Prior to the defense of the thesis, the chair of the student's committee must send a memorandum (Request for Defense of Thesis) including a list of all committee members, the date of the defense, and a request for the Authority Form to the Graduate College. The Authority Form will not be issued if the student has not filed an Admission to Candidacy form and enrolled in at least two credit hours of 5980 during the semester the examination is to be taken.
The defense will be oral. The defense will largely be restricted to information pertinent to the thesis project. Within 72 hours after the thesis defense, the Report Form (the reverse side of the Authority Form) must be returned to the Graduate College with the results and signatures of all committee members. If one member dissents, a minority report must be filed with the Graduate Dean. If the committee consists of three members of which two dissent, the performance is graded as unsatisfactory. If the committee consists of more than three members and two dissent, a minority report must be filed and the Graduate Dean will investigate. The Dean’s decision will be final. If more than two members cast an unsatisfactory vote, the defense is to be graded unsatisfactory.
Only one attempt is afforded the candidate in defending the thesis. If the defense is graded unsatisfactory, this decision is final and the defense cannot be repeated. Courses taken prior to failing the thesis defense can count for no more than 25 percent of the credit hours required for a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. These courses must be applied to an academic program other than the one in which the student failed the defense. The student must gain admission to a different program and have the permission from that department and the Dean of the Graduate College to include any courses used from the previous graduate program.
