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Graduate Student Survival 101

Informal: www.ece.utah.edu/~cfurse

Formal: www.ece.utah.edu

Getting Started --Semester 1: Choose/register for classes.

temporary advisor >> Permanent Advisor online advising for EM students. Furse MS spread sheet. Furse PhD spread sheet

Research – Literature Search: MS Students – begin preparing for proposal defense by

choosing a topic and ideas for your thesis at the end of this semester. See notes on proposal defense under Semester 2.

PhD Students – Talk to Holly about scheduling your qualifying exam early in the next semester.

Moving Along -- Semester 2:

Classes. Thesis credits. Finalize thesis area and advisor. Program of Study Form: MS Students -- Thesis Proposal:

Written Proposal: Oral Proposal Defense:

PhD Students : Qualifying Exam

Work in Progress – Semester 3

Classes / Thesis Credits Research PhD Students – Dissertation Proposal.

Finishing up – Semester 4+

Classes/ Thesis Credits MS Thesis Defense (PhD students

typically defend in semester 6-8)Written ThesisOral Defense

$$$ Tuition Benefit Program $$$

Registration Requirements.

Full time, matriculated students.TA/RA working 10-20 hr /week Pays for grad courses only (5xxx and up)Limited number of course hours (watch out for thesis credits!)

For help: Sally Reed ([email protected])

Limits

• MS/ME limited to 2 years (4 semesters) • Students entering the Ph.D. program without a master’s degree are

limited to 5 years (10 semesters) • Students entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree from the

University of Utah are limited to 5 years of tuition benefit support (2 years for the master’s plus 3 years for the doctorate)

• Students entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree from another institution are limited to 4 years (8 semesters) of tuition benefit support.

See the Graduate Handbook for additional requirements.

Minimum Financial Support Required

GPA Requirement. The Graduate School’s Tuition Benefit Program requires the student to maintain a 3.0 GPA.The minimum support for the 2006-2007 academic year is:

$ per Semester

Tuition Benefit

$5,000 100%

$3,750 75%

$2,500 50%

Résumé Website forResearch Assistant Opportunities

Format of resumes: http://www.ece.utah.edu/resumes/submit.shtml

To Post: Holly Cox [email protected]

You might also want to contact a specific faculty member if you are confident that you are qualified to work in their area of interest.

Dear Sir: We urge you not to contact a large number of faculty members on campus and not to send out global email messages asking for financial assistance.

Web Addresses

For tuition waiver information:

http://www.utah.edu/graduate_school/tbpguidelines.html

For information on the departmentand links to graduate forms:

http://www.ece.utah.edu

Health Insurance

Compare Plans:http://www.CampusCoverage.com

Graduate Student Health Insurance Benefit Program: See Graduate School website for more information.

Up to 6 semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward fulfillment of graduate degree requirements if they:

1. are of high letter grade (A or B; no “credit only” grades)2. are recommended by the student’s supervisory committee,

and3. are taken within the prescribed time limit.

4. (Are not used elsewhere for a degree)

Transfer Credit

Up to 9 hours of nonmatriculated (Before being admitted to UU GRAD program) coursework may be included on a student’s program of study if approved by the supervisory committee and the Department Graduate Committee.

Nonmatriculated Courses

SPEAK Test

MS/PHD graduate students who have NOT earned a degree from an English-speaking country are required to take the SPEAK Test the first semester.

The International Teaching Assistant Workshop SET test can be substituted.

A passing score of 50 is required. A student who receives a lower score may be required to take English courses to improve their English-language skills. IF you don’t do this, you will be deregistered from classes in semester 2.

2006-2007 Graduate Committee

Committee Member Office Room # Office Telephone

Ajay Nahata

Chair

[email protected]

3112 MEB 581-5184

Om Gandhi

[email protected] MEB 581-7743

Priyank Kalla

[email protected] MEB 587-7617

Gil Shamir

[email protected] MEB 581-4445

Holly Cox

Graduate Secretary

[email protected]

3280 MEB 581-3843

International Teaching Assistants (ITAs)

International students who are interested in working as teaching assistants and whose first language is not English must take the ITA (International Teaching Assistant) workshop in August.

http://www.utah.edu/ita/

Temporary Advisors – Plz Set AppointmentArea of Interest Faculty Phone

ElectromagneticsC. [email protected]

585-7234

CommunicationsSignal ProcessingControl

B. [email protected]

587-7959

OpticsS. [email protected]

