. Students using this mode should ensure they use their personal MPESA account and pay by “Buy goods &amp; service” – Till Number 807313.

Deposit to Absa Bank. Account Name: UNES Corporate Account; Branch: Westland Branch; Account Number: 0732255303. Narrative should be the name of the student’s and their Registration Number.

6. Student Scans and forwards a copy of the payment evidence to   [email protected]

7. Bindery confirms payment, clears students for binding services, forwards scanned copies of the clearance form and payment receipt to Graduate Studies Secretariat, Dean and the Student. 8. The Dean initiates the clearance of the student for him/her to seek clearance from various departments. 

NB. Original receipts can be collected from Library bindery at Jomo Kenyatta Memorial

Library (JKML) Main Campus after clearance as per No.8 above.

Completion and Graduation

The student will graduate in the next graduation ceremony after paying the required graduation convocation fee. The mandatory convocation fee is paid to: 

• Bank: ABSA KENYA PLC
• Branch: ABSA Towers
• Account Name: UON MODULE I COLLECTION ACCOUNT
• Account Number: 2032770838
• Amount: 1 000 
• Narrative: Registration Number

Or as advised in memos leading to the graduation ceremony. 

Optional charges are: 

• Hire of graduation gown: KES 4 000.00
• Congregation fee: KES 2 500 (must be paid for those who wish to attend physically)

Collection of Certificate

The graduate should plan to collect their Master's or PhD certificate after the announcement for schedule for collection of certificates is made on the University of Nairobi's main website uonbi.ac.ke . The certificate should be collected from the University of Nairobi Central Examinations Centre, Chiromo Campus. The graduate student should register on the University CRM Portal  on https://graduates.uonbi.ac.ke/ before going to collect the document physically. 

The following will be required before collection of the certificates: 

• Original National Identity Card or Original Passport. 
• Convocation fee receipt for KES 1 000.00

Certificates should be collected by the stipulated date. Any certificate not collected by the stipulated date will be liable to a storage charge of KES 1 000/= per year or part thereof. For avoidance of doubt, any part of a year after the expiry of the collection date shall attract a storage charge of KES 1 000/=. For further information with regards to the collection of the certificate, please contact:

The Academic Registrar University of Nairobi P.O. Box 30917-00100 NAIROBI Telephone: 020-4914201/020-4914202/020-4914204/020-4914203 Mobile: 0700675405 Email:  [email protected]  or [email protected]

Ongoing students can view their status below. The table is sorted by the students' registration numbers in ascending order. 

KEY Turnitin Rcvd - The department has received a similarity index report request from the student. Action required: The department should take action and respond with a similarity index report in not more than five business days. 

Turnitin Snt - The department has scanned and sent back a similarity index report to the student. Action required: The student should take action and submit the proposal, if the similarity index was less than 15%; or revise the document if the similarity index was 15% or more. 

Prpsl Rcvd - The department has received a proposal document with all seven requirements from the student/supervisor. Action required: The chairman should take action and approve the document for forwarding to the FPSC. 

Prpsl Snt - The chairman has signed and has sent the proposal document to the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee. Action required: The FPSC should take action and review the document. 

FPSC Rcvd - The department has received the FPSC reviews. Action required: The department should take action forward the comments to the student. 

FPSC Snt - The department has sent the FPSC reviews to the student. Action required: The student should revise the proposal as per FPSC recommendations. 

NTntn Rcvd - The department has received a similarity index report for the revised thesis proposal from the student. Action required:  The department should scan and send the student the similarity index report. 

NTntn Snt - The department has sent a similarity index report for the revised thesis proposal to the student. Action required: The student should send the department a revised thesis proposal. 

Rev Prpsl Rcvd - The department has received the revised thesis proposal with all 10 requirements. Action required: The chairman should approve the revised thesis proposal and send it to the FPSC. 

Rev Prpsl Snt - The department has sent the revised thesis proposal to the FPSC. Action required: The FPSC should confirm that the student has adopted all the recommendations (or provided adequate rebuttals) to the recommendations it has made. 

Fcmnts Rcvd - The department has received further comments, if any, from the FPSC.  Action required: The department should send the FPSC further comments to the student. 

FCmnts Snt - The department has sent the student further comments from the FPSC, if any. Action required: The student should adopt the FPSC further comments. 

FRev Prpsl Rcvd - The department has received the further revised proposal from the student. Action required:   The chairman should approve the document and forward it to the FPSC. 

FRev Prpsl Sent - The department has sent the further revised proposal to the FPSC. Action required: The FPSC should review the further revised proposal. 

FPSC Aprvl Rcvd - The department has received the minutes from the FPSC granting approval of proposal. Action required: The department will allocate supervisors to the student on the Postgraduate Tracking System and should forward the signed pages and minutes to the student. 

FPSC Aprvl Snt - The department has sent the minutes from the FPSC to the student. Action required: The student should compile the document, upload the document to the Postgraduate Tracking System and forward the compiled document to the department. 

Upl Rcvd - The department has received the complete thesis proposal (with all signatures) for record-keeping. Action required: The department should also request the Dean to request DVC (AA) for official approval of the thesis proposal. 

Upl Snt - The department has sent the complete proposal to the dean's office for record-keeping. Action required: The Dean will request the DVC (AA) for official approval of the thesis proposal. 

Acd Rgstr LttrRcvd - The department has received the letter from the academic registrar. Action required: The department will forward the student the letter of approval to the student. 

Acd Rgstr Lttr Snt - The department has sent the letter from the academic registrar to the student. Action required: The student should begin the research and upload Progress Report Q1. 

