Thesis

Thesis Research Area

The area of research for the thesis should be identified as early as reasonable in the academic program. This is usually done with the assistance of a member of the graduate faculty who is willing to serve as the thesis supervisor and as chair of the supervisory committee.

Supervisory Committee

The thesis supervisory committee must have a minimum of two members in addition to the supervisor. One of these additional members must be from the computer science department. The third member must be from some other department, but should logically be from a related discipline. The entire membership of the supervisory committee must be approved by the graduate dean.

Meeting with the Supervisory Committee

Once the supervisory committee has been formed, its members should be consulted frequently to discuss the research plans. A formal approach to developing the thesis proposal should be communicated to the members. Although the thesis supervisor will be the individual with which an individual completing on a thesis will consult most frequently, all committee members should be continually informed of the research progress.

Registration for CSCI 8990 — Thesis

Credit for a total of six semester hours of CSCI 8990 is required. It is common to register for three semester hours of CSCI 8990 in two consecutive semesters, but this is not required. Until the thesis is accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, a grade of “IP” is assigned for CSCI 8990. Once the thesis is acccepted, the grade is changed to “S” (satisfactory).

Forms

The various forms related to the thesis are available in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. They are also available (in PDF format) here.

Oral Defense

The oral defense of the thesis should be formally organized. A visual presentation (e.g. transparencies or slides) that clearly presents the problem, objectives, approaches, and the contributions of the research effort should be made.

The presentation must be open to the public. Announcements of the presentation should be posted on departmental bulletin boards and by electronic mail.

The oral defense is presented in the following manner:

• The presentation should take 30 to 40 minutes. After the presentation, the first question session begins. The audience and supervisory committee may ask questions.
• After the first question session, the audience is dismissed and the second question session starts. The members of the supervisory committee may ask additional questions.
• After the second question session, the candidate is asked to leave the room while the members of the supervisory committee discuss the results. One of the following three decisions will be reached:
• The defense is passed. The thesis acceptance form is signed by the supervisory committee members.
• The defense is conditionally passed. Minor changes to the work are required, and three weeks are permitted in which to complete the changes, after which the thesis accceptance form is signed by the supervisory committee members. No additional defense is required.
• The defense is not passed. This will require major changes to the work and another oral defense.

Additional Information

For additional information about the thesis, refer to the graduate catalog.