585-6157

VLSIMicroelectronicsComputer Engineering

R. [email protected] 587-7926

ECE Department Requirements for Master’s Degrees M.E. DEGREE M.S. DEGREE

Proficiency Requirement

Yes Yes

Residency Requirement At least 24 hours must be in resident study

At least 24 hours must be in resident study

Coursework 28 semester hours of coursework beyond the B.S. degree in ECE + 2 hours of graduate seminar At least 18 hours of coursework in ECE, with 15 of these hours in 6000- or 7000-level classes

28 semester hours of coursework beyond the B.S. degree in ECE + 2 hours of graduate seminar At least 12 hours of coursework in ECE, with 9 of these hours in 6000- or 7000-level classes

Thesis No Yes 6-10 hours of the required 28 hours of coursework

Supervisory Committee

Must be set up by drop deadline of second semester of study

Members 3 3 Chair Regular ECE faculty member Regular ECE faculty member;

faculty outside of the ECE Department may supervise a student as long as a regular ECE faculty member serves as co-chair

Basic Requirements for the M.E. DegreeRequirement Process Due Date

SupervisoryCommittee

3 members; Chair must be regular ECE faculty member; Chair chosen by student—two others assigned by Department

Submit a “Request for Supervisory Committee” form to ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of second semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of third semester of study

Candidacy (Program ofStudy)

28 sem hours of coursework beyond BSEE/BSCE + 2 hrs Graduate Seminar;at least 18 hours of ECE coursework with 15 of these hours in 6000-7000 level classes

Submit a form “Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree” to the ECE Office along with a statement defending the proposed program

Full time: drop deadline of second semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of third semester of study

Amendment toProgram ofStudy

Submit an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form to the ECE Office for approval prior to registering for added classes

Changes must be made before an added class is taken; classes cannot be dropped after they have been completed

SPEAK Test No

ProficiencyRequirement

Yes; must satisfy the ECE proficiency requirements

Submit a form “Fulfillment of Proficiency Requirements” to the ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of third semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of fourth semester of study

*Please note that international students must be full-time students.

Basic Requirements for the M.E. Degree (cont.)

Requirement Process Due Date

ResidencyRequirement

At least 24 hours must be in resident study

Report ofCompletion

Yes “Report of Completion” form will be prepared by the Graduate Secretary when all grades have been posted

Upon completion of coursework

ResearchComprehensiveExam

No

Thesis FinalExam

No

Thesis No

M.E. Program Requirements(Professional Degree)

1. All coursework is to be completed within 4 consecutive calendar years.2. Coursework listed on the program of study must total a minimum of 30 hours of graduate

coursework at the 5000 level or above, in engineering and allied fields.3. The 30 required hours must include the following:

a. A minimum of 18 hours of ECE courses;b. At least 15 hours of the required 18 ECE hours must be at the 6000 or 7000 level;c. 2 hours of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900 and 6910).

4. Required coursework hours may not include faculty consultation or thesis research.5. M.E. students may take no more than three semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special

Studies). These hours will not count toward the ECE required hours but can be included in the total required hours.

6. A statement defending the program of study and outlining the student’s goals must be provided at the time the program of study is submitted.

Master of Engineering students will be graduated in the semester in which 30 hours of coursework are completed. All students who are on visas must be registered for at least 9 credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

Special Studies

M.E. students may take no more than 3 semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special Studies). These hours will not count toward the ECE required hours but can be included in the total required hours.

M.S. students may take up to 3 semester hours of ECE 6950. These hours will count toward the required 6-10 hours of thesis. Therefore, an M.S. student who takes 3 hours of Special Studies will take 6-7 hours of thesis.

Ph.D. students may take up to 3 semester hours of ECE 7950 (Special Studies) which will count toward the required 42 coursework hours.

Students must get permission from the Graduate Committee before taking any Special Studies courses. Permission is obtained by completing and filing the Special Studies Request form with the Graduate Secretary. The general guidelines state that for every hour of credit, it generally requires 2 hours of study per week outside of class. Therefore, it will be understood that for every credit hour of Special Studies, the student will be expected to spend 3 hours per week on the activity. Special studies courses from other departments cannot be used for the program of study. Special Studies may not include the material of any class taught by the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department.

Faculty Consultation/Independent Study

Students studying for the M.E. degree may petition the ECE Graduate Committee for approval to register for ECE 6980, Faculty Consultation/ Independent Study, for the following reasons, although approval is not guaranteed:

• A student needs 3 credit hours to bring their registration to the maxi-mum in a semester for which they are eligible for a full tuition waiver.

