Before submitting your committee:

• Check that all members are listed on the Graduate Faculty website; if not, the program must nominate them.
• Complete the UCF Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Webcourse, download the certificate, add your name, and save it. Attach this certificate when submitting your committee (see info below).
• Initiate the Doctoral and Thesis Advisory Committee Form; this will route to your committee members, your program, your college, then CGS for final processing.
• CGS will notify you when your committee is approved and added to your UCF records.

Committee Submission Timing

There is an Initial Thesis/Dissertation Committee Submission Deadline listed on the UCF Academic Calendar for each semester.

All thesis and dissertation committees must be submitted at least one semester before the anticipated start of thesis or dissertation hours (e.g., submit by deadline in the summer semester if starting in fall).

To change a committee member, a new Doctoral and Thesis Advisory Committee Form must be completed.

You can review your official committee information in your myUCF Student Center under Graduate Students then Thesis and Dissertation Status.

Remember: You cannot complete your final defense without the proper committee listed in your records!

Candidacy is the time between when a doctoral student has completed required coursework and other prerequisites such as exams, but before the completion of their dissertation.

• Check the Graduate Catalog and your Program Handbook for candidacy and dissertation requirements.
• Your program will submit your candidacy application to CGS once you have completed requirements such as the candidacy exam and only have six credit hours of coursework or less left to complete.
• Your dissertation committee and candidacy must be approved by CGS before you can enroll in dissertation hours; UCF requires at least 15 dissertation credit hours, though your program may require more.
• You cannot take all 15 required dissertation hours in one semester.
• Enrolling in at least three dissertation credit hours post-candidacy counts as full-time status.

A thesis is original research or creative work that’s required for students in thesis-based graduate programs, usually starting near the end of your coursework.

• Check the Graduate Catalog and your Program Handbook for candidacy and dissertation requirements.
• Your thesis committee information must be on file with CGS before you can start thesis hours.
• UCF requires at least 6 thesis credit hours, though your program may require more.
• To be considered full-time, students taking both thesis and coursework must enroll in at least 9 credit hours in fall and spring, or 6 credit hours in the summer.
• Master’s students taking only thesis hours can be full-time with at least 3 thesis credit hours.

You must use one of the provided templates (Microsoft Word or LaTeX) located in the Webcourse and follow the instructions carefully to have a properly formatted document.

Compiling all work into a cohesive thesis or dissertation document with proper formatting takes time, so don’t leave it until the last minute!

In your final semester, you must take the following steps to complete the format review process:

• Review all formatting resources in the Webcourse.
• Submit your fully formatted thesis/dissertation as a bookmarked PDF by the Format Review Deadline.
• No exceptions to the review deadline; don’t assume you understand the requirements. Ask questions ahead of time at editor@ucf.edu or attend a workshop.
• Review comments will be returned in 5-7 days but may take longer if submitted closer to the review deadline.
• Avoid requesting status updates; ensure your document is correctly formatted and submitted in the right file type so it is not rejected.
• If your formatting is not approved after the initial review (most are not), you must resubmit until approved.
• Once approved, you’ll receive a PDF with instructions for final submission to STARS (see the final steps page on this site for details).

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) protects the rights and welfare of human participants in research.

UCF faculty, staff, and students must get an IRB approval before conducting any research involving human subjects (including theses and dissertations), even if using secondary data. Your IRB approval or exemption letter must be included in the appendix of your thesis or dissertation.

Are You Doing Human Subjects Research?

If you are not sure if your research involves human subjects, please review the NIH “Am I Doing Human Subjects Research?” Decision Tool to help determine if you need IRB approval. 

• Generally, if you select any of the first four options in the tool, you need to apply to the IRB
• If you select the fifth option and still have questions, contact UCF’s IRB Office
• The UCF IRB website provides resources for the submission process, including instructions for using the Huron IRB system, forms, and templates
• For support, contact the IRB Office at irb@ucf.edu
• You can also reach out to the IRB Ambassador (see IRB Support below)

IRB Webcourse (Required)

All graduate students completing a thesis or dissertation must complete the UCF Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Webcourse and include the completion certificate when submitting their thesis or dissertation advisory committee.

IRB Support

The Office of Research and College of Graduate Studies offer office hours with an IRB Ambassador to help students with the IRB process. The Ambassador can:

• Provide guidance on applying for IRB approval
• Answer questions about the application process
• Help navigate the Huron IRB system
• Meet one-on-one with students (virtually or in person)

Before meeting with the IRB Ambassador, make sure your research proposal and study design are reviewed by your faculty advisor and thesis/dissertation committee.

For questions, email the IRB Ambassador at Zachary.Miller@ucf.edu or schedule a meeting.

University policy and federal law require that intellectual property (IP) from federally funded and other sponsored research be reported to the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT).

If you’re unsure whether your research involves IP or patents, ask your thesis or dissertation chair, as faculty, staff, and students must disclose any inventions resulting from research completed at UCF.

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is information that requires safeguarding, or dissemination controls consistent with applicable law, regulations, and government-wide policies.

It’s not recommended that students use CUI in their thesis or dissertation, as it can’t usually be publicly published, but talk with your committee chair about these implications.

If you must work with CUI, a Technology Control Plan must be completed with UCF’s Office of Export Compliance.