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 Defence Petition Form
  Complete the form with your details 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

• Form your thesis committee: See the Master’s Thesis Committee Formation Guidelines for composition requirements.
• 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 Post-Defense Steps

• M.S. Thesis Defense Result Form
  Complete the information section in the M.Sc. Thesis and Ph.D. Defense Petition Form and enter the names of all the committee members on the M.S. Thesis and Ph.D. Result Form and share it with your GPSA (they will circulate it for signatures) by whichever comes first between the two options: Three days from your defense date or “last day to submit MS defense result” (see 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 archiving processing 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 30 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.

Please consult your Graduate Program Student Affairs (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

• If you are ready to defend your Ph.D, submit the online form no later than the deadline listed in the academic calendar.
• 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:
  • They have received the external examiner’s evaluation report, and
  • They have reviewed and approved the final version of your dissertation.

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

2. Share with Committee

• Form your thesis committee: See the Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Committee Formation Guidelines for composition requirements.

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

1. 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.
2. Send defense details to cemse@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 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 30 days of your defense or by the academic calendar’s archiving deadline—whichever comes first.

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 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 4.
• Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.
• Members of the proposal defense committee must remain on the dissertation defense committee. Any exceptions to this rule require approval from both the student’s advisor and the Dean.

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Committee

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 on the CEMSE page.
• Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.