nmsu graduate school thesis guidelines

New Mexico State University

Dissertation.

Dissertation Process and Guidelines

The dissertation is the culminating requirement for earning a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Professional Communication. Through the dissertation and the dissertation defense, students demonstrate that they are able to effectively conceptualize, design, and conduct a research project. In addition, students demonstrate that they can effectively communicate, both in speech and writing, their research and related arguments to a scholarly audience in RPC. Dissertations in the department reflect a range of research methods, forms of argument, and engagement with various scholarly conversations. Ultimately, students who successfully complete the dissertation demonstrate their ability to make a scholarly contribution to the fields of rhetoric and professional communication.

List of alumni dissertation titles

The Doctoral Committee

The Doctoral Committee is the same as the Comprehensive Exam Committee. This committee must include at least four graduate faculty members. The committee is composed of three members of the graduate Faculty from the Department of English (with at least two from RPC) and one member of the   graduate faculty   from another department. The committee chair/advisor must be from RPC. Students who wish to make changes to the committee should typically do so early in the process. If the student wants to make a substantial change to the composition of the committee (especially a change of advisor), all involved parties must be notified. The student must submit a   Change of Advisor Form  [PDF]   and a revised   Program of Study and Committee for Doctoral Students form  [PDF] .  The student must also receive approval from the Dean of the Graduate School to make changes to the committee membership.

The advisor’s role in the committee is to work primarily with the student and to consult with committee members as necessary to best support the student and to ensure the quality of the student’s work. The student should work on the dissertation proposal, the dissertation, and related material (such as   IRB approval )  first with their advisor. The advisor should meet regularly with the student, provide substantive feedback, and approve the dissertation proposal, chapter drafts of the dissertation, and the full draft of the dissertation prior to the committee’s approval. The role of the rest of the committee is, then, to review drafts and to provide additional feedback to the student. The outside member functions as a Dean’s representative and, depending on their expertise, may have a larger role in consulting with the student. The committee is also responsible for evaluating the dissertation and dissertation defense. See Evaluation of Dissertation and Dissertation Defense below for more details.

Course Enrollment and the Dissertation Process

During work on the preliminary proposal, formal proposal and dissertation research/writing, the student enrolls in ENGL 700: Doctoral Dissertation; a minimum of 18 credits of ENGL 700 is required for the student to graduate. Once the student has achieved ABD (all but dissertation) status they must register for a minimum of 3 credits of ENGL 700 each semester until they complete the dissertation and pass the final oral examination; students who complete their degree in the summer must register for a minimum of 1 credit of ENGL 700. The dissertation must be completed and approved within 5 years after the comprehensive examination (or the comprehensive examination must be retaken). 

The Dissertation Process

After passing the comprehensive exam, the student begins full-time work on the dissertation, which includes the following stages (described in brief here and with more detail below):

• The first stage of this process may take place during the last few minutes of the comprehensive exam, when the student (under the direction of the advisor) discusses brief/initial plans for dissertation research.
• Next, under the direction of the advisor, the student composes a dissertation proposal of approximately 25-30 pages (and may be longer in the case of qualitative studies). After approval by the advisor, the the proposal is submitted by the student to the committee for review and schedules a meeting to elicit feedback from the committee.
• Once the proposal is approved by the full committee, the student conducts appropriate research and begins to write the dissertation. This involves significant and ongoing feedback from and regular consultation with the advisor.
• When the first three chapters have been approved by the advisor, the student holds a meeting with the full committee for feedback and suggestions for revision.
• When the student has a full draft of the dissertation approved by the advisor, it is once again distributed to the committee, who decides if it is ready to go to defense. Committee members may ask for additional revision and review before the defense. Students may not schedule the defense before all committee members have signed off.
• Once a full draft of the dissertation has been approved, the student defends the dissertation in the final oral exam.

[1]  As the student takes and defends comprehensive exams, they should consider how such research and writing can contribute to their dissertation project. Such thinking and planning begins to take shape as the student consults with their advisor. In some cases, under the direction of the advisor, the student may present initial plans for the dissertation at the end of the oral exam.

[2]  Under the direction of the advisor, the student completes a formal dissertation proposal (usually 25-30 pages, exclusive of references, but sometimes longer in the case of a qualitative study). The proposal should include a definition of the problem to be explored, a literature review, methodological and theoretical sections, and a working bibliography. With the advisor’s approval, the proposal is submitted to all members of the doctoral committee.

