The final thesis defense must be scheduled by the end of the summer term of the fifth year of graduate study. Beyond this, the student is considered to be in excessive registration Ph.D. status with the Dean of Graduate Studies. The student will need to petition the Dean, as well as the physics department, and provide a timeline for finishing the thesis, in order to register for subsequent terms. Students will be notified by the Dean of Graduate Studies Office if they are in excessive registration status. If a student falls into both categories, only one petition is required for both candidacy and Ph.D. Final Ph.D. defense forms are available on the Dean of Graduate Studies website. Students must provide the Physics Graduate Office with all information requested in the thesis defense instructions.