Systems and Procedures
A Division of The Office of Budget and Finance
A Division of The Office of Budget and Finance
All advanced degree candidates writing a thesis (as opposed to candidates writing a paper) are required to submit a copy of their thesis to the Thesis Office in the Fox Graduate School. Upon final approval, each required thesis copy is filed at the applicable location within the University Library System. This requirement mandates that each thesis candidate be charged for the binding of the one required copy of the thesis. Payments of this "processing fee" are made at the Thesis Office, payable to The Pennsylvania State University in accordance with University Policy FN01 Cash Revenues.
While not required, additional copies of this publication, if/when requested by the thesis candidate, may be produced (and payments processed) by the Office of Business Services, upon request.
The following defines the process by which thesis charges are collected, recorded, and reconciled.
Thesis candidates will be directed to the Thesis Office when beginning their thesis. Thesis Office staff will instruct candidates as to the proper steps involved in the thesis preparation and submission process. This information is documented in the Fox Graduate School publication "Thesis Guide, Requirements for the Preparation of Masters' and Doctoral Theses." This publication is available free of charge from the Thesis Office, upon request, or may be accessed via the Fox Graduate School's website.
Masters' and doctoral candidates will remit payment for their thesis to the Thesis Office. For cash payments, receipts are issued in accordance with the instructions for Prenumbered Receipts. Credit card payments are accepted through the Fox Graduate School payment portal.
Upon receipt of thesis revenue, the Thesis Office will prepare a Journal Entry for Incoming Funds with a credit being recorded on line 2 of the JE to Business Area 1420, Internal Order (IO) 800000032296, GL 42051010 Dissertation Fee.
Once their thesis is prepared, candidates will submit the thesis (unbound) to the Thesis Office for checking and approval within the standards specified in the Fox Graduate School publication "Thesis Guide, Requirements for the Preparation of Master's and Doctoral Theses." Upon final approval, the Thesis Office will forward the thesis to the appropriate area for binding. Each thesis will be placed into circulation at the applicable location within the University Library System.
Thesis and dissertation candidates desiring additional, personal copies of their thesis may utilize the thesis binding service available through the Thesis and Dissertation web-page on Penn State Multimedia and Print Center website. If a candidate's department is paying the expense, the budget/fund to be charged must be specified at the time of ordering as well. Upon completion, which is a two-week turnaround, the candidate may pick up their order.
The Multimedia and Print Center will contact the candidate for payment information upon receipt of the online order form. They accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. They do not accept checks as a form of payment. Penn State ID+ Card is only accepted at our CopyCentral Hub Location.
Revenues received via cash/check/money order/credit card will be subsequently processed via a Journal Entry for Incoming Funds with a credit being recorded on line 2 of the JE to Business Area 1420, Internal Order (IO) 800000032296, GL 42051010 Dissertation Fee. If a candidate's business area is paying for the services rendered, Business Services will process a Supplying Department Invoice (Journal Entry) for the transaction.
If a graduate student pays twice or the student is writing a paper, a refund is requested by the Office of Thesis and Dissertation (OTD). The OTD completes a Refund Request Form with the financial coordinator in the Fox Graduate School.
Regular reconciliations are to be performed by the Financial Officer (or individual designated to act on behalf of the Financial Officer) to ensure that related sets of financial documents balance and that the integrity of the local record keeping system is maintained. On a monthly basis, comparisons will be made, spot-checking the related departmental records to determine that the information reported is accurately reflected on both the University's accounting records as well as the department's internal records. Discrepancies, if any, will be promptly investigated and resolved as part of the reconciliation. Evidence of review will be noted by the reviewer's initials and date on the documents which support this process.
Violation of a financial policy and/or procedures should be reported to your supervisor, your Human Resources representative, unit manager, and/or office responsible for the policy and/or procedure. Where those resources are inadequate, you may choose to make an anonymous report through the Penn State University hotline by calling 1-800-560-1637.
See Procedure FN2002 Processing Returned Checks for complete details on this business process.
The Financial Officer is responsible for ensuring that procedures pertaining to the accountability and safeguarding of all cash receipts, cash funds, and other assets are established and followed in accordance with approved University policies and procedures. Regular audits relating to advances, cash, travel, equipment accountability, and other expenditures provide a means to protect University assets. The Financial Officer is responsible for working with Internal Audit when audits are being performed in the administrative area. Audits relating to sponsored activities or other audits performed by external auditors may also be performed. The Financial Officer would also be responsible for collaborating with the external auditor and/or a central university office related to these procedures.
University Records retention must be managed in accordance with Policy AD35 University Archives and Records Management, and Records Retention Schedules approved by the Records Management Advisory Committee, the Office of General Counsel, and Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff. These records retention schedules are derived from - or based upon - federal, state, and local statutes or regulations, University Policy, industry standards, and business needs. All University Records must be maintained in such a manner to provide ease of access, establish a suitable audit trail for all transactions, and to be reviewed prior to disposition.
University Records and Transitory/Disposable Record are defined below. See Policy AD35, Definition of Terms for additional information.
Upon completion of the retention period, University Records must be disposed of via secure destruction or transfer to University Archives, unless an exception to the disposition process set forth below applies. If the disposition method for University Records states "Review by Archives" on the records retention schedule, the employees responsible for those records should consult the University Archivist for a final determination of disposition. For University Records that must be securely destroyed, units may arrange for shredding services by either contacting the Blue/White Shredding Program or the Inactive Records Center.
Exceptions to the disposition process are as follows:
To safeguard the privacy of individuals, records that contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as defined in University Policy AD53 Privacy Policy, or student records, as defined in University Policy AD11 Confidentiality of Student Records, must be destroyed beyond recovery. For additional information regarding privacy and the protection of an individual's personal information, see Policy AD53 Privacy Policy.
Additional questions may be directed to the Office of Records Management.
There are no exhibits associated with this document.
For questions, additional detail, or to request changes to this procedure, please contact The Fox Graduate School Finance Office.
To request changes to this procedure please contact the Office of Systems and Procedures by submitting a GURU Technical Support Request Form.
July 1, 2024