Montana Technological University Graduate School: Current Student Resources

Check Ins ✓

Master of Science (MS) 

It is recommended that you meet with your committee at least once per year. The committee is in place to provide you mentoring and resources towards your degree. Please see the Graduate Student Handbook for more information on your committee composition.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) 

The PhD degree is a research degree consisting of both classroom instruction at an advanced level and execution and completion of a research project, i.e. dissertation. To track the progress and receive academic credit for the latter, you should register for research credits during your PhD. Prior to the candidacy examination, register for pre-exam dissertation credits; after, register for dissertation credits. Dissertation credits can typically be used to fulfill credit hour requirements necessary to maintain full time student status and be eligible for assistantships.

Typically, you should finalize your PhD advisor and thesis topic as soon as possible. The thesis topic should be an intersection of your interests, your advisor’s interests, and (if applicable) availability of funding to complete your project. You are also encouraged to form your research committee as soon as possible, as they provide additional resources and additional expertise and tools with which you can complete your dissertation. You should begin working on your research as soon as possible, meet regularly with your advisor, and periodically with your committee.

Check the course requirements for your specific degree. More information can be found in program-specific handbooks below:

• Material Science Ph.D.
• Earth Science & Engineering

Examinations ✓

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (QE) 

Material Science (PhD):

The Qualifying examination is typically taken August after the first year of your PhD Program. The Qualifying Examination in Materials Science is a proctored written examination at a predetermined date, taken in partnership with our ‘sister site’ at Montana State University. Check with the program director and/or program staff for the schedule of the examination. Please refer to the handbook for additional details on scores required to pass the examination, conditionally pass the examination, and information on criteria by which a retake of the exam is required. In general, passing the qualifying examination requires class attendance and good study habits related to course material. Follow up with the instructor on points of uncertainty during the semester in which you are enrolled in the class; approaching a professor a couple of weeks before the QE to provide clarification as to “what I did wrong on problem 3 of the mid-term examination” or for a compendium of problems and solutions is not a productive study strategy. Also, forming a study group that meets regularly throughout the summer seems to benefit most students. Additional study tips for the QE, combined with format of the examination change periodically, and can be found here.

Earth Science & Engineering (Ph.D.):

The Qualifying examination is typically taken at the end of the 4th semester of your PhD Program. The Qualifying Examination in ESE is an independent research proposal unrelated to the dissertation research with an oral defense. The Qualifying Exam tests the student’s ability to be an independent thinker and scholar, as well as demonstrate knowledge breadth and depth in earth science and engineering. The student will write an independent research proposal unrelated to their dissertation research topic and present and defend it to their dissertation committee. During the oral defense, the student will be questioned on their proposal as well as breadth of knowledge in earth science and engineering.

To prepare and complete the ESE qualifying examination, the recommended steps are as follows:

• Confirm that your independent proposal topic is different from your dissertation research with your committee.
• Prepare a research proposal and submit to your committee.
• Present your proposal to your committee.
• Your committee asks you questions about your proposal.
• The committee asks you questions about your Earth Science and Engineering knowledge based on the classes that you have taken.

Candidacy Examinations 

Material Science Ph.D/ Earth Science & Engineering Ph.D:

After the qualifying examination, the next formal examination in is either the comprehensive (ESE) or candidacy (MatSci) examination.  Although these have different names for the different programs, they are of similar structure with the same goal. The purpose of this examination is three-fold. First, the examination demonstrates that the student can conceive, plan, and design an original and creative research project on a topic important to advancing understanding in the field. Second, the examination demonstrates the student can communicate effectively both orally and in writing.  Lastly, the examination serves as a means by which to lay a specific plan on what is needed to finalize your thesis, present a timeline for meeting these goals, and get committee feedback and approval on this plan.  

The MatSci Candidacy Examination is typically taken before the start of a student’s third year. The examination typically consists of both: (1) a written proposal describing the student’s intended dissertation research; and (2) an oral defense of the proposal to the student’s doctoral committee. The defense will include an open seminar followed by a closed interview/examination by the Committee that can cover a broad range of topics related to the proposed dissertation research.  Check with your advisor and/or program chair for best practices in your degree program on length of both the written and oral portions of the examination.  You are encouraged to schedule a pre-meeting with your committee to briefly discuss the proposal, and provide your committee members sufficient time (e.g. >1 week) to review the written proposal prior to the oral defense.

