Proposals should be written in an NSF or NIH format which would include only the technical proposal and the vita sections.  The choice of which format to use would be based on the area of research. The faculty advisor would help the student choose.

Students should schedule 2 hours, if possible, for the proposal and plan on presenting approximately 20-30 mins. MAX and answering questions throughout. This usually means that the presentation take 45 mins – 1 hr.

Please note: MS thesis students are not required to complete an oral presentation for their proposal unless their supervisory committee requests it.

• • Proposal Outline – Recommended by Dr. Furse
  • NSF Preparing your Proposal
  • NSF Grant Proposal Guide
  • NIH Grants

The 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.

All students must understand that they are responsible for ensuring that the submitted thesis meets the requirements of the Graduate School for proper format. Ample help is available from the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Editor in the form of a Handbook for Theses and Dissertations as well as seminars. Theses with improper format will be rejected. When students send a draft to their committee, they must also upload their thesis for Preliminary Review to the Graduate School.

After successfully defending the thesis, the student must upload the final version of their thesis to the Graduate School. Detailed policies and procedures concerning the thesis are contained in A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations published by the Graduate School.

Students should plan on presenting 30-45 mins with the public and private question and answer sessions taking up the remainder of the time. Students should schedule 2 hours, if possible, for the defense.

• Thesis Outline – Recommended by Dr. Furse
• Graduate School Thesis Templates – Word and LaTex
  • LaTeX Thesis Template for the University of Utah

It is important for students to acknowledge shared authorship and assistance they may have received while doing their PhD work. As this applies to most, if not, all of our ECE students, please complete the following steps:

Step 1: Discuss the question of authorship and acknowledgment with your research advisor.

Step 2: Provide proper citations and references

For theses/dissertations that are organized as a collection of papers, add a footnote associated with the first page of that chapter (you can link the footnote to the title of the chapter, for instance). Give the full reference to the paper, listing all the authors. If the paper is published, submitted, or “in preparation”, it would be something like… First Name last name of first author (you), names of author 2, author 3… , Title of paper, submitted to Journal XXX on xxx date.  This work was supported by grant #xxx and was done under the guidance of Prof. xxx. Include this would be on the first page of that chapter, and also on related presentations including the defense slides.

Step 3: Acknowledge appropriately

In addition, include an acknowledgment section within the paper itself, typically at the end of the paper/chapter. This should be submitted with the paper, and since the full paper gets included in the thesis/dissertation, the acknowledgment section at the end of that paper would remain as part of the chapter. Discuss this acknowledgment with your thesis advisor. Typically this should include details about the funding and should acknowledge other people/agencies who helped with the work but do not rise to the level of a co-author. Do not acknowledge the other authors here, they are already acknowledged by being co-authors.

In addition to the acknowledgment, some work includes disclosures of financial conflicts of interest. Discuss this with your research advisor. These should also be included in the thesis/dissertation similarly to the acknowledgments.

Step 4: Complete the Graduate School Coauthor Identification Form

The Graduate School requires a coauthor release form for all co-author papers that are included in dissertations or theses. You should list all the co-authors, and they will automatically be emailed a link to sign electronically to allow you to include the paper in your thesis/dissertation (proper etiquette is to let them know that such a form is coming and send them copies that show how you have properly acknowledged them). It is also a good idea to get this approval from your co-authors as soon as the paper is published if you plan to put it in your thesis/dissertation. Other students are likely to graduate and move away, so be proactive and create the thesis chapter and its acknowledgment as soon as the paper is accepted, and request this permission.

If you are going to include papers that are not yet published, but are submitted or in preparation for your thesis/dissertation, discuss with your advisor if you should also submit these to a pre-print archive. IEEE has a preprint archive TechRxiv. Check to be sure the journal you want to publish in will allow these pre-print uploads without preventing publication later, but most IEEE journals do.

TO: Potential Supervisory Committee Member
SUBJECT: Request to serve on my supervisory committee

Dr. ___________________,

My name is ___________________and I am currently doing research for Professor ___________________relating to ___________________. Due to your background I think you would be well-suited to guide me in my research. Would you be willing to serve on my MS/PHD supervisory committee?

Thank you,
___________________

TO: Committee Chair (and Co-Chair if your PI is from outside the department)
SUBJECT: Scheduling QE

Professor ___________________,

As I am completing my coursework I believe that I am ready for the Qualifying Exam. If there are no outstanding obstacles, may I begin the Qualifying Exam process this semester?

Best regards,
___________________

TO: Supervisory Committee Members
CC: Graduate Student Coordinator
SUBJECT: Scheduling Proposal/Defense
ATTACHMENT: Written Proposal/Manuscript copy

Dear all,

In working with Professor ___________________we believe that I am ready to conduct my proposal/defense. I have attached my written proposal/manuscript for your review. Please take a moment to complete the following poll to indicate when would be the best time to hold the meeting: (Link to When is Good or DoodlePoll)

Please do not hesitate to inform me if the proposed dates do not align with your schedule, or if additional time slots are necessary.

Thank you for serving on my committee.

Best regards,
___________________

Communication, Leadership, Ethics and Research (CLEAR)
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Electrical Engineering Research Guide

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