Once the proposal is approved by the advisor, the student should share it with committee members and schedule a meeting for its review and approval (usually one hour in length). Committee members may approve during the meeting, ask for revisions, or require a follow-up meeting. Proposal must be approved by all members of the committee, who then sign off on the proposal. A copy of the  Proposal Approval  form and the approved proposal are placed in the student’s departmental file. The sign-off on the proposal allows the student to begin the formal conduct of the study (i.e., collecting and analyzing data, interviewing subjects, recording field notes). The student should avoid moving ahead with a study if the committee has not agreed to the proposal. In this case, the student is encouraged to revise the proposal in consultation with the advisor who can assist the student in addressing committee members’ concerns. Pilot studies may be conducted before sign-off on the formal proposal, subject to human subjects review approval.

If human subjects are involved (e.g., as survey respondents, as writers under study, or as interviewees), the student must receive the necessary approvals from the university prior to using such subjects. Forms and instructions for human subjects approval are available through the   Office of Research Compliance website . The IRB application must be reviewed and approved by the (IRB-certified) advisor before being submitted to the office of research compliance.

Once the formal proposal has been approved, if a student for any reason needs or wishes to change the topic or method of the dissertation, that student must submit a revised proposal, or amendment to the proposal, which must be approved by the committee before the student collects data on the new dissertation project. If there is a change in the membership of the committee, the new member(s) should receive a copy of the proposal and have an opportunity to comment and suggest changes to the student and the dissertation advisor. A copy of the newly approved, revised, or amended proposal should be added to the student’s departmental file. The student is responsible for filing the proposal, the signed approval, and any amendments or revisions with the Graduate Secretary in the English Department office.

[3]  Once the formal proposal is approved, the student conducts the study and writes the dissertation. During this time, the student should work closely with the advisor and consult with committee members as necessary. The student will maintain regular contact with the advisor, submit drafts in a timely manner, and revise work in progress based on advisor input. The advisor will provide substantive feedback on the drafts and assess the progress of the study. Once the advisor has approved these drafts the student may submit them to other members of the committee, following the process that was developed in the preliminary proposal meeting.

[4]  A meeting must be held with the student and the committee once the student has successfully drafted and revised—in consultation with the student’s advisor—the first full three chapters of the dissertation. This meeting will allow the student to receive substantive feedback from all committee members about the dissertation project in advance of the final defense.

[5]  The student then revises the dissertation in preparation for the dissertation defense. With the approval of the advisor, the student will submit the completed dissertation draft to the committee before scheduling the final exam. The student should allow the committee members at least two weeks to review the revised dissertation draft. Committee members will read this draft and certify it as being defensible or as being in need of further revision. If the draft is not defensible, the student will work with the advisor to address any concerns and resubmit the draft to the committee.

[6]  When all members agree that the draft is defensible, then the student may schedule the final oral examination and submit the   Doctorate of Philosophy Examination form .  Note that the Graduate School requires that exams be scheduled ten working days in advance of the defense. The defense must also be scheduled in accordance with Graduate School deadlines in order for the student to be eligible for graduation in that semester. Please see the  Graduate School website   for the specific deadlines for each semester.

A defensible dissertation may need further editing or minor revision, and one purpose of the oral defense is to hear the editorial and revision suggestions from committee members. If, at the close of the oral defense, the committee feels the dissertation is satisfactory, the advisor will be responsible for overseeing any changes suggested by committee members, whose work is done at the close of the meeting.

Students who successfully defend their dissertation have fulfilled the final requirement for the completion of the doctoral program. Upon a successful defense, the student should work with the advisor to make minor revisions and editorial changes to the dissertation. Once this process is complete, the student should then file the dissertation with the Graduate School. Please see the   Graduate School website   for specific requirements on formatting. One bound copy must be filed with the Graduate Secretary in the English Department. Typically, students also provide the advisor and committee members with copies of the final version of the dissertation, although these copies do not necessarily need to be bound.

Evaluation of the Dissertation and Dissertation Defense

Successful students will demonstrate the ability to conduct original research and contribute to knowledge in a specialized area of the field as well as display a broad understanding of the field(s) of knowledge that make up the degree area. Students who fail the final examination (defense) may be granted a second examination upon the recommendation of the committee and the approval of the Graduate Dean. 

After a successful defense and once students are prepared to begin the process for graduation, they will need to submit a   Dissertation Title Submission form . Additional information and forms for completing and submitting the dissertation can be found  here .

