Master's Students

What You Need to Submit Online to LGS

What you need to submit depends on whether or not you are submitting a thesis to earn you Masters degree.

A. If you are not submitting a thesis – if you seek a Masters degree based on candidacy, coursework, or a project – then you need to collect one or two items and submit two or three forms.

First, collect these two items:

  1. An unofficial transcript.  You can obtain this in OPUS.
  2. If you are ending your studies with the Masters degree, collect a certificate showing you completed the Masters Graduate Education Exit Survey Completion Certificate. 
    • Click the link and complete the survey.  At the end, save the certificate page as a pdf document, or take a screen shot of the page.
    • If you are seeking an interim Masters degree – that is, if you are remaining enrolled in your doctoral program – then you do not need this survey certificate.

Second, complete two or three forms available in the Laney Connect Hub.  Log in and click on “Degree Completion” to see links and instructions.

  1. A Masters Completion Form -- for your program to affirm that you have completed all program degree requirements.  Your program will review this form in the Laney Connect system.  Your transcript will be uploaded here.
  2. A Certificate Completion Form (if applicable) -- for a certificate director to affirm that you have completed all requirements for a certificate (if you are completing one).  The certificate director will review this form in the Laney Connect system.
  3. An Apply to Graduate Form.  This is the form that ties all the items together and allows us to review and process your full set of documentation. The Exit Survey certificate will be uploaded here.

B. If you are submitting a thesis then you need to collect three items and submit two or three forms.

Your thesis should be submitted through the ETD Repository.

First, collect these three items:

1. An unofficial transcript.  You can obtain this in OPUS.
2. A signed Distribution Agreement and Approval Page -- for your committee to affirm that they approve your thesis or dissertation.  (This signature form is a DocuSign Power Form. If you are not sure what that is, read this and find out.)
  • When the form has been signed by all, save it as a pdf. You will need a completed approval page before you start the completion form in the Laney Connect Hub.
3. If you are ending your studies with the Masters degree, collect a certificate showing you completed the Masters Graduate Education Exit Survey Completion Certificate. 
  • Click the link and complete the survey.  At the end, save the certificate page as a pdf document, or take a screen shot of the page.
  • If you are seeking an interim Masters degree – that is, if you are remaining enrolled in your doctoral program – then you do not need this survey certificate.

Second, complete three or four forms available in the Laney Connect Hub.  Log in and click on “Degree Completion” to see links and instructions.

  1. An Electronic Theses and Dissertations Repository Submission Agreement (ETD FORM) -- to confirm how your thesis or dissertation will be available in the ETD system.  Your advisor will review and confirm this form in the Laney Connect system.  You should discuss how you intend to complete it with your advisor before you submit it.  To understand the decisions you need to make, you can look at the old pdf version of the form. 
  2. A Masters Completion Form -- for your program to affirm that you have completed all program degree requirements.  Your program will review this form in the Laney Connect system.  Your approval page and your transcript will be uploaded here.
  3. A Certificate Completion Form (if applicable) -- for a certificate director to affirm that you have completed all requirements for a certificate (if you are completing one).  The certificate director will review this form in the Laney Connect system.
  4. An Apply to Graduate Form.  This is the form that ties all the items together and allows us to review and process your full set of documentation. Your transcript, approval page and the Exit Survey certificate will be uploaded here.

Deadlines

All completion items are expected to be submitted by 11:59pm of the Degree Completion Deadline. If you need an extension to submit your dissertation and forms after the posted deadline, see instructions below.

Guidelines, Checklist and Templates

Read this document, "Submitting Your Thesis or Dissertation."  It has a helpful submission checklist and details about each item to be submitted. You will also find templates for items such as the thesis cover page, the approval sheet, and more.

Electronic Theses and Dissertation Repository

Before you submit your forms and thesis or dissertation paperwork, you need to submit electronically to the Electronic Theses and Dissertations Repository, or ETD. Read more on our Electronic Theses and Dissertations Repository page. 

Your ETD record should be submitted before you upload your forms and paperwork.

Required Survey

The Laney Graduate School requires terminal Master's students (not those seeking a Master's on their way to the PhD) to complete the online Master's Graduate Education Exit Survey. The survey is confidential and is essential for producing aggregate data that helps Emory and the national higher education community understand how graduate students progress through their programs and view their educational experiences.

  • Complete this survey before you submit your forms to LGS. 
  • Be sure to upload the required certificate to demonstrate that you have completed the survey. This certificate is available at the end of the survey.

Submission Deadline Extension

In certain circumstances students may need an extension to submit a dissertation or thesis and associated forms after the posted deadline. These request are reviewed by the Laney Graduate School, and must be for an approved reason:

  • advisor, committee member or DGS/Program Director is unavailable
  • illness or other personal emergency
  • I need more time for writing or corrections
  • defense date is on or near the posted submission deadline and I need more time
  • defense date is after the posted submission deadline

If you seek an extension for another reason, you can explain and the Dean may approve. 

To request an extension, visit the Laney Connect Hub to submit the "Request for an Extension of the Deadline to submit Graduation Documents" form.