Thesis & Final Oral Exam

Thesis

A thesis is the culminating project for the master's degree.

Two options are available for students to publish their research. The Major Advisor will guide the student towards either the traditional M.S. thesis or the manuscript-based thesis.

• A traditional M.S. thesis - A comprehensive collection of your research effort typically comprised of five chapters: (i) Introduction, (ii) Background Information, (iii) Experimental Methods, (iv) Results and Discussion, and (v) Conclusion.

• A manuscript-based thesis - Opportunity for students who have prepared one or more peer-reviewed publications as part of their research to present and defend a thesis comprised of the publication(s).

Final Oral Exam

The Graduate College requires a final oral examination (also called a defense) for you as a master’s student if you are completing a thesis as a culminating activity. The examination must consist of three sequential parts in which you present and defend the thesis research,

• a public presentation,

• a public question and answer session, and

• a private question and answer session with the defense committee.

The final oral examination should occur no later than the date specified in the academic calendar. This date is set to allow time for final revision and processing of the thesis so that, if you pass the final oral examination, you have a reasonable chance for graduation in the same semester or session. Announcement of the public presentation to the university community is required and should precede the presentation by at least two (2) weeks.

The defense committee is identical to your supervisory committee, and the chair of the supervisory committee is responsible for conducting all three parts of the final oral examination according to procedures established by the Graduate College. However, at your or the academic unit’s request, a graduate faculty representative (GFR) may be appointed as a nonvoting member to the defense committee by the Graduate Dean.

A result of pass is immediately documented by the signatures of the voting members of the defense committee on the Defense Committee Approval form that is to be bound with the paper copies of the thesis. A result of fail is immediately documented on a Report of Failure of a Final Oral Examination form that is submitted to the Graduate College by either the chair of the supervisory committee or the GFR.

Thesis Format

Manuscript Based Thesis

A manuscript-based dissertation/thesis options provides a number of benefits to the student, the Major Advisor and the scientific community: for instance, experience in the manuscript writing process, an easily accessible demonstration of original research and ability to communicate, timely dissemination of results, and a direct measure of the investment provided by funding agencies.

While the benefits are substantial, the manuscript-based option will challenge students as the process for peer- reviewed publications is rigorous and the journal articles will need to be supplemented with additional information in order to ensure a cohesive dissertation/thesis.

A minimum of one first author manuscript is required for the M.S. Thesis option. Multiple first-author manuscripts are required for the manuscript-based Ph.D. Dissertation option, the number to be determined by the advisor and supervisory committee. For M.S. students, your manuscript(s), at a minimum, should be submitted by the time you defend. For Ph.D. students, at least one manuscript must be in press by the time you defend. All others must be submitted by the time you defend.

For a manuscript-based Ph.D. dissertation or M.S. thesis, each publication stands as a chapter. As publications are very concise documents of research findings, supplemental text must be included within the dissertation/thesis to not only support the publication, but to also seamlessly integrate the publication into the dissertation/thesis. As such, in addition to the requirements outlined in the Standards and Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations handbook, a manuscript-based Ph.D. dissertation/thesis must include the following:

• An abstract that clearly and succinctly summarizes the overarching scope of work that includes the motivation, hypothesis and objectives of the research, approach, key results and concluding remarks.

• The first chapter should be an introduction that includes the background needed to clearly relate the publication(s) to the entire body of work associate with the thesis/dissertation.

• For each publication (i.e., chapter), a paragraph must be included prior to the references that clearly specifies the role and contributions of the author and co-authors.

• A concluding chapter that outlines the principal findings and implications of the total research effort.

• In addition, the Major Advisor or supervisory committee may request additional supplemental information (introduction, background, literature review, methods/experimental, results, discussion and appendices) that supports the total research effort.

The dissertation/thesis in final form must conform to the standards of the Graduate College. Refer to Chapter Two of the Boise State University Graduate College Standards and Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations handbook for detailed instructions and requirements. A Dissertation/Thesis that does not conform to the Standards and Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations will be returned by the Graduate College to the student for corrections.

Process

Materials Science and Engineering Graduate Students must notify the academic programs manager of their intended defense date a minimum of three weeks in advance. Once you are ready to schedule, work with Jessica Economy to identify a room and determine any additional scheduling needs