Dissertation Defense

MD-PhD students should schedule their defense by March 1, with a defense date of no later than April 1 to allow for a smooth transition back to medical school. Please refer to the PhD Chapter for information on the dissertation, published manuscript, dissertation committee, defense, and seminar.

Dissertation Deposit

MD-PhD students should read the full Doctoral Dissertation Deposit Instructions, which can be found on the Graduate School Forms website. In short, MD-PhD students should do the following:

1. In one email, submit a signed voting form to the Registrar team, Kristy DiPalma, and Hoiyan “Shirley” Chan, and the MD-PhD Administrative Director ([e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]).

2. Follow the remaining instructions on the Dissertation Defense Checklist and follow the instructions for depositing the dissertation, with the exception of the checkout form, which is completed at the end of the program. These documents can also be found here - https://icahn.mssm.edu/education/students/registrar/graduate-forms

3. Contact the MD-PhD Coordinator for the signature of the Graduate School Dean, which is needed on the approval page in your dissertation.

4. Deposit your dissertation using ProQuest.

5. To be eligible for degree conferral, the thesis must be deposited by April 15 for the May conferral date. The next degree conferral date is September 30. The application deadline for the September conferral is August 1. Please submit the following materials to the Registrar (Kristy DiPalma):

   • CV

   • Complete this form and send the certificate to Kristy/Registrar

   • Email Kristy/Registrar once the thesis has been deposited and accepted by ProQuest, so she may confer the PhD degree

6. The dissertation must be both defended and deposited by May 15 to return to the MD curriculum.

If an MD-PhD student fails to deposit their dissertation by the end of their seventh year in the program (fifth year in the PhD-phase), their dissertation advisor must petition the Dean of the Graduate School in writing for permission to extend their student status. The petition must include a timetable for completing the dissertation and must also be signed by the student.

Please refer to the PhD Chapter for information on degree award date and revision timeline.