Whether you are submitting an extension (in which case this is a requirement) or just being a diligent planner, you’ll want to be thinking about a timeline to your defense date. Grad Studies has a bunch of information, but I’m going to condense a bit of it for you here.

If you are working against a ticking clock, you want to work backwards from when you want to defend.

• Another 16 weeks before you want to defend, you* need to submit the form nominating an external examiner (who this is is often, but not always, decided in collaboration with your supervisor)
• About 6-8 weeks before you want to defend, submit your dissertation so it can go out to the external examiner.
• Minimally 4 weeks before you want to defend, (1) Confirm university examiners (who is asked is often, but not always, decided in collaboration with your supervisor), (2) request a date, and (3) submit a program.
• Defend that thesis! (And have fun while doing it. That’s a new rule under my Grad Advising regime.)
• Allow yourself 4 weeks to complete the final revisions to your dissertation**, and get everything submitted before your end of program date.

If you are making a timeline for an extension, give specific month/year designations for these landmarks.

* I say “you” here, but a lot of these “yous” mean your supervisor or your committee. You (as in you-you) often need to be assertive and initiate movement on these items.

** When creating a timeline for grad studies, this is a good estimate, but be aware that the amount of revisions and the timeline associated with them are determined by your examination committee.