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Graduate students, current graduate student information.

Biology Graduate Handbook Fall 2021 Graduate Catalog Graduate School (NMSU Home Page) Graduate School Forms Master’s Thesis Students Guidelines

Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines

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MS Requirements

This guide explains some of the requirements for the Master of Science (MS) Degree in Mechanical Engineering. The information provided here supplements the   NMSU Graduate School requirements for Masters Degree   which are the minimum requirements. Students   MUST   follow the Mechanical Engineering degree requirements listed below to complete the MS course of study. Students may select one of two options for completing their MS degree. Selection of a particular option must be made during the first semester of study in conjunction with selecting a permanent advisor.

MS Course Only Option

• Total number of credits – 30
• Solid Mechanics: ME502 Elasticity, ME504 Continuum Mechanics
• Thermo Science: ME503 Thermodynamics, ME540 Inter. Heat Transfer
• Fluids: ME530 Inter. Fluid mechanics, ME533 Comput. Fluid Mechanics
• Dynamics and Vibrations: ME511 Dynamics, ME512 Vibrations
• Engineering Analysis and Control: ME580 Num. analysis, ME518 Finite Element Analysis, ME527 Modern Control of Linear Systems
• Four additional ME courses which may be core courses listed above, research area courses, dual listed courses, ME 509, or ME 510.

MS Thesis Option

• ME 570 and at least 21 credits (inlcuding ME 570) taken in ME courses.
• ME 509: A course for individualized studies. Only 3 credits of ME 509 can be counted toward the degree program.
• ME 510: For courses offered formally on a one-time only or limited basis. ME 510 should be subtitled based on focus. Students may repeat the course one time under a different subtitle
• Publication Requirement: refereed conference proceeding accepted or a refereed journal article in review by graduation. The MS thesis can be a reformatted version of this paper. Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis by the department head.

Selection of Option and Permanent Advisor

Newly admitted graduate students will be assigned a temporary advisor for the first semester, but they must select a degree option and permanent advisor before registering for the second semester. In considering a decision about option and advisor, the student should arrange to meet with several members of the graduate faculty during the first six weeks of study to discuss specific educational objectives. The student can use these meetings to become familiar with faculty interests and research projects currently in progress. The faculty member must agree (in writing) to serve as the student’s advisor.

General Requirements for MS in Mechanical Engineering

Total number of credits = 30

All students must pass a final examination. The final examination is to be conducted by the student’s advisory committee and is taken after completing all coursework and thesis work for the thesis option, or all coursework for the course-only option

Timeline to MS Degree Completion

Advancement to candidacy.

Selection of a permanent advisor indicates agreement between the student and faculty member on an academic program. The program must fulfill all requirements for one of the two options described above. An Application for Admission to Candidacy for Master’s Degree form , which formally summarizes the student’s program of studies, MUST be filed during the second semester of graduate work. Failure to file this application during the required period will result in the loss of any department assistantships the student may have.

At the time the “Application for Admission to Candidacy” is submitted, the student must have a cumulative graduate grade-point average of 3.0.

The application may specify the Graduate Catalog in effect at the time of matriculation, provided that the catalog is not more than seven years old. Otherwise, the current Graduate Catalog will be used.

The student’s program listed in the Application for Admission to Candidacy must:

• meet the requirements of the chosen catalog, including the regulations of the Graduate School and of the major department,
• include undergraduate deficiencies and required courses specified on the student’s Certificate of Admission,
• be certified by the student, the student’s adviser, heads of departments offering major and minor fields, and the cognizant deans, and
• list each course number and abbreviated title with the hours and grades.

If the program is not satisfactory in the judgment of the graduate dean, it may be returned to the department for revision. When the “Application for Admission to Candidacy” has been approved by the graduate dean, the student will be formally admitted to candidacy for the master’s degree.

Graduate Committee

The master’s degree committee will consist of a minimum of three faculty members: the student’s advisor and at least two additional members. The student’s advisor will chair the committee. The committee chair and one other member must be mechanical engineering faculty members. The third member of the committee must serve as the dean’s representative. The committee chair and the dean’s representative must be members of the graduate faculty. If the student has a minor area of study then either the dean’s representative or a fourth committee member must come from the minor department. If no minor is declared, the dean’s representative may come from a related area (recommended by the committee chair), or be appointed independently by the Dean of the Graduate School. Selection of the graduate committee for the master’s degree is to be done prior to submission of the Committee for Master’s Final Examination form .

