This write up is meant to supplement the instructions for "Thesis, Treatises, and Dissertations" found on Grad Space in Blackboard at Florida State University. It is meant for students completing their Ph.D. in economics. The intent of this write up is to fill in instructions where some are missing. Requirements can change from year to year so there is a good possibility that these instructions will become obsolete soon.

• Make sure that you fulfill the residency requirement! You cannot graduate unless this has been fulfilled! This entails completing 24 credit hours in one year after you have been granted your masters degree by FSU. This is accomplished by taking 9 units in the fall and spring semester and 6 units during the summer in either your third or fourth year.

• You have to register for a no credit dissertation defense course in the semester you defend. The course number is ECO 8985.

• Suggestions
  • Defend early in the semester
  • Send the defense announcement well before the defense date. This is easy and can be done online. The announcement has to be sent out a certain number of days before the defense. Make sure you adhere to this requirement.
  • Use the Word or Latex templates for your dissertation available in the Grad Space on Blackboard. Abide by their formatting guidelines from the start to save yourself time.
  • You can turn in your preliminary manuscript to the manuscript clearance adviser before you defend. I highly recommend this if you can. The clearance adviser is swamped by the end of the semester and the turn around time is a lot slower if you wait.
  
  
• Forms advice
  • You don't need the signature of the department chair or the dean on the lower left of your signature page. All you need is the sentence at the top, the names and signature lines for the committee members, and the sentence at the bottom.
  • You don't need to fill out the "Thesis, Treatise, Dissertation Research Approval Form." This is an old form that is no longer required.
  
  
• Turning in forms after you defend
  • Turning in all the necessary forms is straight forward. The Graduate school will have a folder for you and they will check off the forms as you turn them in. The key form is the Final Degree clearance form. Before turning this into the Graduate School you have to go to Student Financial Services (over in the stadium) and pay the manuscript fee. Once you pay this fee they will stamp the form and give you a receipt (two copies I think). You then turn this into the Graduate school. They need the stamp and receipt before they'll accept it.