MS Degree: End of Second Semester

Committee Meeting and Annual Report

Meet with your Graduate Advisory Committee during the second semester and at least once per year subsequently. Prepare for the meeting by preparing and circulating a 2-page summary of your progress to date. The committee will prepare a Report of Graduate Advisory Committee form that includes substantive committee chair comments regarding academic and research progress after the meeting. The 2-page summary should be attached to the annual report.

Graduate Study Plan

Develop a Graduate Study Plan (GSP) for discussion and approval at the committee meeting and submit the appropriate form. The GSP  includes a preliminary thesis title, a detailed outline of the research proposal (the actual proposal may be substituted), and a list of required and recommended courses. The GSP is a working document that may change as your work develops, and can be amended and resubmitted at any time prior to your Advancement to Candidacy--as long as you and your committee agree to the changes.

MS Comprehensive Exam

The MS Comprehensive exam consists of two portions: a written research proposal and an oral defense of the proposal at a meeting with the graduate advisory committee that takes place during the second semester in the graduate program.

The written research proposal must follow the general format of a research grant and include at minimum an introduction, a research plan including methodology and data analysis, and a set of references cited. The student's graduate committee may provide more specific guidelines. The proposal should be submitted to the graduate advisory committee two weeks prior to the oral defense.

The oral defense of the proposal should begin with a 15-20 minute presentation by the student on the proposed research. The presentation will be followed by an oral examination administered by their graduate advisory committee on the theoretical background, the experimental design, and the significance of the proposed research. Proposal defense questions will require students to justify the importance and feasibility of their research in a broader context.

Upon completion of the exam, submit a Report on Comprehensive Exam form.

If either the written or the oral portion of the proposal is unsuccessful, you will receive a "conditional pass" or "fail" evaluation for one or both portions of the exam and will be required to edit the proposal and defend it successfully sometime within the next 6 months.  A student may retake the exam only once.  Any assessment other than 'pass" on the second attempt, including both "conditional pass" and "fail," will result in dismissal from the program.