Final Examination

Candidates take a final examination in accordance with the Graduate School Academic Calendar deadlines. The form to schedule this examination Committee for Master’s Final Examination is to be submitted by the department to the Graduate School at least ten working days prior to the proposed date for the examination. It is the student’s responsibility to be sure that the form is submitted to the Graduate School by this deadline.

At the time of the final examination, a graduate student must have an NMSU cumulative graduate grade-point average of at least 3.0 and must be enrolled in the final semester; or, if the student is writing a thesis, he or she must have completed all course work for the master’s degree. Students with a non-thesis option may be required to pay a special exam fee in lieu of registering for 1 credit hour of graduate course work.

The final examination format shall be determined by the department, with the approval of the graduate dean.

Any candidate who fails in the final examination may:

• Upon recommendation of the adviser and approval of the graduate dean, be granted a second examination after a lapse of at least one semester; or
• be excluded from further candidacy for the degree.

Failure in the second examination disqualifies a candidate from obtaining the degree. Certification that the thesis has been accepted and that the final examination has been passed must be filed with the Graduate School not later than one week before the degree is conferred.

Additional Information for Thesis Option

Once registered for thesis, a student must continue to register for a minimum of 1 credit in thesis or graduate course work each regular semester until the thesis is approved by the Graduate School and the copies have been accepted by the binding section in Branson Library. A student who fails to abide by this regulation will be considered withdrawn from the university and, in order to resume studies, must formally apply for readmission and satisfy the requirements in effect at the time of reapplication. If the oral examination is to be scheduled or the thesis is to be completed during the summer, the student must register for 1 credit hour during the summer session in which the oral examination will be held or the thesis completed. To graduate during this summer session the student must also have filed the Application for Degree (Diploma) by the deadline posted in the current Schedule of Classes, or the Graduate School Academic Calendar .

The student must ensure that each member of the examining committee receives a copy of the thesis no later than seven working days before the date of the final examination. The form and style of the thesis must comply with the regulations given in the Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation. These guidelines also contain detailed information on the thesis-approval process and binding. Candidates are encouraged to consult with the graduate editor on format, deadlines, and procedures before final typing.

The thesis must be submitted to the graduate editor on or before the deadlines posted in the Graduate School Academic Calendar . The thesis is not complete until copies have been accepted for binding by the binding section staff in Branson Library.

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Dissertations and Theses

• Finding NMSU Dissertations and Theses
• Finding Non-NMSU Dissertations and Theses

Finding NMSU Dissertations and Theses Online

NMSU Dissertations are available full-text online through the Dissertations@NMSU database. This database offers full-text to all doctoral dissertations dating back to the 1960s and masters theses from 2019 to the present.  Pre-2019 theses from NMSU are can be searched  in the Library catalog.  Copies of theses and dissertations can be purchased from ProQuest through this database.

Finding Print Copies of Dissertations and Theses

The easiest way to look up print copies of dissertations and theses (this is the only way an NMSU Thesis can be found), as well as dissertations and theses prior to 1960, is to do a title or author search in the library  catalog .  To find hard copy dissertations on particular topics, visit the  NMSU Library Catalog , click " Advanced Search"  and change the " Resource Type " field to " Dissertations ." 

You can also use the Resource Type "Dissertations" to filter search results.

NMSU keeps two copies of all doctoral dissertations and theses. One copy is a "library use only" copy kept in Branson Special Collections. The circulating copies are kept in the Zuhl library.

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• URL: https://nmsu.libguides.com/dissertations

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Electrical Engineering - Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering

The Program Educational Objectives for the Master of Science Program in Electrical Engineering are:

• That graduates successfully apply advanced skills and techniques in two or more areas of specialization.
• That graduates obtain relevant, productive employment with the private sector or in government and/or pursue additional advanced degrees.

 Three options exist for the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. The requirements for each option are listed below:

• Thesis – 24 credits of course work plus 6 credits of E E 599 plus oral exam
• Technical Report – 27 credits of course work plus 3 credits of E E 598 plus oral exam

Masters students employed by the Klipsch School as a Graduate Assistant for 10 or more hours/week for two or more semesters must complete their degree under option 1.

