• In general, it is a very good idea that you write everything you do while you are still doing your research. This allows you to gather a lot of information by the end of the two years of your master and also eases your final task of producing the thesis. It is always better to write while the material is still fresh in your head and not 6 months or a year later when you don't remember the details anymore.
• As you approach the end of your research, (or you become limited in time because you need to travel for PhD) ask your professor about the seminar. To have your seminar, you must fill a form with the title and abstract of your work. This form is to be signed by your supervisor(s) as well as the head of the department and the vice-dean for graduate studies. The title you choose on this form CANNOT be changed later so think before you act. You must also think about the arabic translation of the title and the abstract since you will need them later on. My advice here is to choose a simple name and simple abstract words. Simplicity always helps you in explaining your point to anyone (and in translating to arabic also.) Also go to the graduate studies office and ask about the "current" rules for the thesis. There are rules for the font, margins, figures, tables, .... These rules have changed recently (march 1997) and are not stable yet. If you don't stick to the rules, your final copies may be refused later on so take care.
• Once you do the seminar, your supervisor can submit a request to the department in order to form a committee to examine your thesis. The request goes through the department meeting which is held once per month in the normal case. Check when is it so that you don't loose several weeks.
• When the department chooses the committee, this choice is routed to the faculty meeting and then to the university to be approved. These events also occur once per month. During this period you should finish your thesis in its final form and prepare one copy for each committee member.
• Try to get in contact with the different members of the committee and ask about their free time when they will be able to meet and examine your work. This is quite important since the professors are usually very busy and it is extremely difficult to get them all together on the same day at the same time.
• The date of thesis defense can only be after the university approval comes back to the faculty by 15 days. The limits are at least 15 days and at most 6 months. During this period you must defend your thesis in front of the committee, otherwise another committee must be formed.
• On the the defense day, the committee may ask you to make some minor changes (assuming that your work is worthy). Try to make these as soon as you can and to produce the final copies quickly. Your supervisor should present another request to the department with the committee's report attached to it in order to grant you the degree.
• This goes to the department meeting, then to the graduate studies office where you must present 4 FINAL copies "ACCORDING TO THEIR SPECS" of the thesis. This office takes your forms to the faculty meeting which issues a request to the university to grant you the degree. The request goes to the university meeting and the approval returns to the faculty within two weeks (because the university meeting is near the end of the month when all the faculties have submitted their requests.)
• Once the approval arrives to the faculty you can submit a request to get your certificate.

The moral of the story is: PLAN AHEAD OF TIME. If you have any time limitations give your self about 4 months to wrap up the thesis.