Prg 1 Rcvd - The department has received the fully signed Progress Report 1 from the student. Action required: The student should file the second progress report in not less than a month (from submission of Progress Report 1) and begin publishing in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Prg 2 Rcvd - The department has received the fully signed Progress Report 2 from the student. Action required: The student should file the third progress report in not less than a month (from submission of Progress Report 2) and should be in the publication process in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Prg 3 Rcvd - The department has received the fully signed Progress Report 3 from the student. Action required: The student should complete the publication process in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Intt Submit Rcvd - The department has received an 'Intent to Submit' by the candidate. Action required: The department checks whether the student has filled the three progress reports and whether the publication has been made in a peer-reviewed journal.  

Intt Submit Snt - The department has sent the 'Intent to Submit' to the Dean. Action required: The department, chairman and the supervisor in consultation with the Dean will set up a Committee of Examiners. 

CoE Setup - A committee of examiners has been set up. Action required: The dean will request the student to submit the thesis. 

Submt Ths Rcvd - The department has received instruction from the Dean to ask the student to submit the thesis. Action required: The department will forward the instruction to the student. 

Submt Ths Sent - The department has sent the instruction from the Dean to the student asking the student to submit the thesis. Action required: The student should submit the thesis with all the requirements. 

Ths Rcvd - The department has received the thesis from the student. Action required: The Chairman will approve and send the document to the Dean. 

Ths Snt - The chairman has approved the document and has been sent to the Faculty. Action required: The dean will send the thesis to the reviewers for examination. The student will be called for a defence. 

RThs Rcvd - The department has received a revised thesis from the supervisor. Action required: The department will forward the revised thesis to the Faculty. 

RThs Snt - The department has sent the revised thesis to the Faculty. Action required: The Faculty will forward the document to Graduate Secretariat. Action required: The student should clear and prepare for graduation.

Help improve this page by asking questions or seeking clarifications from  [email protected] . Your comments might be incorporated into this page to assist other students. 

Updated: 2024-04-19

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• Graduate School

Current Students

• Final Dissertation & Thesis Submission

IMPORTANT : We are not able to do pre-reviews at this time due to the number of theses being submitted for the April 19th deadline for completing submissions in order to graduate in May. Please wait until you submit your final thesis to cIRcle, and it will be reviewed then. Exception: Doctoral dissertations going out to external examiners will be reviewed, but please allow a minimum of five business days for a response. Do not contact the Library or the cIRcle office about a pre-review. They do not provide them.

NOTE ON DEADLINES: Thesis approval deadlines are for having your thesis fully approved in cIRcle, not just submitted. You are expected to submit at least five days ahead of any deadline in order to allow yourself time to make any needed corrections.

This section is only for final, post-defence submission of theses and dissertations.

Note on terminology: The term "thesis" in this section of the website is used collectively to refer to both master's theses and doctoral dissertations.

Final theses and dissertations are submitted electronically to the Library's electronic repository, cIRcle, where they will be open access.

[CREATIVE ARTS ONLY (Master of Fine Arts/Master of Music): As of October 21, 2017 , for MFA and MMus theses only, you may choose to submit to the collection in cIRcle “Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Creative Arts, 2017+ (CWL ACCESS)”. Access to this collection is permanently restricted to individuals who have a Campus-Wide Login (CWL). The collection is not available to the public. Please see cIRcle: Uploading Electronic Creative Arts Theses and cIRcle: File Format Guidelines .

You must submit your  final, defended thesis electronically to UBC's online information repository, cIRcle . PDF files must be compatible with Adobe Acrobat version 5, and must not be in "secured" format or password-protected . cIRcle does not accept secured or password-protected PDFs due to access and preservation concerns. A scan to PDF is not acceptable. If you have questions, please contact the cIRcle staff .

Your thesis will be reviewed for formatting by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and approved for inclusion in cIRcle. Your program cannot be closed and you will not be eligible to graduate until the content and formatting of the thesis have been officially approved and you have received an official email confirming final approval of your thesis. It is your responsibility to submit a thesis in the correct format and allow time for revisions to be complete in order to meet deadlines.

Note about pre-reviews: If you are preparing for final submission, your thesis will be reviewed more quickly if you submit directly to cIRcle rather than emailing it for review.

We recommend you submit your thesis a minimum of 3 - 5 business days before any deadline , as corrections may be required. Particularly around deadlines, the thesis team is exceptionally busy and there will be delays in activating accounts and reviewing theses. Additionally, you will need time to make any necessary corrections, as your thesis must be approved and accepted into cIRcle (not just submitted) in order for you to meet deadlines.

Thesis Availability

Your thesis will be available online in 3 - 4 days.

IMPORTANT:  If you would like to delay publication of your thesis , you must obtain approval from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies before submitting your thesis.

Submitting Doctoral Dissertation for External Examination

For information on submitting a doctoral dissertation for transmittal to the External Examiner, please see the Final Doctoral Oral Examinations section of this website.

Checking the Thesis

Please use Resources for Thesis Checking to check formatting before attempting to submit your thesis.

Proofreading

Important: It is your responsibility to proofread your thesis carefully before submitting the final version, and to make sure that the thesis you submit is complete, accurate, and free of errors. You cannot make changes to your thesis after it has been accepted into cIRcle, so you will not be able to correct any errors after your final submission. Check for:

• consistent, sequential numbering of sections
• consistent abbreviations and units of measure
• correct symbols and special characters
• consistent headings and capitalization
• consistent line spacing and table formatting
• typographical errors
• grammatical errors

Proofreading is primarily your responsibility, but supervisors and examiners should not sign off on theses until they are free of errors.

The thesis team checks theses to ensure theses meet the formatting requirements, focusing on the preliminary pages and file names. If staff notice egregious mistakes elsewhere in a thesis they may require them to be corrected in the interest of ensuring a professional presentation of the work.

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