Progress towards Graduate Degrees
Each student progresses towards
their degree at their own pace, however, there are a few mandatory steps
that must be accomplished during the progression towards a degree. Specific
requirements for each students are shown in the table on the following page.
In addition, the following chart presents some guidelines that are suggested
to help a student gauge their progress vis-a-vis the expectations of the
Program. The chart assumes a program starting in Fall semester. If you are
starting in a spring semester, just slide the recommended progression dates
forward by one semester. Annual evaluations, however are always due in March,
regardless of the semester in which you started your studies.
Selecting a
Thesis Topic
During your FIRST semester in the Environmental Program, you should start thinking about your
thesis. It is anticipated that you will start your research project no later
than two semesters after you start your studies. If you delay longer than
this, you will also delay your graduation. It is expected that a Master's
thesis will address significant problems and make a contribution to science
and engineering.
There are a few basic
steps in selecting and defining a thesis topic. First, you should talk to
your professors about research areas in which they are involved. You should
start with the full-time professors in the Environmental Program. Faculty
associated with the program have several applicable projects. Talk to other
professors inside and outside Engineering. The Environmental Program strongly
encourages interdisciplinary research. Therefore, we are flexible when it
comes to the major professor you work with on your research, as long as
the topic is appropriate to Environmental Engineering or Environmental Quality
Science.
Many times, there are
funded projects on campus that need research assistants. If the topic is
interesting to you and applicable to your degree, you may have found your
thesis project. If the project is funded you may also be able to receive
a Research Assistant stipend.
However, don't limit
yourself to existing projects. If you have original ideas or specific interests,
talk to the professors on Campus. Perhaps there is a shared interest and
it may be possible to define your own project. If so, the research will
be much more personal and perhaps, more fulfilling. However, original projects
may also be difficult to fund - but not impossible. All you may need is
a little perseverance and patience.
In all instances, THESIS
TOPICS MUST BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY YOUR GRADUATE COMMITTEE. Therefore,
once you have identified potential research topics, you must begin the process
of selecting a Graduate Advisory Committee. Start by speaking to any of
the full-time Environmental faculty to discuss the scope of the project,
its objectives, and very importantly, potential faculty advisors. This is
to ensure that the project is appropriate for a Master's Degree.
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Advisory Committee
Selection
Once you have identified a thesis
topic, you are in a position to select an advisory committee. The Advisory
Committee is usually composed of three to five individuals (must be at least
three for Masters, five for Ph.D.) who will oversee your research, review
and approve your thesis, and administer your oral comprehensive and thesis
defense. It is important that you give serious thought to the members of
your committee as you must work closely with them. You cannot graduate without
their approval. At least one of your committee members must be a full-time
faculty member in the Environmental Program. For an M. S. in Environmental
Engineering, the chair or co-chair must be a faculty member of the Environmental
Program.
In general, the professor who
is directing your research also serves as the Chair of your Advisory Committee.
You may also ask other professors who have helped you, or are expected to
contribute significantly to your research. Coordinate committee selection
with the Environmental Program head, and consult the Graduate Student Manual
for required forms and procedures to formally appoint your committee.
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Comprehensive
Examination
All Environmental Program students
are required to take an oral comprehensive exam. The exam will be administered
by the student's Advisory Committee (see Advisory Committee Selection above).
The comprehensive exam is to be taken after you have substantially completed
your required course work. In general, the comprehensive exam is scheduled
during or after your third semester of course work. Upon successful completion
of the Comprehensive Exam, you will be advanced to candidacy by your committee.
The Comprehensive MUST BE TAKEN
AT LEAST ONE SEMESTER BEFORE the thesis defense. Please refer to the Graduate
Student Manual for required forms and procedures when scheduling your exam.
Some students have attempted the Comprehensive Exam without thoroughly reviewing
course materials. This is not a good practice and in most cases it has not
been successful. You may have two attempts to pass the Comprehensive Exam.
Should you fail your second attempt at the Comprehensive Exam, your Graduate
Committee may recommend to the Dean a third attempt. Should your committee
not recommend a third attempt, or if you are granted a third attempt and
fail, you will be disqualified from the program.
