Degrees and certificates are awarded three (3) times per year:

January (fall graduates) – no ceremony

May (spring graduates) – Unified ceremony and Law School diploma ceremony

July (summer graduates) – no ceremony

If you graduate in fall or summer, you may participate in the Unified Commencement and Law School diploma ceremonies the following spring. Information regarding graduation events and the Unified Commencement Ceremony can be found on the Tulane Commencement website at https://commencement.tulane.edu/.

Important Deadlines

Deadline	Date
Last day to submit Application for Degree Form to Academic Services.	October 2, 2020 (Fall) February 5, 2021 (Spring)                                             June 5, 2021 (Summer)
Last day for SJD/Ph.D. students to submit dissertations in final form.	December 5, 2020 (Fall) April 30, 2021 (Spring) July 15, 2021 – Payson PhD (summer)                         June 15, 2021 (Summer) – Law SJD
Deadline for payment of all Fees	December 1, 2020 (Fall) April 30, 2021 (Spring) June 1, 2021 (Summer)
Degrees conferred	January 22, 2021 (Fall) Master of Jurisprudence  – 12/31/20 (Fall) May 22, 2021 (Spring) July 22, 2021 (Summer) Master of Jurisprudence – 8/15/21 (Summer)

Diplomas

The Registrar’s Office distributes diplomas. Diplomas are not available until after the degree is conferred. Because there is no commencement in Summer or Fall, graduates complete a In Absentia form to obtain their diploma if they will not be attending the next spring commencement ceremony. Students may opt to pick up their diploma, have the diploma mailed, or request that the diploma be held by the Registrar’s Office until May commencement.  Diplomas for the May commencement will be distributed at the Law School diploma ceremony. To assist the Academic Services office in providing you with important information, your current, valid mailing address and a current email address should be on file. This information should be included on the Application for Degree form. These forms are required to complete the degree process. The forms can be obtained from the Academic Services office in Weinmann Hall, Room 204. The information on the application for graduation form is also provided to the University Registrar for mailing your diploma if you wish it to be mailed to you. An acceptable mailing address, not a post office box number, must be provided on this form. The address can be used by all university offices to provide you with information about graduation.

Required Forms

All students who wish to graduate must complete an application for degree. Applications for degree must be submitted to the Academic Services Office and filed for the current term. Applications filed in previous terms are not valid. (Should you not graduate when expected, it is your responsibility to complete another degree application)

Application for Degree (Graduate Professional Schools) –  (must be filed for the current term)

Students earning a Ph.D. or S.J.D. degree must also complete the following forms:

Payson Center PhD Final Exam Oral Defense Form.docx

SJD Dissertation Publication Form (SJD candidates only)

Hein Legal Theses and Dissertations Microfiche Project

Dissertation Submission

Understandably, submitting dissertation can be the most challenging and stressful part of completing one’s degree requirements. The S.J.D. and Ph.D. students should allow themselves ample time to defend their dissertations and complete any necessary revisions before the posted submission deadline. The dissertation submitted for S.J.D. candidates must be the final copy, on archival quality paper (acid-free, 100% cotton), with original signatures of the committee and must be submitted in person. Ph.D. candidates will be submitting their approved dissertation electronically through ProQuest/UMI using their online site at http://www.etdadmin.com/law.tulane. All candidates must submit a digital copy of the approved thesis or dissertation, complete with committee signatures, to the Howard Tilton Memorial Library Theses and Dissertations Archive at https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/theses_and_dissertations. (mandatory requirement).
All Dissertations have to be in a specific format. Formatting instructions can be found in the Guidelines for Preparing Dissertations. Dissertations are not accepted after the submission deadline.

Minority and Women Graduates

Minority and Women Doctoral Directory is a registry which maintains up-to-date

information on employment candidates who have recently received, or are soon to

receive, a Doctoral or Master’s degree in their respective fields.

National Minority Faculty Identification Program is a service for member

institutions and minority candidates seeking first-time or advanced faculty positions in higher education.