Graduate Student Milestones and Guidelines

1. Initiate the Process

To begin the defense process, submit the following to your GPSA in a single email no later than the deadline listed on the academic calendar:

• M.S. Thesis Defense Petition Form: for this you need to form your thesis committee. See the Master’s Thesis Committee Formation Guidelines for composition requirements.
  Complete the Registrar's M.Sc. Thesis and Ph.D. Defense Petition Form and list all committee members. Submit it to your GPSA no later than the “last day to submit M.S. thesis defense petition” listed in the academic calendar. The GPSA will circulate the form for signatures.
• Abstract of Your Thesis
• Your Transcript

2. Share Your Thesis

• Share your thesis: Once your committee is approved, share your thesis with all committee members at least three weeks before the scheduled defense date. Late submissions may result in rescheduling your defense.

3. Complete the Post-Defense Steps

• M.S. Thesis Defense Result Form
  Complete all sections (including committee members name) on the M.S. Thesis / Ph.D. Result Form and share it with your GPSA for further processing. This step should be completed three days from your defense date or on "the last day to submit the M.S. thesis defense result" as stated on the academic calendar.
• Turnitin Report and Advisor Approval
  After sending the Turnitin report to your advisor, you can initiate their final approval using this online form. This is needed to start the archiving process for your thesis.
• ORCID Registration
  Create your ORCID iD at orcid.kaust.edu.sa.
• Final Thesis Archiving
  Submit your thesis to the KAUST Repository within 15 days of your defense or by the final archiving deadline, whichever comes first.

For more details, refer to the step-by-step user guide or contact your GPSA.

Master’s Thesis Committee Formation Guidelines

The M.S. thesis defense committee must include a minimum of three members and may have up to four members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows: 

Member	Role	Affiliation
1	Faculty	Primary affiliation within the student’s program
2	Faculty	Primary affiliation within the student’s program
3	Faculty	Primary affiliation outside of the student’s program
4	Faculty or research scientist (optional)	Affiliation within or outside of KAUST

Notes

• The committee must be approved by the Dean.
• Members 1-3 are mandatory, while member 4 is optional. 
• The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee. If the advisor holds a primary affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 1. If the advisor has a secondary or one-time affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 3.
• The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 4.
• Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-4, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s advisor or co-advisor.
• Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
• Visiting Professors may only serve as member 4.
• Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.

1. Initiate the Process

Start by reviewing your admitted year Program Guide to determine your proposal timeline.

To begin the defense process, submit the following to your GPSA in a single email no later than the deadline listed on the academic calendar:

• CEMSE Petition for Ph.D. Proposal Defense form and list all committee members. See the Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal Committee Formation Guidelines for composition requirements.
• Abstract of your thesis

Form your dissertation committee and submit the Committee Formation Form for Dean’s approval at least one month before your scheduled defense.

2. Share With Committee

Once your committee is approved, your next step is to prepare and submit your proposal. This stage includes both a written and oral component:

• Written Proposal: A 10-page (suggested length) proposal describing the proposed topic of research, relevant survey of the literature and any preliminary results or laboratory preparation. This should be submitted to the examining committee at least 10 days prior to the scheduled presentation.This should be submitted to your examining committee at least 10 days prior to the scheduled presentation.
• Oral Presentation:  Approximately 30 minutes on the dissertation topic presented to the examining committee, followed by questions to cover a total period of an hour.

3. Complete the Post-Defense Steps

Complete all sections (including committee members name) on the M.S. Thesis / Ph.D. Result Form and share it with your GPSA for further processing. This step should be completed three days from your defense date or on "the last day to submit the M.S. thesis defense result" as stated on the academic calendar.

Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal Committee Formation Guidelines

The Ph.D. proposal defense committee must include a minimum of three members and may have up to four members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows: 

Member	Role	Affiliation
1	Faculty	Primary affiliation within the student’s program
2	Faculty	Primary affiliation within the student’s program
3	Faculty	Primary affiliation outside of the student’s program
4	Faculty or research scientist (optional)	Affiliation within or outside of KAUST

Notes

• The committee must be approved by the Dean.
• Members 1-3 are mandatory, while member 4 is optional. 
• The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee. If the advisor holds a primary affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 1. If the advisor has a secondary or one-time affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 3.
• The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 4.
• Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-4, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s advisor or co-advisor.
• Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
• Visiting Professors may only serve as member 4.
• Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.

Please consult your Graduate Program Student Advisor (GPSA) if any part of the process is unclear. Be sure to check the academic calendar on the Registrar’s Office website for key deadlines, including:

• Last day to submit Ph.D. defense petition
• Last day to submit Ph.D. defense result
• Last day to archive Ph.D. dissertation

1. Initiate the Process

• When you are ready to defend your Ph.D., submit the Petition for Ph.D. Dissertation Defense form no later than the deadline listed in the academic calendar. See the Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Committee Formation Guidelines for composition requirements.
• Once your petition is approved, you must share your dissertation with the internal committee members as early as possible.
• Do not proceed with the defense until your advisor confirms:

1. They have received the external examiner’s evaluation report, and
2. They have reviewed and approved the final version of your dissertation.

• Submit any updates to your dissertation (if changes were made after your petition). Revised versions must be shared with the internal committee and clearly highlighted.
• If your external examiner is participating remotely, set up a Zoom link and share it with them ahead of the defense.

No dissertation will be accepted without your advisor’s confirmation that it is ready for submission to the dean and the external examiner.

2. Submit the Defense Announcement

• At least two weeks before the scheduled defense date, complete the following:

1. Send defense details tocemse@kaust.edu.sa for the announcement, including:
   • Thesis title
   • Abstract
   • Brief biography
   • Date and time of the defense
   • Location (e.g., Building 1, Level 1, Room 1111)
   • Name of your academic advisor
   • A high-resolution photo Minimum size: 1920×1080 (preferred: 3840×2160). If your CEMSE faculty/student profile already has a suitable image, no new photo is needed. If not, please schedule a photo session by emailing cemse@kaust.edu.sa.

3. Complete the Post-Defense Steps

• Ph.D. Defense Result Form
  Complete the Ph.D. Defense Result Form with your details and list of committee members. Submit it to your GPSA for signature circulation within three calendar days of your defense or by the official deadline—whichever comes first.
• Final Approval
  After sending your Turnitin report to your advisor, initiate their approval using this online form. This is needed to start the archiving process for your dissertation.
• ORCID Registration
  Create your ORCID iD at orcid.kaust.edu.sa.
• Submit to KAUST Repository
  Upload your dissertation to the KAUST Repository within 15 days of your defense or by the academic calendar’s archiving deadline—whichever comes first.
• For more details, refer to the step-by-step user guide or contact your GPSA.

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Committee Formation Guidelines

The Ph.D. dissertation defense committee must include a minimum of four members and may have up to five members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows:

Member	Role	Affiliation
1	Faculty	Primary affiliation within the student’s program
2	Faculty	Primary affiliation within the student’s program
3	Faculty	Primary affiliation outside of the student’s program
4	External examiner	Affiliation outside of KAUST
5	Faculty or research scientist (optional)	Affiliation within or outside of KAUST

Notes

• The committee must be approved by the Dean.
• Members 1-4 are mandatory, while member 5 is optional. 
• The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee. If the advisor holds a primary affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 1. If the advisor has a secondary or one-time affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 3.
• The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 5.
• Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-3 or 5, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s co-advisor. They cannot be the advisor of the student and cannot serve as the chair of the committee.
• Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
• Visiting Professors may only serve as member 5, but they are not permitted to serve as external examiner.
• Guidelines for selecting the external examiner can be found here.
• Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.