Dissertation/Thesis Submission

Submission

  • Filing your thesis or dissertation is the final step toward obtaining your graduate degree. UC Merced requires online submission of all theses and dissertations. You must have committee approval before submission.
  • Students are responsible for preparing the thesis or dissertation in the proper format and for ensuring the submission of theses or dissertation and all required forms by the posted deadlines.
  • For a headstart on writing, join us for Dissertation Bootcamps offered by Graduate Division. 
  • Students are strongly encouraged to schedule an exit interview with Graduate Division staff. During this appointment, our staff will review all items received to verify all submission requirements have been met. Exit intervews may be scheduled by calling (209) 228-4723.
  • For more information on preparing your thesis/dissertation, please refer to UC Merced's Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines.

Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines and Templates

As of April 2026, all electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) must conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1  to ensure that your ETDs are accessible to individuals with disabilities, including visual disabilities.

With thanks to our sister campuses, we outline here the updated templates and key points students must adhere to in order to satisfy these requirements.

Key components of an accessible PDF:

1. PDF tags: Ensure that a PDF document can be read and navigated by assistive technology. Tags include Headings, Lists, Links, Tables, Paragraphs, and other document elements.
(a) Tables: PDF must have table headers for columns and rows.
(b) Reading order: Ensure that tags and headings are ordered to support the logical reading order.

2. Alternative text (“Alt-Text”): Ensures that all images, figures, or other visual elements are described. Refer to the Section 508 guide to authoring alternative text for best practices.

3. Colors: Choose colors with sufficient contrast, and do not rely on color alone to convey information. Use a contrast checker.

4. Metadata (file properties): Add document description such as author, title, and language.

NOTE: It is easier to apply these components to your manuscript in your original software (Microsoft Word, Latex, etc.) before you convert to PDF. While it is possible to remediate PDFs for accessibility, this is usually a more cumbersome process.

Microsoft Word Templates for accessible PDFs:

We have adapted these from templates created by UC Irvine. Use these accessible templates to ensure that your Word document is accessible.
After you have completed your manuscript in Word, do these two steps to create an accessible PDF:
  1. Check your completed manuscript for accessibility using the Microsoft Accessibility Checker. 
  2. When you are ready to turn your Word document into PDF, use “Save As” and then choose “PDF” as your document type. Select the PDF type that is best for accessibility. This will ensure that you retain your accessibility settings when your document is exported as a PDF. For additional assistance, Acrobat has the following suggestions

Latex Templates:

Latex templates from Departments of Physics and Applied Math are linked here:
1. Dissertation latex template (Applied Math)
 
Attention: Documents authored in LaTeX or similar TeX engines are usually untagged and inaccessible to screen readers. Additional accessibility packages and steps are required to ensure that you are able to export an accessible PDF. 

Electronic Submission

Checklists & Final Report Forms

Instructions

Students will begin by creating an account on UC Merced’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) website. Once logged in, you may submit your manuscript and view/revise an existing submission. If you are submitting a revision, use the "revise dissertation" link; do not create a new account. The student’s acceptance of the Submission Agreement and ProQuest Release is required to submit the electronic doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis.

General Requirements:

Questions?

For questions about doctoral dissertation or master's thesis required forms, contact the Graduate Division at (209) 228-4723 or gradservices@ucmerced.edu.

For technical assistance with the ETD site, contact ProQuest directly at: (877) 408-5027. Available 9am-6pm EST, Monday through Friday (excluding US holidays).

  • Submit single electronic file in PDF/A format
  • Thesis/dissertation must follow all formatting guidelines for submitting an electronic manuscript
  • Review all instructions on the ETD website prior to submitting your thesis/dissertation
  • Once dissertation/thesis is approved by Graduate Division, no revisions are allowed.
  • Students will need to submit required corresponding forms to the Graduate Division, Student Services Building 310, once they have submitted their thesis or dissertations electronically and no later than the posted deadline.
  • The final, approved electronic manuscript will be sent to the UC Merced Library for archiving and, with student permission, open-access publication.
  • Please refer to UC Merced's Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines manual.