Thesis Information
The Graduate School, the University Libraries, and the graduate faculty of Penn State have established format standards that a thesis or dissertation must meet before receiving final approval as fulfillment of a graduate requirement. The Thesis Office is the unit of the Graduate School responsible for certifying that theses and dissertations have been prepared in accordance with these established regulations.
All Penn State doctoral programs require a dissertation, and some master's programs require a thesis. Every thesis and dissertation must be reviewed and approved by Thesis Office staff. They are reviewed for format only and are not edited for spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Master’s papers are not reviewed by the Thesis Office. When a thesis or dissertation is submitted to the Thesis Office, it must meet the formatting and deadline requirements set forth in the latest edition of the Thesis Guide.
Information Technology Services (ITS) offers PSUThesi, a software package that contains a collection of templates including styles, macros, toolbars, menus, and layouts. The Statistical Consulting Center gives free advice to graduate students working on thesis research. The Graduate Writing Center in 111-L Kern Bldg. provides consulting to graduate students in all disciplines.
Doctoral dissertations must be submitted and archived electronically, and electronic submission is now an option for master's candidates. For more information on electronic Theses and Dissertations (eTDs), visit the eTD Web site .
The following items are available on-line:
Questions should be directed to the Thesis Office.
Thesis Office
115 Kern Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814/865-5448
E-mail: gradthesis@psu.edu