GSAS adopts electronic submission of the dissertation

Until now, a key part of receiving a Ph.D. from Harvard was taking a cab ride to a factory in Charlestown (it was not T-accessible) to have your dissertation bound.

Now that scenic journey is a thing of the past.

After a pilot program launched by GSAS to great success among March degree candidates, all future Harvard Ph.D. dissertations will be submitted electronically for degree completion, binding, and archiving.

Working with ProQuest/UMI, the national repository for dissertation archiving, GSAS has developed a simple online interface where students can upload a PDF version of their dissertation. The submission portal incorporates and streamlines various paper documents students once had to submit to the Registrar’s Office, adding order to the process.

“In a sense, electronic submission dilutes that momentous feeling of actually holding your bound dissertation in your hands,” says Garth McCavana, dean for student affairs for GSAS, “but students have overwhelmingly felt that the time gained and the convenience far outweighs those sentiments.”