Late-August/Early-September: Attend a required format workshop with the CTW and the Library.

Acquire an editor no later than October 1st (optional). Requests made after this date may not be fulfilled.

December 15th: Submit one copy of your completed dissertation to your advisor. Send a PDF to support@wts.edu, so our support team can log your completion. Your advisor will review and approve the dissertation for final submission.

January 31st: Submit a PDF copy of your dissertation to support@wts.edu. When you submit the PDF, please affirm in your email that your dissertation does not exceed the 100,000 word limit.

Please also submit one hard copy bound in a three-ring binder and printed on one side only for the format review team. Mail to or drop off at:

c/o Leslie Altena
CTW Office, 4th Floor, Andreas Center
Westminster Theological Seminary
2960 Church Road
Glenside, PA, 19038
​

​If Dr. Altena is not in her office, you may instead leave your dissertation in her mailbox on the main floor of the Andreas Center.

After submitting or mailing the hard copy, send an email to both support@wts.edu and ctw@wts.edu letting us know.

Pay the dissertation fee (due upon submission, January 31st).

We will distribute a PDF of your dissertation to the following reviewers: (a) the format review team (Dr. Leslie Altena and CTW Staff), (b) your advisor, (c) your second reader (WTS faculty member in your field), and (d) your external reader.

The format review team will complete an initial format check-in. If you pass this initial check-in, they will continue on to do a full format review. If you fail this initial check-in, you will be required to make changes and resubmit a new hard copy by March 1st.

Schedule and complete your oral defense (typically end of March through mid-April). The faculty strongly encourages students to bring a hard copy of the dissertation with them to the defense, but this is not required.

Review feedback from your readers and the format team and edit your dissertation. You will receive written feedback from your readers within one business day after the defense. You will receive a full report from the format review team by April 15th.

Submit two final hard copies by May 1st
- One copy on 20-24 lb, 100% cotton, 8.5in x 11in white paper
- One copy on regular printer paper
- No hole punches on either copy

Mail to or drop off at:
c/o Myranda Scherschligt
Student Success Office, 2nd floor, Machen Hall
Westminster Theological Seminary
2960 Church Road
Glenside, PA, 19038

Upload your final PDF and sign the plagiarism pledge with Proquest for online publishing no later than May 1st.

Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED).