Upon formal approval of the prospectus, the student commences the writing of the dissertation. Following the approval of the prospectus, one chapter per year of the dissertation must be submitted to the advisor. The length of dissertations is limited to a maximum of approximately 75,000 words or 300 pages, exclusive of bibliography. Permission to exceed this length may be granted by the Doctoral Subcommittee or the Chairman at the request of the dissertation advisor.
Once the dissertation is completed and approved by the advisor, the degree candidate is examined orally by a committee of at least three faculty readers, two of whom must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. In practice, any member of HDS faculty who is eligible to serve on the Standing Committee in the Study of Religion is authorized to sign Dissertation Acceptance Certificates as FAS members. Any faculty members from other schools at Harvard who have held or currently hold appointments in the CSR are authorized to sign Dissertation Acceptance Certificates as FAS members.
Please review this comprehensive guide to degree submission, form of dissertation, and electronic submisssion to Registrar: Dissertations: A Guide to Preparing and Submitting Your Dissertation.
The entire Ph.D. program should not exceed seven years. Students who do not complete the degree in seven years must petition the Committee for an extension of time in the program. Petitions may be made only for one year at a time. In such a petition, the student and the dissertation advisor must present evidence of reasonable and substantial progress as well as a timetable for completion of the dissertation. Extensions will not be granted beyond the tenth year.
The Timing of Submission to the Standing Committee
When you are within reach of completing your dissertation draft, your dissertation advisor should write a letter to the Standing Committee proposing an examining committee. The advisor’s letter should be received at least one week prior to the Standing Committee meeting at which it would be considered. Please check the website calendar for meeting dates of the Standing Committee or contact the office of the Study of Religion for dates in order that you and your advisor may plan the timing of submission and defense.
The final dissertation draft must be submitted directly to each reader and to the Study of Religion Office. Once the examining committee is in place, a date for the dissertation defense will be set. In anticipating a defense date, keep in mind that your readers may need up to six weeks of reading time. You will need to prepare a dissertation abstract, not to exceed 350 words, prior to the dissertation defense. This document is required for publication in Dissertation Abstracts International.
Prior to your defense, the Program Administrator will prepare and deliver to the Chair of your committee your Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC). If no revisions are required, or as soon as any and all revisions are completed, and all examiners have signed the DAC, it should be returned to the Study of Religion office. The completed DAC will be scanned for the student and for the office; the original will be delivered to the Registrar’s Office.
Upon submission of the electronic copy of the dissertation, you will be required to submit a signed University Microfilms International form (included in the Registrar’s online submission tool).
Degree Applicant Deadlines - The submission and application dates are generally the same each year. Students must check for the current deadlines, as late submissions are not accepted. The previous year’s dates can be used as a guide for planning, until a current year’s deadlines are posted.
Registration During Dissertation Years
Throughout your doctoral program, you must be registered as a full-time student. You may register in various ways depending on your location, financial needs and progress to degree. Please review the Non-Resident option in the GSAS Student Handbook. If you need to interrupt your program, you may register for a Leave of Absence by application to GSAS. Students may also benefit from the Exchange Scholar Program, which allows for registration with a select group of schools which participate in the program with Harvard GSAS.
Graduation & Diplomas
An application for degree must be submitted by the deadline indicated in the Degree Calendar for a student to receive a degree from a GSAS degree program on one of the three annual degree conferral dates. Please refer to the current guidelines for preparation and submission of the dissertation in the GSAS Handbook.
Online submission of the dissertation is required by the Graduate School. Please review the submission details found on the FAS Registrar’s site. No exceptions are granted for late submissions, nor are improperly formatted submissions accepted. Carefully review the formatting guidelines - you are responsible for proper formatting of the required documents.
The signed, original Dissertation Acceptance Certificate following must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by 5:00 PM on the dissertation deadline date. No exceptions are allowed.
Registration and Tuition for Graduating Students
March degree candidates: the last term of enrollment is the fall term; do not register for spring.
May degree candidates: the last term of enrollment is the spring term.
November degree candidates: the last term of enrollment is the previous spring term.
Students who do not deposit a dissertation by the deadline, must register for the fall term. Please see the current degree calendar on in the GSAS Handbook. Deadlines for health coverage selections may differ from degree submission deadlines; it is your responsibility to plan accordingly.
In addition to academic requirements, students are required to meet the financial requirements for the degree. For details please review the Financial Aid & Requirements section of the GSAS Handbook.
