Thesis and Dissertations for SDSU Graduate School

All SDSU master's and doctoral students submitting a dissertation or thesis to the Graduate School must sign an agreement with Proquest/UMI and publish their thesis or dissertation electronically.  For more information about this form read the agreement guide.

University Microfilms (UMI) began publishing dissertations in 1938. They are now known as ProQuest or ProQuest/UMI. They publish more than 60,000 dissertations and theses annually. More than 700 institutions in North America participate in their publishing program. Their dissertation program includes 2 million citations, more than 1.7 million titles in microform, and more than 600,000 titles in digital format.

A publishing option is selected when filling out the Proquest UMI agreement.  For most students the OA-1 Option - Open Access Immediate Release is recommended.  Before filling out the agreement students should discuss the options with their advisor and read Open Access versus Traditional Publishing.

The dissertation or thesis is submitted to Proquest by graduate school staff but it is important that the digital copy you prepare is in the proper format.  Read carefully Preparing your Manuscript Guide. 

 

Costs for ProQuest publishing of Thesis or Dissertation

UMI® Dissertations Publishing Price List 2007

 

PUBLISHING SERVICES

 

 

 

Traditional Publishing services - Doctoral Dissertations

$65

Open Access Publishing- Doctoral Dissertations (includes Traditional Publishing services) (recommended option)

$150

 

 

Traditional Publishing services - Master's Theses

$55

Open Access Publishing- Master's Theses  (includes Traditional Publishing services) (recommended option)

$140

 

 

 

 

COPYRIGHT SERVICE (Dissertation or Masters Theses) Optional

 

  Application, preparation, and submission

$65

  (for the author) of the required copies,

 

  paperwork, and $65.00 registration fee.

 

 
Deciding about embargoes

If part of the dissertation or thesis has been previously published or if a patent application is in process an embargo may be necessary for a certain period of time.  For more information read Embargoes and Restrictions.


Deciding whether to submit Copyright application

ProQuest/UMI offers a service in which they will register your copyright for you. Although registration is not required to preserve your copyright, most copyright specialists feel that it is advisable since registration offers certain legal benefits if someone infringes on your copyright and you wish to bring suit. Note that if you choose not to register your copyright through ProQuest/UMI, you can still register it on your own, either at the time you deposit your thesis or at some later date. 

For a comprehensive overview of the publishing process read the Proquest/UMI Publishing Guide.