Thesis and Dissertation

Composing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Completing a thesis or dissertation is difficult, time-consuming work. Your advisor and/or committee will assist you by providing feedback focused on content and genre. CU Denver’s Writing Center is also available to help with a wide range of services, including reviews and feedback; email writing.center@ucdenver.edu or visit the website to learn about available support.

Format Requirements

Your thesis or dissertation must meet specific format requirements. The Writing Center has developed a short Thesis and Dissertation Format Canvas informational module to guide you. You can self-enroll in this course through this link.

Required Format Reviews 

During your final semester—at least two to three weeks before final submission is due to your committee/department—you must submit your complete or nearly complete thesis or dissertation to the Writing Center for format review. You cannot submit your document to ProQuest for publishing, nor can you graduate, without completing this step. The Writing Center will review your thesis or dissertation to ensure that it is clearly formatted and meets editorial standards.

Timeline and Feedback 

Most students receive initial feedback within three to five business days and then need to make revisions before resubmitting for final review. If you have questions about the required format or the format review process after reviewing the information in the Canvas course, email thesisdissertationsupport@ucdenver.edu. 

Using the ProQuest platform

Completing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Once your committee has approved your thesis or dissertation, you will need to submit your document to ProQuest—an academic research database—for publication. The submission process is quick and easy.

Submission Process

Start by creating an account with ProQuest, selecting your institution (University of Colorado Denver) and your school/college (School of Public Affairs, College of Engineering, etc.). You will need to submit your thesis or dissertation by deadlines specified by your school or college.

Costs

Standard electronic publication with ProQuest is free. Other optional services, such as copyright, are available through ProQuest for a fee. In the U.S., you automatically own the copyright of your original creative authorship, including your thesis or dissertation, once it is recorded.

Bound Paper Copies

If your program, school, or college requires bound physical copies of your thesis or dissertation, you can order directly from ProQuest.