Defense - Graduate Program in Sustainability Science and Technology

  1. The Thesis defense must be carried out between 1 and 4 years after the student's enrollment in the Program. A student who fails the defense may repeat it only once in a period not exceeding 1 year from the date of the first defense. The periods to place the enrollment on hold, if requested, will be calculated to determine these deadlines.
  2. The request for the Master's Thesis Committee must be submitted to the Graduate Office at least 7 days prior to the Graduate Commission meeting with the following documents:
    1. Letter outlining the documents forwarded;
    2. Graduate Transcript proving compliance with the credits;
    3. Approval by the Ethics in Research Commission;
    4. 7 copies of the Thesis’ abstract;
    5. Letter from the adviser suggesting nine (9) names to compose the Master's Thesis Committee, via D1 form, and
    6. Proof of completion of the Teaching Assistant Activities Program, if applicable.
    7. Copy of the Graduation Diploma.
    It is suggested this documentation should be forwarded to the Graduate Office at least two months prior to the scheduled defense date, as the defense board must be approved by the Graduate Commission, by the Board of Graduate Studies and Research of the university, and by the University’s Graduate Studies and Research Office.

    The names of the Master's Thesis Committee suggested by the adviser should be in order of preference, according to the following information:
    1. The Master's Thesis Committee shall be composed of three official members and two substitutes;
    2. Only 1 indicated member may belong to the Sustainability Science and Technology Program, and at least one must not belong to UNIFESP or to the faculty of the Program (e.g., a fitting arrangement could be one member of the Program, one member from another University and the program, and one not affiliated with UNIFESP and the program).
    3. The co-adviser is not allowed to participate in the Master's Thesis Committee.
    4. The adviser shall chair the Committee, but does not judge;
    5. Substitutes will be chosen, and neither should belong to the Program, and at least one must not belong to UNIFESP. In case of the adviser’s absence or inability to participate in the defense, the program will appoint a new chair.
  3. After the approval by the Graduate Commission, the following documents must be submitted by the Graduate Office to the Board for Graduate Studies and Research of ICAQF-Unifesp and to UNIFESP’s Office for Graduate Studies and Research:
    1. Cover letter listing the members composing the Master's Thesis Committee signed by the program coordinator (generated by the site of the Office for Graduate Studies and Research);
    2. Cover of the dissertation;
    3. Proof of that the student was approved in the English Proficiency Test;
    4. Statement of compliance of credits, and
    5. Approval of the University’s Research Ethics committee.
  4. After the committee’s approval, the student and/or adviser should first contact the committee members to set the defense date and to inform the addresses to forward the copies of the dissertation. Next, the student and/or adviser must complete and sign the form and forward the D2 form, and 7 copies of the thesis. The Graduate Office will then reserve the room for the defense and forward a copy of the dissertation to each member of the committee. The student and/or adviser are not allowed to send the copies of the dissertation.

    The defense must be held 90 days from the approval by the Graduate Commission, and the documentation to determine the defense date must be forwarded to the Graduate Office at least 30 days before.
  5. The Gradate Office will forward a letter informing the committee members (and substitutes) the date, time and venue of the defense and forward the dissertation to those members at least 20 days prior to the defense date. One copy is for the adviser.
  6. The defense must be open to the academic community of the University, and the oral presentation of the work should be of approximately 20-30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes for each examiner to ask questions to the candidate. Next, each examiner will issue his opinion in a secret session filling out the form D3, in which the candidate will be approved by a simple majority vote, or will vote to not approve. The examiners’ conclusion will be formalized in writing and the final document will be submitted by the Graduate Office to the Office for Graduate Studies and Research.
  7. Immediately after the Defense procedures are completed, the Graduate Office will prepare the Defense Minutes, which must be signed by the members of the Judging committee and submitted to the Office for Graduate Studies and Research.
  8. After a maximum of 30 days from the date of approval of the candidate’s defense, the candidate must submit the final version of the Thesis (with the possible suggestion of the Master's Thesis Committee) with the adviser’s approval. Documents for the approval of the degree will be forwarded by the Graduate Office to the Office for Graduate Studies and Research only after this procedure has been completed.
  9. Once approved, and after the other requirements of the Program have been met, the candidate, upon request to the Office for Graduate Studies and Research, will receive a master's degree under the terms of the law in force.
  10. The Master's degree must be solicited by the student to the Office for Graduate Studies and Research.
  11. Incomplete cases shall be analyzed by the Graduate Commission.