Degree Checklist


School of Pharmacy Graduate Departments

Medicinal Chemistry - Pharmaceutical Chemistry - Pharmacy Practice - Pharmacology & Toxicology - Neurosciences

Term Deadlines

Tue, Sept 2
Early Fall 2025 Deadline: As a graduate student, if you complete all requirements on the list below by Tuesday, September 2nd, the Fall 2025 Early Graduation Deadline, you will receive a Fall 2025 degree and are not required to enroll for the Fall 2025 term.
Fri, Dec 12
Fall 2025 Deadline: To qualify for a Fall 2025 degree, you must complete all requirements by the Fall 2025 Graduate Application for Graduation Deadline, Friday, December 12
Tue, Feb 3
Early Spring 2026 Deadline: As a graduate student, if you complete all requirements on the list below by Tuesday, February 3rd, the Spring 2026 Early Graduation Deadline, you will receive a Spring 2026 degree and are not required to enroll for the Spring 2026 term.

Degree Checklist

You can utilize the Degree Checklist Overview below.

The School of Pharmacy will verify that all items on the are completed by the deadline. Any requirement not submitted or submitted after the deadline will cause graduation to be delayed.  In addition SOP verifies the following as part of the final degree certification after the deadline: Satisfactory completion of the final exam or defense, and correct formatting of the thesis.

To be considered a degree candidate in any given semester, all degree requirements must be fulfilled and required documentation submitted no later than the University-wide Application for Graduation deadline. 

The University has also established an early degree completion deadline that some students may wish to take advantage of. If a student meets all departmental and University requirements by this deadline, and was enrolled during the previous semester, they are able to graduate for that semester without having to enroll for that semester. This deadline falls approximately two weeks after the start of the Fall and Spring semesters, one week after the start of the Summer session. 

The checklist below provides a general overview of requirements.

1. Consult with Your Graduate Coordinator/Department

Confirm that all academic requirements for the degree have been met, and your department has submitted your final exam/defense outcome online (PTD form).

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2. Apply for Graduation

Submit your application for graduation in Enroll & Pay. If you have applied to graduate in a previous term and did not meet the graduation deadline, the application for graduation does not roll over into another semester, therefore, you must request to rescind and re-apply.

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3. Submit Signed Acceptance Page

Submit your signed acceptance page to Patti Steffan. The acceptance page requires only committee chairperson’s (or co-chairpersons') signature(s). Electronic signatures are accepted. This page must comply with formatting guidelines

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4. Submit ETD Release Form

Review and sign the KU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Release Form. Patti Steffan provides the School signature at the bottom of page one. The title of your dissertation as written on this form must match exactly the final title of the electronic dissertation submission. If you need to place an embargo on your dissertation, you must also obtain the signature of your department's Director of Graduate Studies, Chairperson, or your Committee Chair on the bottom of page two. Submit both pages of signed document to psteffan@ku.edu

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5. Submit Dissertation to ProQuest

Submit the PDF version of your dissertation to the ProQuest submission site. It is very important to comply with dissertation formatting guidelines when preparing the submission. Your submission will be reviewed and approved by Patti Steffan. Your work will not be available through ProQuest until that time. You may order bound copies of your work for an additional cost. Please see the timeline and resources on the Graduating Students page

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6. Complete Doctoral Surveys

Doctoral students should complete two surveys: KU’s Doctoral Completion Survey (DCS) and the national-level Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). After completing both surveys, please email the Certificate of Completion to psteffan@ku.edu

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