The thesis defense is the culmination of your M.S. program. It consists of a public presentation of the results of your Masters Thesis and is a celebration of all your hard work. The following guidelines must be followed:
The thesis defense should be scheduled only after consultation with your Faculty Advisor and an acceptable draft of the M.S. thesis has been approved by your thesis committee.
Ordinarily, an acceptable draft of your thesis (one that has been undergone an initial review by your Faculty Advisor), should be submitted to your Thesis Committee at least 6 weeks prior to the last day of classes of the semester in which you plan to graduate. The committee should read the thesis and return it to you within 2 weeks. Note that if substantial changes and/or additions to the thesis are required by the thesis committee, 6 weeks may not be enough time. For additional information see a detailed thesis timeline here.
All thesis defenses must be scheduled during a regular semester (including finals week). Exceptions must be approved in writing by the Graduate Committee.
The date and time of the thesis defense is determined in consultation with the thesis committee. All efforts should be made to schedule the defense at a time that is convenient for the thesis committee, faculty and students of the department.
No less than 1 week before the date of the thesis defense, a Thesis Defense Scheduling Form must be completed and submitted to the Department. The abstract of the thesis must be attached to this form. The Department Secretary will be responsible for distributing and posting flyers advertising the date and time of the defense.
The thesis defense should begin with a 30-50 minute, professionally illustrated, rehearsed presentation of the thesis, followed by a 10-15 minute question/answer period. This portion of the defense is open to the public.
Following the presentation and public question/answer period, everyone will leave the room except for the student and the thesis committee. Members of the thesis committee will then have the opportunity to ask questions in private. They may also choose to make suggestions for additions/changes to the thesis prior to completing the final draft. The length of this private question and answer period will be determined by the Thesis Committee.
Immediately following the defense, the thesis committee will meet to vote on the outcome of the defense and discuss any final revisions that must be made to the thesis.
Should the committee determine that the student has not passed the defense, a new defense may be scheduled no sooner than 6 months from the date of the first defense. A second failure is final.
The final copy of the thesis should be presented to the library within 2 weeks of the thesis defense. Hard copies and electronic (pdf format) copies should also be presented to the Department and Thesis Advisor. Guidelines for preparing the M.S. Thesis can found in the Thesis Manual available from the Office of Graduate Studies, and the departmental guidelines.
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must be completed and submitted to the Department. The abstract of the thesis must be attached to this form. The Department Secretary will be responsible for distributing and posting flyers advertising the date and time of the defense.
