Completing Your Program
Wrapping Up at Brandeis and Officially Graduating
To receive your degree, you must first file an application to graduate, which will be available in Workday on February 12. The next deadline to file this form is March 3, 2025 for May degrees. You should also fill in your diploma name and address in Workday.
If you are a PhD candidate submitting a dissertation or a master’s student submitting a thesis, visit GSAS’s Thesis and Dissertation Guide for information on formatting and submitting it, including submitting the associated forms.
The current deadline to defend a dissertation is March 21, 2025 for May degrees. As part of the defense process, you must schedule your defense and submit this calendar form to GSAS at least two weeks before the defense date so that your defense can be included on the public GSAS calendar. You and your committee can work together to determine whether the defense will be in-person, remote, or hybrid; the outside reader can always participate remotely if you wish.
Towards the end of your last semester, you will receive an exit survey from GSAS and, if you are earning a PhD, the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) from the National Science Foundation. The GSAS exit survey asks specific questions about your experience in your program here, while the SED collects information that helps assess trends in doctoral education. Please complete both surveys, as they will help us learn about your experiences here and make needed improvements for future students.
People who graduated in the previous August or February, as well as people graduating in May, are all invited to participate in the annual Commencement ceremony. At the Master’s level, a student who is on track to complete all of the requirements of their degree by the end of the summer term may walk in the May Commencement ceremony. At the PhD level, all requirements of the degree (including dissertation defense, revision, submission, and acceptance by the graduate school administrator) must be completed prior to walking in the May Commencement ceremony.
In March (following your graduation if you are an August or February graduate or preceding your graduation if you are a May graduate), you will receive an email with information about ordering regalia for Commencement. Once you have ordered, your regalia will be available to pick up in the Brandeis Bookstore in the week prior to Commencement. You will also receive an email about ordering Commencement tickets, and information about locations and overall logistics will be available on the Commencement website.
Practical Support For Your Next Steps
A Special Note to International Students
You should contact the ISSO prior to completing your program to discuss your options.
Professional Support for your Next Steps
Visit our professional development website to learn more about diverse career paths, access career information about where recent alums are working, and find resources and templates for CVs, resumes, LinkedIn, informational interviewing, and more!
Professional development serves alums as well as current students. Schedule a one-on-one consultation with our team to talk through your next step in your career.
Join our alum network on LinkedIn to build your network!
You will automatically become a member of the Brandeis Alumni Association, which will allow you to stay connected to the Brandeis family. Check out the Alumni Association’s LinkedIn and Facebook pages for opportunities to connect with other alums in your field. As an alum, you can participate in clubs and groups, use the BConnect online network, and access additional alum benefits.