The student defends the master's thesis in a meeting with the student's master's thesis committee. It is a public meeting, open to students and faculty. The student should confer with the thesis committee chair regarding expectations.

Complete the following steps to arrange the meeting:

1. Indiana University requires that all research using human subjects be approved before the research begins. This requirement ensures protection of the rights and welfare of persons used in research. It also satisfies a number of federal, state, and institutional regulations. If a research project involves human subjects, no data may be collected until documentation of clearance for the use of human subjects has been obtained. No thesis or dissertation will be accepted for which such clearance has not been obtained. Forms and procedures for this purpose are available at research.iu.edu/compliance/human-subjects/index.html

2. The student and the master's thesis committee agree on a date and time for the student's final defense meeting.

3. At least 10  business days in advance of the proposed meeting date, the student must complete and submit an Application to Schedule Graduate Student Meeting Form, available at one.iu.edu/task/iub/current-sph-students.  Confirmation of the meeting date, time, and location will be communicated to the student and the committee members via email.  A report form will be provided for the committee to sign after the meeting takes place indicating whether the student passed, failed, or passed contingent upon changes.

Following the defense meeting, the master's thesis committee members will sign the Report Form and submit it to the Graduate Recorder to report the outcome of the defense. The chair will also assign a letter grade to the thesis credits.