Thesis and Dissertation Format Review, Certification, and Submission Approval Process

All graduate students are required to submit their thesis or dissertation (T/D) to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) for the format review, certification, and submission approval process.

They are required to provide their T/D to their supervisory committee chair for preliminary approval and completion of the Preliminary Approval Kuali form, so it is received by the SGS for format review by the posted deadlines shown below. The following Kuali forms should be submitted online by the deadlines:

• Preliminary Approval (Kuali Form)
• MOspace License Agreement (Kuali Form)
• Thesis-Dissertation Delayed Release (Embargo) Form (Kuali Form; optional; for current students) 

SGS staff will conduct an initial format review of the T/D document and provide the student with requested revisions they will need to complete.

Immediately following the T/D defense, the supervisory committee chair/primary advisor should initiate the online Kuali forms:

1. T/D Defense Results (to be completed by all committee members within 48 hours of the defense) and
2. T/D Final Approvals of the final written document (due before the student can submit to ProQuest).

Note: Any additional assessment/evaluation forms needed by an individual program/department are not included in this SGS process.

SGS staff will perform a final format review after receiving the required Kuali forms and a student's final, committee-approved T/D. A student may be asked to complete formatting revisions before the SGS will issue a certificate of acceptance of the T/D and provide the student with instructions to submit it as a PDF to UMKC’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Administrator ProQuest. After acceptance in, and delivery to, ProQuest, full-text versions will be available through ProQuest and MOspace--a digital institutional repository of the University of Missouri System.

UMKC Formatting Guidelines

The “University of Missouri-Kansas City Guide to Formatting Theses and Dissertations” is the main document resource for formatting guidance. The formatting guide was revised in Fall 2025.

UMKC Formatting Resources

• T-D Format Guide (Revised September 2025)
• T-D Format Checklist (Revised September 2025)
• T-D Citation Styles (Revised January 2026)
• T-D Degree Program List (Revised September 2025)
• T-D Template (Revised August 2025) available - email Sarah Beach for a copy

Formatting Guidance Workshops

Formatting guidance workshops are typically held each Fall and Spring semester for students who are ready to start, or are already, working on their T/D. Attendance at a workshop is highly encouraged.

Spring 2026 workshop dates and times:

1. Monday, February 16, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Administrative Center Brookside Room, 5115 Oak ST, and via Zoom
   • Please register with your UMKC email address whether attending in person or via Zoom: Formatting Guidance Workshop Registration
2. Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Administrative Center Brookside Room, 5115 Oak ST, and via Zoom
   • Please register with your UMKC email address whether attending in person or via Zoom: Formatting Guidance Workshop (Repeat) Registration

Fall 2025 workshops: September 10th, 18th, Administrative Center and via Zoom

Format Guidance Workshop Presentation from September 2025

UMKC Digital Accessibility Guidelines and Resources

• UMKC Digital Accessibility
  • Accessible Content Best Practices
  • CAFE Creating Accessible Documents: 7 Simple Steps
  • UMKC University Libraries Miller Nichols Library Accessibility

Thesis and Dissertation Deadlines

Thesis and dissertation deadlines downloadable PDF

1. All SGS T/D deadlines are by 5:00 pm Central Time
2. Preference is for students to submit initial T/D Word file 2-3 weeks before defense or by the date listed in the table - whichever comes first
3. Preference is for students to submit final T/D Word file within 2-3 weeks after defense or by the date listed in the table - whichever comes first
4. UMKC is closed for Winter Break December 25, 2025 - January 1, 2026
5. UMKC is closed for Winter Break December 25, 2026 - January 3, 2027

Thesis and Dissertation Forms

• Preliminary Approval of Thesis or Dissertation
• MOspace License Agreement
• Thesis or Dissertation Defense Results
• Thesis or Dissertation Final Approvals (of the written document)
• Embargo Request for Thesis or Dissertation (for current students)
• Embargo Request for Thesis or Dissertation – External (for former students)

• Interdisciplinary Ph.D. students: Forms for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program
• Natural Sciences Ph.D. students: Forms for the Natural Sciences Ph.D. Program
• Graduate students outside of Interdisciplinary and Natural Sciences programs: Forms for Graduate Students

Additional Resources

• UMKC Office of Research Services
  • Research Compliance Office (IACUC, IBC, IRB, RSC, HIPAA)
• UMKC Libraries
  • Graduate Writing Resources
  • Copyright Quick Guide
    • Email questions to a team of UMKC librarians: copyright@umkc.edu 
  • Citation Rules & Tools
• UMKC Graduate Writing Initiative (Consultations, Events, Groups, Resources)
• MOspace Institutional Repository
  • View recent UMKC Theses and Dissertations on MOSpace
• Digital library of UMKC theses and dissertations from ProQuest
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses repository
• Information from ProQuest on publishing your T/D
• UMKC ETD Administrator (ProQuest Submission Link) – Warning! Papers submitted to ProQuest before SGS format review and approval will be deleted from the system.
• UMKC Digital Accessibility
  • Accessible Content Best Practices
  • CAFE Creating Accessible Documents: 7 Simple Steps