Defense of Master's Thesis or Report
A formal defense of a Master's thesis or report is required after the written portion of the project has been completed. The exam takes the form of a public oral presentation administered by the student's advisory committee. The time of the exam must be arranged in advance with the Graduate College. After the public portion of the exam the advisory committee meets to determine the result. Results as determined by the advisory committee must be promptly reported to the Graduate College.
Doctoral Thesis Proposal Presentation
After the student has passed the Qualifying Exam and after an outline of the thesis work has been prepared, the student must formally present the research plans to the advisory committee. A written thesis proposal should be prepared and distributed to the advisory committee. After suitable time for reviewing by the committee members, the student must orally justify the research plans to them. It is the responsibility of the committee to evaluate this proposal and determine if the research plans will lead to an acceptable thesis.
Upon approval by the advisory committee, the thesis proposal must be filed with the Graduate College along with appropriate forms. This must occur at least 6 months prior to graduation.
A final defense of the doctoral thesis is conducted after the thesis has been completed. The exam is administered by the student's advisory committee at a time approved by the Graduate College.
The thesis defense consists of a formal lecture by the doctoral candidate on the results of the thesis. Questions are allowed by all those present. The defense is open to all members of the graduate faculty and faculty members or graduate students in the Mathematics Department. After the public portion of the defense is completed the advisory committee meets to determine the result of the defense and what revisions are necessary before the thesis can be submitted to the Graduate College. The result of the thesis defense is determined by the student's advisory committee and is to be reported to the Graduate College promptly.