• A student needs to maintain continuous registration and would other-wise not be in residency.

• A student is not able to take regular courses to maintain residencyduring curricular practical training.

The petition form is available from the Graduate Secretary and must be submitted before the beginning of the semester for which the student would like to register for ECE 6980.

Faculty Consultation/Independent Study is a CR/NC course and does not count toward the fulfillment of the degree requirements. A student cannot apply for Faculty Consultation if they have enough credits for graduation.

Credit/No Credit Courses

Graduate students are granted the option, subject to approval by the Department Graduate Committee and review by the Dean of the Graduate School, to enroll in some courses in which they will be graded on a credit/ no credit (CR/NC) rather than on a letter-grade basis.

The intent of the CR/NC option is to free students to extend their studies to areas outside their major or specialty and to take classes they otherwise might not take if they had to compete with majors for a letter grade.

Students may not register for CR/NC courses in their major department unless a course in the major department is offered only on a CR/NC basis.

Consult the Graduate Handbook for further information on the CR/NC policy.

Coursework Guideline Criteria

1. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on coursework listed on the program of study with no grade lower than C- is required for graduation. A student who receives a grade lower than C- in a course listed on the program of study must repeat that same course and receive a higher grade. Courses cannot be deleted from the program of study after they are taken.

2. ECE required courses are not to include special studies, thesis hours, or faculty consultation.3. Coursework cannot be used for more than one degree on the same level.4. A course taken for 5000-level credit cannot be taken again for 6000-level credit.5. Cross-listed courses must be registered through the ECE course numbers.6. Where a course has both a 5000- and 6000-level number, the 5000-level version is intended

for undergraduates and the 6000-level version for honors and graduate students. The two versions of the class will meet together, but extra work will be expected of honors and graduate students.

7. Master’s students may take upper-division courses (5000 level or above) in other departments as long as the ECE degree course requirements have been met, with written approval of the supervisory committee.

8. Students may only register for thesis research after they have set up a supervisory committee.9. Courses from other departments may not be substituted for the ECE 6000-level required

courses.10. No Graduate Seminar course (ECE 6900, 6910, 7900, 7910) may be taken twice to satisfy the

requirement. Each seminar course has different requirements and may not be substituted for each other.

11. Students who receive an “Incomplete” grade in a class must complete the class by the following semester, even if the semester is the summer semester.

Supervisory CommitteeEach student forms a supervisory committee whose members guide the student’s graduate program. Students must form this committee by the beginning of the second semester of study.

Degree # of Sup Comm Members

M.E. 3

M.S. 3

E.E. 3

Ph.D. 5

Any regular ECE faculty member may serve as a supervisory committee chair. After the faculty members have agreed to serve on a supervisory committee, the student should file a completed “Request for Supervisory Committee” form with the Graduate Secretary in the ECE office. A committee may be revised, if necessary, by submitting a “Request to Change Supervisory Committee Personnel” form. The Graduate Committee approves all supervisory committee forms; final approval is granted by either the Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean of the College of Engineering.

Faculty outside of the ECE Department may supervise a student, but the student must have a regular ECE faculty member serve as co-chair. Individuals who are not faculty members may serve on a supervisory committee if approved by the supervisory committee chair and the Graduate Committee. A current vita for any non-university member must be submitted with the Supervisory Committee form.

Change of Degree Status

Graduate students who wish to change degree programs within the department must submit the following to the Graduate Committee for approval:

1. A letter to the Graduate Committee explaining the reason for the requested change of degree, including a description of the intended research area if the change is to study for a research degree.

2. A letter of recommendation in support of the application from a faculty member express-ing willingness to serve as the chair of the student’s supervisory committee.

3. The completed Request for Supervisory Committee form for the requested degree.4. The completed program of study for the requested degree. If a student wishes to

change from a thesis to a non-thesis degree program, a separate sheet must be included indicating at least 12 hours of coursework to be taken after the change is approved.

5. A current University of Utah transcript.

Students cannot convert hours taken in thesis (ECE 6970/7970) to special studies (ECE 6950). ECE 6970/7970 hours cannot be used for the M.E. degree.

Please note that students who are studying for the M.E. degree cannot receive a tuition waiver for work they perform as a research assistant.

Faculty Consultation-CPT

International students participating in a cooperative work experience for curricular practical training must register for ECE 6981, Faculty Consultation-CPT.

Students must contact Lisa Christensen in Career Services to set up the training and to obtain a syllabus for the course. Registration in ECE 6981 DOES NOT give authorization to work.

