F3.2 Dissertation Plans A and B

Updated: May 11th, 2012

Students are advanced to candidacy according to the dissertation plan followed by their departments. A list showing which programs use Plan A or Plan B appears in the “Graduate Education” section of the General Catalog (http://www.berkeley.edu/catalog).

Most doctoral programs follow Plan B, which requires a three-member committee to evaluate the dissertation. A final defense may be required at the discretion of the committee.

Plan A requires a five-member committee and a final oral defense (also known as the Final Examination) is mandatory. The first three members of a Plan A committee must approve the dissertation and sign the signature page; the other two committee members may also sign off on the dissertation, but that is optional. Under the direction of the committee chair, the five members administer the student’s final oral defense of the dissertation. A written memo reporting the results of the Final Examination must be sent to the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, #5900) before the degree can be awarded.

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