Under the thesis option, a valid plan of study must include a total of 30 credits: 24 credits of approved course work at the 400-level and above and six credits of ENEE799: Master’s Thesis Research. The plan of study must satisfy the following rules:

• No more than nine credits at the 400-level may be included. ENEE499 may not be included. 

• Three core courses must be included.

• Prerequisites must be fulfilled before taking courses that require them.

• No more than one credit of ENEE698: Graduate Seminar may be included. 

• Combined total number of credits of ENEE698 and ENEE699 may not exceed three. 

• No more than nine credits earned while holding the advanced special student status may be included.

• At least six credits of ENEE799: Master’s Thesis Research must be included. 

A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 must be maintained. For the purposes of meeting the plan of study rules, all transferred courses will count as B (3.0 grade point value). However, grades obtained on transfer courses do not affect the GPA as recorded on the official UMCP transcript. 

If two or more attempts are taken at a course, only the grade obtained at the latest attempt will count towards the GPA.

Master’s Thesis and Oral Examination

Directions for the preparation and submission of theses can be found in the Thesis and Dissertation Style Guide. 

Membership on thesis examining committees must adhere to Graduate School policy. From the Graduate Catalog on the Thesis Examining Committee: 

Thesis Examining Committee Membership. The Committee will include a minimum of three members of the Graduate Faculty, at least two of whom will be Full Members. The Chair of the Committee normally will be the student's advisor, who will be a Full or Associate Member of the Graduate Faculty, or who has been granted an exception to the policy by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Membership on a Thesis Examining Committee. Requires nomination by the student's advisor and Graduate Director in the student's graduate program, and approval by the Office of the Registrar. The nomination of a Thesis Examining Committee should be submitted at least six weeks before the date of the expected thesis examination. The thesis examination cannot be held until the composition of the Thesis Examining Committee is approved. Furthermore, if the Graduate Faculty status of any member of an approved Thesis Examining Committee changes, the approval of the Thesis Examining Committee may be voided, and a new Committee nomination form will be required for approval.

Chair. The Thesis Examining Committee will have as chair the student's advisor, who must be a Full or Associate Member of the Graduate Faculty or, by special permission, has been otherwise appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. Thesis Examining Committees may have co-chairs. 

The student is responsible for scheduling the defense with the committee and reserving a conference room for the thesis defense. The members of the committee must receive the thesis (PDF) at least seven working days before the defense. 

The student must provide the Graduate Studies Office with the date, time, location, and abstract at least two weeks before the defense so that it may be announced to the department. Information about the proper announcement format can be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office.