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Let's say I write a PhD thesis by looking at papers on arxiv. Can I use this as my PhD thesis once I enter into the program?

In other words, can you write a PhD thesis before going to graduate school?

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 I don't see any major problems with writing your thesis before going to graduate school. However, this will not spare you from meeting the school's residency requirements, mandatory courses, language proficiency, and various other requirements. Also note that writing a thesis "by looking at papers on arxiv" is considered plagiarism, which is severely punishable in all fields of academia. – François G. Dorais♦ Sep 3 2011 at 21:24
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 It may depend on the rules of the school in question, but my impression is that at most universities (maybe all U.S. universities), the thesis must be written on work done during graduate school. One motivation for such a rule is that if someone just shows up with a thesis, it's less clear where it came from or who contributed to it. However, this rule may be more or less strictly enforced, depending on the advisor, and I'm sure people sometimes write theses based on ideas they had before grad school. It's best to plan on working out the details in grad school, though. – Henry Cohn Sep 3 2011 at 21:30
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 François, I'd say "by looking at papers on arxiv" does not necessarily mean that the questioner meant to copy them. – quid Sep 3 2011 at 21:31
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 @quid: I figured as much, hence the quotes. – François G. Dorais♦ Sep 3 2011 at 21:46
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 I wonder whether the historical question, "Has anyone ever written a Math PhD thesis before going to graduate school?" would get a better reception here? – Gerry Myerson Sep 3 2011 at 23:54
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closed as off topic by Gjergji Zaimi, François G. Dorais♦ Sep 3 2011 at 21:18

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