ECE 6981 will not count toward any degree requirements. This course is used to maintain quality of the curricular practical training experience.

Basic Requirements for the M.S. Degree

Requirement Process Due Date

SupervisoryCommittee

3 members; Chair must be regular ECE faculty member; faculty outside ECE may supervise a student as long as a regular ECE faculty member serves as co-chair

Submit a “Request for Supervisory Committee” form to ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of second semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of third semester of study

Candidacy (Program ofStudy)

28 sem hours of coursework beyond BSEE/BSCE + 2 hrs Graduate Seminar;at least 12 hours of ECE coursework with 9 of these hours in 6000-7000 level classes

Submit a form “Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree” to the ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of second semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of third semester of study

Amendment toProgram ofStudy

Submit an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form to the ECE Office for approval prior to registering for added classes

Changes must be made before an added class is taken; classes cannot be dropped after they have been completed

SPEAK Test Yes Contact Testing Center to make arrangements; requires request form from Grad Sec

Drop deadline of second semester of study

ProficiencyRequirement

Yes; must satisfy the ECE proficiency requirements

Submit a form “Fulfillment of Proficiency Requirements” to the ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of third semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of fourth semester of study

*Please note that international students must be full-time students.

Basic Requirements for the M.S. Degree (cont.)

Requirement Process Due Date

ResidencyRequirement

At least 24 hours must be in resident study

ResearchComprehensiveExam (Thesis Proposal)

Yes; pass a Research Comp Exam administered by the supervisory committee (including defense of a written formal thesis proposal)

Notify the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Department at least one week prior to the date of the exam

No later than third semester of study (may not be taken in the same semester as the thesis defense)

Thesis Yes; 6-10 hours of the required 28 hours of coursework is in thesis research

Thesis FinalExam

Yes Notify the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Department at least one week before exam

Defend the thesis at the end of coursework requirements

Application for Admission to Candidacy(Program of Study)

After consulting with the approved supervisory committee chair, the student must plan a program of study and complete and submit the “Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree” or “Program of Study for the Ph.D. Degree” form.

Approval signatures of the supervisory committee members are to be obtained by the student. Completed and signed forms must be submitted to the Graduate Secretary in the ECE office by the drop deadline of the second semester of study. After approval of the Department Graduate Committee, the program of study is submitted to the Graduate School of the College of Engineering for their approval.

The program of study must be filed prior to taking the Comprehensive Exam (if applicable).

Changes in the Program of Study

Modifications to the program of study may be made by filing an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form with the supervisory committee and obtaining required approval of the Department Graduate Committee before enrollment in any added courses. Completed courses cannot be deleted from the program of study.

Credit towards obtaining a degree will not be granted for classes taken prior to approval of the form, unless the student is changing degree status.

M.S. Program Requirements

1. All coursework is to be completed within 4 consecutive calendar years.2. Coursework listed on the program of study must total a minimum of 30 hours of

graduate coursework at the 5000 level or above, in engineering & allied fields.3. The 30 required hours must include the following:

a. A minimum of 12 hours of ECE courses;b. At least 9 hours of the required 12 ECE hours must be at the 6000 or 7000

level;c. 2 hours of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900 and 6910);d. 6-10 hours of thesis research (ECE 6970).

4. Required coursework hours may not include special studies, faculty consultation, or thesis research.

5. M.S. students may take up to 3 semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special Studies). These hours will count toward the required 6-10 hours of thesis. Therefore, an M.S. student who takes 3 hours of Special Studies will take 6-7 hours of thesis.

All students who are on visas must be registered for at least 9 credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

Due DatesFull-time graduate students:

Supervisory Committee Form

Drop deadline of second semester of study

Candidacy Form (Program of Study)

Drop deadline of second semester of study

Amendment to Program of Study

Drop deadline of semester for which change is requested

SPEAK Test Drop deadline of second semester of study

Proficiency Requirement Drop deadline of third semester of study

M.S. Research Comprehensive Exam

No later than third semester of study

Ph.D. Qualifying Exam During second semester of study

Ph.D. Research Comprehensive Exam

No later than fifth semester of study (there must be at least 1 semester between Ph.D. comprehensive exam & dissertation defense)

Part-time graduate students:

Supervisory Committee Form

Drop deadline of third semester of study

Candidacy Form (Program of Study) Drop deadline of third semester of study

Proficiency Requirement Drop deadline of fourth semester of study

Research Comprehensive Exam(Thesis/Dissertation Proposal)

M.S. and Ph.D. candidates must take a Research Comprehensive Exam to be administered by their supervisory committee at a time determined by that committee, but no later than the third semester of study for M.S. candidates and the fifth semester for Ph.D. candidates.

