CENG ACADEMICS &
RESEARCH

Completing Your Thesis or Project

It is recommended that theses and projects be completed over three or, at least, two academic quarters. Some projects take even longer, especially when sponsored research is involved. For most engineering degree programs, which generally require 9-unit theses/projects, it is recommended that the thesis/project units be distributed over a minimum of three quarters. Typically, the first quarter is used to refine and fully articulate the plan of attack, including literature review, and subsequent quarters are used to perform the investigation. Some programs have rigid requirements with regard to scheduling thesis/project units, so check with your Graduate Coordinator for details.

Each thesis/project requires an advisor and a committee consisting of the advisor and two additional faculty members. Guidelines for committee selection and other thesis/project requirements appear in the Graduate Programs section of the General Catalog. Thesis formatting guidelines and a form to submit your committee membership for formal approval can be downloaded from the Graduate Programs web site.

In consultation with your principal thesis advisor, you should choose other thesis/project committee members soon after your topic is clearly defined and secure their agreement to participate. A Thesis/Project Committee Membership approval form should be submitted to your Graduate Coordinator no later than one month before your intended graduation.

Working with your thesis/project advisor, you carry out and document your investigation in the form of a draft thesis/project report in close-to-final form. Once your advisor agrees the report is ready for formal review, a thesis defense is scheduled. During the defense, the thesis or project is presented to the committee and a judgment is made whether the work is acceptable, and what modifications if any are needed to complete the final report. Note that the thesis/project defense is a public presentation, open to the university community. Once committee members' signatures are obtained, the final report is reviewed for formatting and filed with the campus Research and Graduate Programs Office, accompanied by the necessary filing fee.