Master's Final Examination

The University of Minnesota distinguishes between three formats for master’s degree completion: Plan A, B, and C. These formats differ in terms of their requirements for an examination committee, final examination, and document submission. See Program Components to determine your particular master’s degree completion format(s).

Plan A Thesis and Plan B Project (Selected M.S.)

The Plan A Thesis consists of a semester of independent work developed in the course ARCH 8777, and is worth 10 academic credits supervised by an examining committee (see below). Based on the University of Minnesota’s graduate workload expectations of a minimum of three hours outside class time for each academic credit, ARCH 8777 requires at least 30 hours of work per week for 15 weeks, or 450 total hours beyond instructor contact hours. The Plan A document must comply with the University of Minnesota formatting and submission guidelines: http://www.grad.umn.edu/sites/grad.umn.edu/files/thesis_formatting_guidelines.pdf

The Plan B Project consists of a semester of independent work with less demanding expectations than Plan A. The Plan B is not linked to a specific course number or academic credit; rather, the student develops the project independently as a deeper investigation of content from his or her master’s degree coursework. The project may consist of a written report, design project, or other format subject to approval by the student’s program advisor and examination committee (see below). The Plan B involves a student effort of no more than 120 hours. As such, it represents approximately 25 percent of the effort of the Plan A Thesis. Consult with your program advisor regarding specific Plan B document formatting and submission guidelines (Plan B documents need not comply with University of Minnesota formatting requirements).

Both Plan A and Plan B formats require an examining committee. This examining committee consists of at least three members: two representatives from the major field (architecture) and one from the minor or a related field. Committee members cannot represent more than one field simultaneously. The examination is coordinated by the chair of the student's examining committee. Changes in committee membership may be made after filing the degree plan if approved by the program Director of Graduate Studies. Changes must also be archived centrally in the system of record.

To permit faculty to allocate sufficient time to review the thesis or project and decide whether it is ready for defense, students must notify their adviser and other members of the final examining committee at least two weeks in advance that the thesis will be delivered on a particular date. All members of the examining committee must then have at least two weeks to review the thesis or project after it has been delivered.

A student must work with his or her adviser to prepare for the oral examination. By the time the student takes his or her exam, he or she should clearly understand what will be evaluated as well as the standards for evaluation. This dialogue should begin as early as the student’s first year in the program.

The entire committee must be unanimous in certifying that the thesis or project is ready for defense, as indicated by their signatures on the Reviewers’ Report Form. Students request this form, part of the graduation packet, online, or in person at 316 Johnston Hall. The form will be released to the student only if she or he has a Degree Program Form approved by and on file with the Graduate School and has maintained active status. When the signed Reviewers’ Report Form is returned to the Graduate School, 316 Johnston Hall, the student is provided with the Final Examination Report Form. This last form is signed upon satisfactory completion of the oral examination.

The final oral examination is conducted as an open examination, attended by the student, the examining committee, and invited guests (a closed examination is available upon request). All committee members must be present at the oral examination; the absence of any member results in an invalid examination. Typically, the student will make a presentation of approximately 30 minutes in length of his/her thesis or project. The presentation will be followed by 20-30 minutes of discussion between the student and committee members, followed by questions from guests (if any), after which the committee will confer in private to determine pass/pass with revisions/fail. If revisions are required as a condition of passing, the advisor/s must certify that the revisions have been completed before the degree is awarded.

If the student fails the final examination, the student may retake the examination only if all committee members, or all committee members save one, approve this option. The second attempt to pass the master’s final examination must use the same committee members as the first examination unless an emergency situation necessitates a substitution. If the committee does not approve a retake, or if the student fails the second attempt, the student will be terminated from the program.

Plan C Project (M.Arch, M.S.-Research Practices, M.HSPH)

Plan C master’s degrees typically do not include standard final examination formats like those for Plan A and Plan B master’s degrees. However, students must satisfy all of the course and other requirements specified by the program in order to complete the degree.

In the School of Architecture, Plan C projects are developed within capstone-style courses of one or more semesters. In the M.Arch program, students complete a Master’s Final Project in ARCH 8299 (10 credits). In the M.S. in Architecture - Research Practices degree, students fulfill a multi-semester Final Project in courses ARCH 5686, 5687, and/or 5688 (4 credits each). In the M.HSPH program, students complete a Capstone Workshop (3 credits). Documentation varies by program; consult with your program advisor regarding specific Plan C document formatting and submission guidelines (Plan C documents need not comply with University of Minnesota formatting requirements).

Plan C projects do not require an examining committee; rather, they are supervised by the course instructor(s). Like Plan A and B formats, the Plan C culminates in a final examination, which is typically a juried public review. A student must work with his or her instructor(s) to prepare for this review. By the time the student presents the final project, he or she should clearly understand what will be evaluated as well as the standards for evaluation.

The Plan C instructor(s) must agree that the project is ready for defense, as indicated by his/her signature on the Reviewers’ Report Form. Students request this form, part of the graduation packet, online, or in person at 316 Johnston Hall. The form will be released to the student only if she or he has a Degree Program Form approved by and on file with the Graduate School and has maintained active status. When the signed Reviewers’ Report Form is returned to the Graduate School, 316 Johnston Hall, the student is provided with the Final Examination Report Form. This last form is signed upon satisfactory completion of the oral examination.

The final oral examination is conducted as an open examination, attended by the student, the instructor(s), invited jurors, and the general public. Typically, the student will make a presentation of approximately 20 minutes in length of his/her thesis or project. The presentation will be followed by 20-30 minutes of discussion between the student and the jury, after which the instructor(s) will confer in private to determine pass/pass with revisions/fail. (Arrangements can vary widely, so confirm such details in advance with your instructor(s).) If revisions are required as a condition of passing, the instructor(s) must certify that the revisions have been completed before the degree is awarded.

If the student fails the final examination, the student may retake the examination only if the instructor(s) approve this option. The second attempt to pass the master’s final examination must use the same instructor(s) as the first examination unless an emergency situation necessitates a substitution. If the instructor(s) do(es) not approve a retake, or if the student fails the second attempt, the student will be terminated from the program.