The candidates write a proposal on their research in the NSF or NIH format which would include only the technical proposal and the vita sections. The page limit for the proposal should be 10 pages for M.S. students and 15 pages for Ph.D. students.

The written proposal should be submitted to the members of the candidate’s supervisory committee at least 2 weeks before the oral comprehensive exam.

Students must notify the ECE Graduate Secretary at least one week before they are going to take the Comprehensive Exam. The Graduate Secretary will inform the Graduate School after the exam has been taken.

ECE Department Degree Requirements

E.E. DEGREE Ph.D. DEGREE Proficiency Requirement Yes Yes Residency Requirement At least one year (two consecutive semesters)

of full-time academic work; a full load is 9 credit hours

At least one year (two consecutive semesters) of full-time academic work; a full load is 9 credit hours.

Coursework 58 semester hours of coursework beyond the B.S. degree + 4 hours of graduate seminar

At least 42 semester hours of coursework beyond the B.S. degree + 4 hours of graduate seminar; students with an M.S. degree may count up to 6 hours of thesis credit toward coursework

Dissertation Up to 10 hours of coursework may be replaced with a “Special Project” or 6 hours of coursework for a previously completed M.S. thesis, but not both

At least 36 hours of thesis research; students with an M.S. degree may count any additional thesis hours (beyond the 6 used for coursework) toward these 36 hours

Supervisory Committee Must be set up by drop deadline of second semester of study Members 3 5 Chair Regular ECE faculty member Regular ECE faculty member; faculty outside of

the ECE Department may supervise a student as long as a regular ECE faculty member serves as co-chair

Coursework Approved by the supervisory committee. (The role of the Graduate Committee is simply to ensure quality control and compliance with University and departmental requirements.)

Research Comprehensive Exam (dissertation proposal)

No Yes

Qualifying Exam No Yes Dissertation Final Exam No Yes Special Project Final Exam Yes, if applicable No

Basic Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Requirement Process Due Date

SupervisoryCommittee

5 members; Chair must be regular ECE faculty member; majority of members must be ECE faculty; at least one member from outside dept

Submit a “Request for Supervisory Committee” form to ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of second semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of third semester of study

Program ofStudy

At least 42 semester hours of coursework beyond BS degree + 4 hours Graduate Seminar; students with an MS degree may count up to 6 hrs of thesis credit toward coursework

Submit a form “Program of Study for the Ph.D. Degree” to the ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of second semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of third semester of study

Amendment toProgram ofStudy

Submit an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form to the ECE Office for approval prior to registering for added classes

Changes must be made before an added class is taken; classes cannot be dropped after they have been completed

SPEAK Test Yes Contact Testing Center to make arrangements; requires request form from Grad Sec

Drop deadline of second semester of study

ProficiencyRequirement

Yes; must satisfy the ECE proficiency requirements

Submit a form “Fulfillment of Proficiency Requirements” to the ECE Office

Full time: drop deadline of third semester of studyPart time*: drop deadline of fourth semester of study

*Please note that international students must be full-time students.

Basic Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree (cont.)

Requirement Process Due Date

ResidencyRequirement

At least 1 year (2 consecutive semesters) of full-time academic work; a full load is 9 credit hours

Qualifying Exam

Yes Make arrangements with Graduate Secretary during last week of first semester of study

During second semester of study

ResearchComprehensiveExam (Dissertation Proposal)

Yes; pass a Research Comp Exam administered by the supervisory committee (including defense of a written formal dissertation proposal)

Notify the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Department at least one week prior to the date of the exam

No later than fifth semester of study (must be taken at least two semesters before the dissertation defense)

Dissertation Yes; at least 36 hours of thesis research; students with M.S. degree may count any add’l thesis hours (beyond 6 used for coursework) toward these 36 hours

Dissertation Final Exam

Yes Notify the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Department at least one week before exam

Defend the dissertation at the end of coursework requirements

Ph.D. Program Requirements

1. All coursework is to be completed within 7 consecutive calendar years.2. Coursework listed on the program of study must consist of:

a. A minimum of 42 hours of graduate courses (5000 level or above) beyondthe BS degree, in engineering and allied fields. Students with an MSdegree may count up to 6 hours of thesis credit toward coursework.

b. 4 semesters of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900, 6910, 7900, 7910) or 2semesters of Graduate Seminar (ECE 7900, 7910) if a prior MS degree.

c. At least 36 semester hours of thesis research (ECE 7970). Students withan MS degree may count any additional thesis hours (beyond the 6 usedfor coursework) toward these 36 hours.