The purpose of the oral comprehensive
exam is to ensure you have "assimilated" the general concepts taught in
the various courses you have taken in the completion of your M. s. The comprehensive
is NOT a "review" of the information. We are especially concerned that you
are able to apply the basic concepts taught in your courses to practical
situations. We want you to demonstrate that you understand the "big picture",
that you have not memorized facts or retained an interesting assortment
of information without the ability to see relationships between disciplines
and apply basic concepts.
For example, we want you to
understand fundamental concepts such as BOD, SOR, NPDES, and TSS. For BOD,
you should be able to provide a concise one-sentence definition, describe
how to measure BOD, and the significance of this parameter. With respect
to SOR, we want you to be able to explain what is meant by this concept
and be able to work your way through much of the derivation for it (perhaps
with a little help from the examiners). With respect to derivations, we
are not so interested in the derivation being exactly correct as we are
in the mechanics of the derivation. What are the basic underlying principles
(e.g. conservation of mass) ? What are the important assumptions ? limitations
? What is the basis for the procedure used ?
It is important to remember
that your advisory committee understands that you are nervous during your
exam. You may make obvious errors or forget the most basic concepts. We
don't expect anyone to answer every question correctly. Instead, we expect
you, on the balance, to show us that you have learned important concepts
during your studies and, more importantly, understand how to apply these
concepts to the real world - not just textbook problems. One way to approach
the comprehensive is to practice TEACHING the basic concepts you have learned
to another individual who is unfamiliar with them. Explain how the basic
concepts work in the real world. If you can reduce the basic concepts down
to the point where you can explain them in clear, concise and SIMPLE terms
to a non-specialist, you will have the type of fundamental understanding
required to apply the concepts - and pass your comprehensive exam.
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Thesis Preparation
One question frequently asked
by students is "how do I write a thesis ? ". Unfortunately, there is no
set answer to this question. We have a library of theses from previous students
and this may be a good place to start for guidance. There are also several
books available in the library on technical writing and thesis structure.
The Graduate School Office in Signers Hall also has information, and more
importantly, specific requirements for thesis preparation. The requirements
of the Graduate School with regards to format, spacing, margins, paper type,
etc. MUST be strictly followed.
While it is not a formal requirement
of the Environmental Program, all students are expected to produce an article
for submission to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. One excellent
way to begin working on a thesis is to write a paper for publication first.
Another approach is to "extract" a paper from a completed thesis. Either
approach is acceptable and will vary based on personal style. However, please
keep in mind that you are expected to complete a paper for submission to
a journal as well as writing your thesis.
The general procedure is for
you to write drafts of your thesis, usually chapter by chapter, and submit
them for review and comment from your Committee Chair/Research Director.
This may take a few weeks to several months depending on your writing skills
and abilities. No copies of the thesis are to be distributed to your committee
until the Chair has approved a COMPLETE FIRST draft. Upon approval of your
committee chair, the first draft is distributed to your committee for comment.
You are to collect the comments and revise your draft accordingly. It is
essential that you discuss your thesis with your committee at this point.
If any SUBSTANTIVE comments are uncovered (e.g. not enough data has been
collected, scope of project is not sufficient), these must be addressed
immediately and will require additional work or significant restructuring
of your thesis. Other comments, such as style, grammar, etc. are usually
made as suggestions and are editorial in nature. Once you have collected
all your committee's comments and revised your thesis, it is submitted to
your committee Chair for final review. This process is repeated until your
Chair approves a final draft thesis and informs you that you may defend
your thesis. You may then distribute the Final Draft to your committee members,
the Department Chair and the Dean of the School and schedule a thesis defense.
Please refer to the Graduate Student Manual for required forms and procedures
when scheduling your defense.
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Thesis Defense
Upon completion of your research
project and acceptance of a final draft of your thesis, you must orally
defend your thesis. The thesis defense consists of two parts: 1) a public
presentation of your thesis (1/2 hour to 45 minutes) with questions from
the audience after the presentations; and 2) a closed, oral exam by your
Advisory Committee over the thesis. This is significantly different than
the comprehensive exam. In the thesis defense you will be expected to be
able to explain, in detail, your research, procedures, problems and results.
As you will draw conclusions from your data, you must be prepared to defend
those conclusions, explain how you arrived at those conclusions, and answers
questions involving other possible interpretations of the data. During your
thesis defense you may use your thesis as a reference.
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