Graduate Thesis, Dissertation, and Graduate Faculty Specialist

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 10/03/2026.

Position Summary

This work unit exists to ensure the quality of graduate education at UNC through administering and coordinating the graduate admissions, student records, and graduation processes; by setting and monitoring standards for graduate level admissions, student performance, graduation requirements, curricula, degree programs and membership in the graduate faculty in conjunction with the Graduate Council; and by promoting and supporting scholarship among graduate faculty and students. The purpose of this position is to serve graduate students and graduate faculty.

Specifically, the position provides administrative support to the graduate faculty and doctoral research endorsement processes for graduate faculty, maintaining records of graduate faculty status, processing doctoral committee appointments and changings, scheduling doctoral exams, informing students about how to format their thesis and dissertations, and providing a thorough formatting review of students’ theses, dissertations, or doctoral scholarly projects before they are loaded into online access platforms.

This position also has a major role in problem solving situations in regard to graduate students, their programs and interaction with graduate faculty during the course of student programs.

Job Duties

• Advise students proactively on the formatting of their thesis, scholarly project, and dissertation documents, providing workshops on formatting; teach students how to use available technology to record and cite their sources, apply formats, or build templates; and change to a pre-defense review process instead of an end-of-the-semester timeline.
• Keep updated on the application of newer technologies to the dissertation and thesis process.
• Provide pre-reviews.
• Review, critique, and approve editorial quality of graduate student theses and dissertation projects.
• Recommend to Dean for final approval.
• Establish and maintain relationship with library staff for dissertation/thesis tracking and placement in library.
• (50%) Monitor doctoral committee appointments for graduate students.
• Record dissertation proposal submissions and report to Graduate Degree Compliance and the Registrar’s Office.
• (15%) Approve and process requests to schedule doctoral exams; ensuring compliance with Graduate School policies for the committee and exam timing.
• Work with other staff to announce the exam.
• (10%) Process applications for various types of status (GL, GF, GF/DRE, GFE, EGF, and EGF/DRE) for faculty teaching graduate courses or serving on doctoral committees.
• Send appointment or refusal letters according to decision of Graduate Dean or Graduate Faculty Council.
• Support Graduate School process for mentoring training.
• (20%) Other duties as assigned.

(5%) Minimum Qualifications:

Education

Bachelor’s degree; graduate degree preferred.

Experience

Two years of work in an educational environment in administration or technical support, or in teaching. Student worker or GA experience is acceptable. Experience writing a dissertation, thesis, journal article, or other published work is preferred.