3. Required coursework hours may not include faculty consultation or research.4. Ph.D. students may take up to 3 hours of ECE 7950 (Special Studies) which

will count toward the required 42 coursework hours.

All students who are on visas must be registered for at least 9 credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

Ph.D. Qualifying ExaminationProcedure

1. During the first semester, the candidate forms a supervisory committee and discusses his/her field of study with the primary advisor.2. During the second semester, the Graduate Secretary solicits one paper from the

research literature from each member of the supervisory committee.3. Eight weeks prior to the oral exam, the candidate chooses three of the five papers

to study. The candidate submits the written summary within six weeks (four weeks in summer). The summary will then be distributed to the supervisory committee, and the candidate schedules the oral exam.

4. The candidate then has the oral exam. Based upon the written summary and oral exam, the committee will recommend Pass, Fail, or, in exceptional cases, Retry. In the event of a second chance, the candidate must repeat the process the following semester, even if that semester is summer.

In both the written component and the oral presentation, the candidate must address the following points for each study paper: (1) the methods, results, and significance of the paper; (2) the completeness of the paper and what follow-on research could be performed; and (3) the relationship of the paper to the candidate’s intended field of study.

In the oral exam, in addition to the items covered in the written summary, the candidate should be prepared to answer questions from the committee specific to the papers and in the general field of study.

Thesis/Dissertation RequirementsThe supervisory committee must give preliminary approval of the thesis prior to the defense. The defense can be scheduled after this approval. The student must provide one copy of the thesis to the chair of the supervisory committee at least 3 weeks before the defense, and one copy to each of the other committee members at least 2 weeks prior to the defense.

After successfully defending the thesis, the student must obtain approval from the Final Reader (typically the supervisory committee chair) and submit the “Final Reading Approval” form to the Graduate Secretary for the Department Chair’s signature. The student must then submit the form to the Thesis Editor with a draft of the final thesis. The due date of the final thesis to the Thesis Editor may be found at http://www.utah.edu/graduate_school/thesisoffice.html.

Detailed policies and procedures concerning the thesis are contained in A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations published by the Graduate School.

Thesis/Dissertation DefenseThe Final Oral Examination (oral thesis/dissertation defense) is conducted by the supervisory committee according to Graduate School regulations. A student will be passed only if the committee is satisfied that the thesis research and documentation are unquestionably of the quality that will bring distinction to the candidate and the department. The committee may request further work of the candidate before a final decision is made.

All students must understand that they are responsible for ensuring that the submitted thesis/dissertation meets the requirements of the Graduate School of proper format. Ample help is available from the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Editor in the form of a Style and Format Guide as well as seminars. Theses with improper format will be rejected.

The student must provide the ECE Graduate Secretary with the following information at least one week before the date of the defense: the defense date and time, room, and a copy of the abstract and title of the thesis. A “Report of the Final Oral Examination” will be completed by the ECE Graduate Secretary for approval signatures during the defense, and the Graduate Secretary will submit the form to the Graduate School.

Phone Numbers for Graduate Information

Graduate Records – 302 Park Bldg International Admissions – 250 SSB

Margo Hobbs 1-6923 Jennifer Kleinschmidt 1-3091

Thesis Office – 302 Park Bldg Registrar’s Office – 250 SSB

Christine Pickett 1-8893 (Editor) Marilyn Owen 1-8876

Martha Klein 1-8893 (Asst Editor) Registrar’s Office – 250 SSB

Graduate School – 302 Park Bldg Ron Pattersen 1-3736 (Petitions)

Dean David Chapman 1-7942 1-6925 Emily Johnson 1-8969 (Leave of Absence)

Assoc Dean Frederick Rhodewalt 5-7199 Transcripts – 250 SSB

Denise Haynie 1-6925 (Exec Sec to Dean) Jan Cope 1-8965

Carol Bergstrom 1-6020 (Fellowships & Tuition Ben) Testing Center – 498 SSB

Marilyn Corbett 1-7643 (Fellowships & Tuition Ben) 1-8733

Graduate Information – 250 SSB Graduation Verification – 250 SSB

Emily Erickson 5-6766 Jeanie Jacquez 1-8965

Graduate Admissions – 250 SSB Graduate Secretary – ECE Department

LeAna Prigmore 1-7283 Holly Cox 1-3843