Reviewing the procedures and the “University of Missouri-Kansas City Guide to Formatting Theses and Dissertations” in advance, marking deadlines on your calendar, and being realistic about the amount of time you will need to completed your thesis or dissertation (T/D) can save you time and reduce stress.
All graduate students are required to submit electronic Microsoft Word* copies of their T/D to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) for initial format review and final format review. Initial submission to the SGS should coincide with the submission of the T/D to one’s supervisory committee (which could occur two to three weeks before one’s defense) or by the posted deadlines—whichever comes first. The following forms should be submitted to the SGS with the T/D:
For Summer 2025:
For Fall 2025 and forward:
*If using LaTeX or a similar program and a PDF is the output, then students can mention that in their email and submit a PDF instead of a Word document.
Summer 2025:
Email your files as attachments to UMKC School of Graduate Studies and/or directly to SGS Program Manager Sarah Beach.
Optional:
NOTE: For Fall 2025 and forward, the Preliminary Approval, MOspace License Form, and optional Embargo Form are all online in Kuali. Please navigate to GradProRoo to submit those forms. Only the T/D itself should be emailed to SGS. All the necessary forms should be completed in order for your T/D to be reviewed.
After a student has submitted their T/D and required forms, they will typically be notified within two to four weeks that the initial format review is complete. Students will be informed what formatting revisions, if any, they need to complete. They will also be offered the opportunity to schedule a meeting with Program Manager, Sarah Beach, to discuss the review and receive formatting guidance. Then students complete formatting revisions and follow the instructions provided.
Summer 2025:
After the T/D defense and the supervisory committee approves the final version of the T/D, the student emails it, before the posted deadline to the SGS and/or directly to Sarah Beach for the final format review. After the SGS receives the defense results and document approvals Word or PDF forms from the committee members and completes the final format review, the student will be issued a certificate of acceptance of the T/D and given instructions on how to upload it as a Portable Document Format (PDF) and submit it to UMKC’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Administrator ProQuest.
Fall 2025 and forward:
Immediately following the T/D defense, the primary advisor/committee chair should initiate the online Kuali forms for the (1) T/D defense results (to be completed by all committee members within 48 hours of the defense) and (2) the committee approvals of the final written document (due before the student can upload to ProQuest). Any additional assessment forms needed by an individual unit/program will not be included in this process.
After the SGS receives the required Kuali online committee forms and a student submits their final T/D via email, the SGS completes a final format check. Then the student will be issued a certificate of acceptance of the T/D and be given instructions on how to submit their T/D as a PDF to UMKC’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Administrator ProQuest.
Doctor of Philosophy candidates must also complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates before submitting the final version of their dissertation to ProQuest.
Warning! Papers submitted to ProQuest before SGS format review will be deleted from the system.
After a student uploads their PDF and completes their submission to ProQuest, then it is checked by SGS staff. If it is the correct file and the submission is complete, then it can be accepted. Next, the SGS staff finish the certification process—to show a student completed the T/D requirement for graduation—by finalizing the certification and submitting it and the T/D report of results and final evaluation forms to the Office of the Registrar for processing.
If a T/D is found to be unacceptable or incomplete, students may be asked to consult with their advisor and supervisory committee and reapply for graduation and resubmit their T/D for a following semester.
After an ETD has been delivered to ProQuest, then the abstract and citation, and in most cases the full-text version, will be available through ProQuest and MOspace--a digital institutional repository for the University of Missouri System.