The Graduate College
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5242 USA
(269) 387-8212
The Graduate College
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5242 USA
(269) 387-8212
Purpose: This document indicates agreement of the committee to serve in guiding the student through their degree program. Each faculty member on a committee must have active graduate faculty status, and the Graduate College will check for active status before approving the committee.
1. Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free download from Adobe.com. If you don't already have it, download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you already own a paid version of Acrobat, that version should work as well. There are known issues with non-adobe PDF viewer programs in internet browsers, therefore it's best not to use a browser like Firefox, Chrome, etc. (or Preview on Mac) to fill, save, or view Adobe forms. Please note: the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader often comes bundled with free one-month trial software such as McAfee Anti-Virus. If you already have an anti-virus program, installing a second one on top of it may cause your computer's performance to slow noticeably. You do not have to install the free trial software. Un-check the boxes next to those items during the installation of Acrobat.
2. Download and rename the form
Download the form you need and rename it for clarity. We suggest adding your name to the form file name to make it easily recognizable as yours.
3. Open and fill the form with Adobe Acrobat
Your computer might be set up to use another program as the default for opening PDFs. Right-clicking and selecting "open with" or "open with another program" will usually get you to where you can choose Acrobat as the program to open the form. If you like, you can change the preference in your operating system to use Acrobat as default, but it's not necessary at this time. Fill out the form fields first, we'll leave the signing for last.
4. Sign your form
If your form requires your signature at this point, click on the signature box and follow the prompts that Acrobat provides. If you do not have to sign your form, skip to the next step. If you do not already have an Adobe Digital Signature, you will need to configure one at this time. Acrobat will prompt you for the necessary information and you will need to create a password for your signature. We recommend saving your signature (Digital ID) as a file to your personal computer for later use.
5. Route your form for individual signatures one at a time
Often forms require signatures from several people. You must send the form as an email attachment to each of these people one at a time. After receiving the signed version of the form from the first person, save it to your computer and then attach that signed version to the email for the next signature. There's no method to combine separately signed forms, so do not send the form to everyone at once. Include these instructions in your email to your form signers. Every person in the chain must use Adobe Acrobat for each step. Help them help you by sharing these tips to set up Adobe signatures on their computer. You can copy and paste these instructions from this page or download this handy Routing forms digitally PDF version to attach to your email along with your form.
6. Return the completed form
Send the completed version of the form to the appropriate Graduate College email. Email addresses are provided next to each form.
In the event of a LOCKED Graduate College form:
A small number of Graduate college forms are "locked" and are currently being updated to be more flexible in terms of digital signatures. These forms will have instructions to fill out, bring, and send the hard copy for signatures. For locked Graduate College forms that cannot take a digital signature, we will accept an email accompanying the form indicating approval.
Dissertation defense scheduling formPurpose: This document allows the Graduate College to advertise and promote the final defense presentations for doctoral students. The form also ensures that doctoral students are at the proper stage of their program to schedule the defense and allows the Graduate College to anticipate receipt of the approved dissertation. Master’s and Specialist students do not need to use this form, since scheduling of their defenses is done within the department.
Approval form instructions
1. Download and save the approval form file to your desktop or cloud storage.
2. Click in the "Date" field and type in the date of the defense, then tab to the next field.
3. Type your name exactly as it appears on your dissertation or thesis. The name and title on your manuscript must match the approval form exactly.
4. Your title will be inserted in the third field. Again, make sure that the title is typed exactly as it will appear in the manuscript. If your title exceeds the length of the first tile line, place the rest of it on the second line by tabbing to or clicking on that field. There are no quotation marks surrounding the title. If possible, it is suggested to use initial capitalization for your title on the approval form.
5. In the “Degree” field, type the degree being conferred. Then fill out the “Department” and “Program” fields. Sometimes the program name is the same as the department name and sometimes it differs. Please fill in both fields. If you are unsure, check with your department.
6. To list your committee members, tab or click over to the spaces below the signature lines. List the name, then a comma and the abbreviation for the terminal degree received, for example, Marie Maynard Daly, Ph.D. If you have co-chairs, type “Co-chair” after each name and then type their terminal degree.
7. Your committee members will sign the forms upon their approval of the document. They may sign digitally, physically, or through a hybrid. The signature and date spaces at the bottom of the form are reserved for final approval by the dean of the Graduate College.
8. Proofread carefully to ensure all fields of the form is accurate before circulating for signatures. Approval forms with errors or extraneous markings will be sent back to be re-signed and resubmitted, which could delay your graduation.
9. Upload the signed copy of your approval form to ProQuest ETD as part of the materials required to complete your dissertation or thesis submission to the Graduate College
Purpose: This document is signed after the defense and provides proof that the committee members approve the dissertation or thesis and the student has passed the final defense. Once the Graduate College reviews the submitted dissertation or thesis for proper formatting, the Graduate Dean gives the final approval on behalf of the university.
1. Student completes the information section.
2. Student circulates for committee member signatures after successful dissertation or thesis defense.
3. Student uploads a signed approval form as part of their dissertation or thesis submission to ProQuest ETD.
Dissertation approval forms
Thesis approval forms