The NMSU Graduate School has general requirements for graduation and time tables for submitting required paperwork during your program of study and prior to graduation. Consult the Graduate School Catalog for more detailed information.  In particular, review the Graduate School’s Thesis & Dissertation Guidelines for required paperwork and the Graduate School Academic Calendar for applicable deadlines.  Many of the necessary forms can be downloaded from the graduate school page.

• Two graduate core courses must be taken from two different areas of specialization.  In addition, either a third graduate core course OR one graduate breadth course must be taken from a third area of specialization.  Students may transfer equivalent core or breadth courses taken from other ABET-accredited universities, in accordance with the transfer policy (item 6, below).  The most recent NMSU instructor determines equivalency of a course taken at another university.
• At least 15 credits of course work must be at or above the 500 level.
• At least half of the graduate course work must be in the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
• At least half of the coursework credits, excluding thesis or tech report credits, must be taken with other than a single professor.
• Any coursework more than seven years old at the time of the final examination will not be included in the Master’s degree program.
• A maximum of 12 credits of graduate course work taken at another institution may be transferred in, if those credits logically fit into the student’s graduate program.  The advisor decides which courses fit. Graduate School approval of transfer credit is required.  Students must complete the Master’s Transfer of Credit Form.
• Credits of E E 490, C S 457/467/477/487, and COMM 485 do not count toward a graduate degree. Credits of E E 590, Selected Topics, are limited to a total of 9, of which at most 6 may be credits for courses that don’t appear as regular classes in the printed schedule. Each area of specialization may have additional requirements for students in those areas. Other limitations and requirements that apply to all master’s degrees are described elsewhere in this catalog.
• All graduate credits must have letter grades of A, B, or C, or pass/fail grades of S (Satisfactory).  At the graduate level, a pass/fail grade of S corresponds to a letter grade of A or B.
• Up to 6 credits earned on another master’s degree at NMSU may be allowed to count toward an MSEE degree, if those credits fit into a logical graduate program.
• To apply for degree, the student runs a STAR audit and brings the printout with  MSEE Record Check   to the advisor.  The advisor reviews this checklist and signs off on it.  At that point, the student can bring to the front office. The Graduate School requests that the Application for Candidacy be filed after the student has completed 12 hours of coursework.  The Graduate School requires that a student’s NMSU cumulative graduate grade-point average must be at least 3.0 at the time of applying for candidacy.  Our department has the additional requirement that the NMSU GPA of the courses listed on the Application for Admission to Candidacy must be at least 3.0.
• For the Final Examination, submit to the Department Head an  MSEE Record Check  and the Committe for Master’s Final Examination Form . Please note that students selecting the thesis or technical report option must submit to the Department Head a 1-page abstract which includes (a) the advisor’s name, and (b) the date, time, and place of the final oral exam. PDF format for the abstract is preferred.
• Pass an oral exam covering thesis work or technical report work, as applicable.  For the coursework option, pass three graduate core courses (or two graduate core courses and one graduate breadth course) with a B or better in each course or pass the PhD qualifying examination.
• File an Application for Degree (Diploma) with the Office of the Registrar by the last day to register or add a course for the semester or summer session you plan to graduate. If you fail to complete all degree requirements by the deadline specified on the “Application for Degree (Diploma),” you forfeit any fees paid, and you must reapply and pay all required fees for the term in which you complete all degree requirements. Visit their website for more information .
• Complete undergraduate deficiency coursework, if the student admitted has a bachelor’s degree in a field other than electrical engineering, or equivalent.   Note: it is highly recommended that all deficiencies be completed as early as possible in the program.  They should be completed before the start of the last semester in the program.
• Each area of specialization may have additional requirements.

MSEE Thesis/Tech Report Defense and Final Oral Examination

All MSEE students should form a committee after the completion of 18 credits of coursework. The committee must consist of at least three faculty members: the candidate’s advisor, another ECE faculty member of choice (preferably someone who is knowledgeable about the research topic), and a faculty member from outside the ECE department. All committee members must be Graduate Faculty. Candidates with a declared minor should have a representative from the related area. It is recommended that the candidates consult with their advisor on the composition of the committee.  For choosing a member from outside the ECE department, it is preferable to find someone who is knowledgeable about the subject or with whom the candidate has taken graduate level courses. If a candidate does not know anyone, they can ask the advisor for a recommendation or can ask the Graduate School to appoint someone. 

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College of Engineering Klipsch School of Electrical & Computer Engineering

College of Engineering Klipsch School of Electrical & Computer Engineering New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001 MSC 3-O Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 (575) 646-3115

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