I felt very emotinal doing mine for just finished MSc. Participants, staff at place I worked in, supervisor (now a dear friend and enormous influence in my life) fellow student who changed my life, my dh and my children.

I cried when I wrote it and even now feel like crying when i read it.

peppapig - you have done a wonderful thing and well done for finishing. You deserve to go over the top a bit.

I had a sneaky look at a few other peoples in the University library and chose a style I liked.

Awww... I am getting all soppy now. Have written a draft and thanked everyone including the DC's in it. I think I will do a title page to them. Will try and think of something eloquent but maybe just 'to my children xxx and xxxx'

Cant believe its actually done...can worry about the viva now lol

Party, party, party time! Well done, that's amazing. There is NO WAY ON EARTH that I could have done my PhD (or BSc or MSc)with children.

My dedication was (is?)

"To the memory of my father
Dad BikeRunSki, date-date
Who valued education above all"

Dad died a week before my MSc graduation and woudl have been blown away that I also went to do a PhD. (As a fiercely proud Sunderlander, he didn't need to know that I went to Newcastle Uni).

Then my acknolwedgements covered my supervisors, technicians, friends and family who had helped and supported me and my landlady who made me flapjacks to keep me going. I also took a gamble on mentioning the new man in my life. Just as well. He's still here over 10 years later.

For my PhD I thanked my DH (my DC weren't here yet) along with many others but my dedication was to my Grandmother and Great Aunt who'd passed away:

"This thesis is dedicated to two strong and loving women who helped me become the person I am. To XXXXX who taught me to see beauty in everything and how to drink whiskey and to XXXXX who listened, believed, and taught me to be strong. Thank you both for the love and laughter. "

My other grandmother died two days after I'd submitted the final version. I would have loved to have been able to include her in the dedication but I was so happy she got to "celebrate", if just from her hospital bed, with me. Apparently she told all the staff at the hospital how proud she was (I did my PhD half a continent away from where I grew up).

Anyways, long winded way of saying that if you wanted to dedicate it to your DCs that would be lovely.

I dedicated mine to dd1 (born while I was still doing lab work) and dd2 (born while I was writing up)

I wasn't a parent then, but my acknowledgements included my own parents, DH, close friends and a couple of my teachers who pushed me to go to university in the first place, plus supervisors, grant providers and so on. Definitely put your DC in, it will be lovely for them to read later. I saw someone else's dedication once which was simply 'To my lovely parents'

Well done on finishing! It's a great achievement.

Yes I dedicated it to DW who almost died while I was doing my PhD and then gave birth to DS1 a few months after I completed it.

I also thanked my supervisor and the many people who gave of their time to help me.

My mate included a dedication to a few of us uni mates who had taken the piss supported him over the years. Was very touched
Congrats on your phd, and fwiw, I bet your kids will be chuffed to bits in years to come to have a book dedicated to them. My dad has dedicated books to me & my siblings, and it gives me a thrill every time I see it

Thank you - am just obsessing putting the finishing touches to it now - then off to the binder tomorrow. EEEK!!