After you have passed your candidacy/comprehensive examination, you become a PhD candidate. You may register for research dissertation credits to fulfill credit hour requirements necessary to maintain full time student status and be eligible for assistantships.  Continue to meet regularly with your advisor and periodically with your committee.  Once you have complete the work and benchmarks that were agreed upon in your candidacy/comprehensive examination, and your advisor agrees, work to write your dissertation and schedule your defense.

Required paperwork:

You will need to complete and send the following forms to the graduate school via gradschool@mtech.edu to demonstrate you have successfully completed the candidacy/comprehensive examination:

• Results of Candidacy/Comprehensive Examination (All Ph.D. programs)
• Graduate Product Rubric (All Ph.D. programs)

Announce the Examination:

The following information needs to be forwarded to the graduate school via gradschool@mtech.edu to announce the examination:

• Student Name
• Degree Program
• Academic Advisor
• Type of Exam
• Exam Date, Time and Location

Degree Applications ✓

Degree Applications need to be submitted the semester before you intend to graduate. All signatures need to be obtained, as well as the business fee needs to be paid before submission to the graduate school.

• Application for Master of Science/Master of Engineering Degree 
• Application for Master of Science/Master of Engineering Degree Update
• Application for Masters of Industrial Hygiene Professional Track Degree
• Application for Ph.D. Degree 

Graduation Requirements ✓

• Submit your degree application the semester prior to intended graduation. If you are a summer graduate and plan to walk in the spring commencement ceremony, your graduation application will need to be submitted at the beginning of the spring semester. 
• Be on schedule to complete your coursework, as approved in your Graduate Program Form.
• Successfully defend your thesis, dissertation or publishable paper, according to the Thesis Deadlines or successfully complete your program's specific requirements.

Step 1: Write the Thesis/Publishable Paper/Dissertation and/or Prepare The Product ✓

All graduate students are required to have a graduate product (thesis, dissertation, publishable paper, or product). 

Thesis/Publishable Paper/Dissertation Templates:

• Thesis/Publishable Paper Template
  • Publishable papers should be imported into the template. The sections in the paper (per the journal’s ‘Guideline for Authors’) should correspond to sections on the template. The student may add a footnote to the Introductory section stating where the paper will be (or was) submitted, and also include this information in the acknowledgements. 
  • If you have additional supporting data files to add with your product, please include them with the submission of your product to the Graduate school. Check with your department on formatting of these data files. The graduate school does not have formatting requirement for accompanying appendices.
  • To ensure the final format review goes as smoothly as possible, it is highly recommended that you send a draft to the graduate school via gradschool@mtech.edu for a preliminary format check before final submission. There is no required deadline for this preliminary review, yet many students find it convenient to send the pre-defense copy of the thesis/publishable paper/dissertation when they send it to their committee for technical review. 
• Thesis Template LaTeX  [Zip]
• Dissertation Template 
  • ESE students should substitute “Earth Science & Engineering” for “Materials Science” on the title page.
  • If you have additional supporting data files to add with your product, please include them with the submission of your product to the Graduate school. Check with your department on formatting of these data files. The graduate school does not have formatting requirement for accompanying appendices.
• Common Formatting Issues Guide

Non-Thesis Based Degree Products:

Masters of Science Option B: Product:

Successful completing of degree requirements and this product constitutes your final product. 

Master of Project Engineering and Management Degree:

Students will complete a final written and oral presentation in MPEM 521 to satisfy the learning objectives of both the program, and a graduate degree at Montana Tech. Contact the MPEM 521 instructor for more details on the presentation.  The written report in MPEM 521 constitutes your final product.

Masters Industrial Hygiene Professional Track Degree:

Students will be examined by a committee at the completion of the course requirements. The Chair should be the Program Director but may, at the student’s discretion, be selected from the faculty instructing industrial hygiene courses. At least three members are required. The student is responsible for asking committee members to serve and attaching verification to their degree application that the committee has agreed to serve. Successful completion of degree requirements and successfully completing of this examination constitutes your final product. 

Master of Engineering Degree:

Candidates must complete a 1-credit hour final examination by registering for ENGR 500. Successful completion of degree requirements, this examination, and a passing grade in this course, constitutes your final product. 

Step 2: Defend the Graduate Product ✓

Masters of Science Option A: Thesis or Publishable Paper 

Required to announce/defend graduate product.

Masters of Science Option B: Product:

Not required to defend graduate product unless required by department or advisor.

Non-thesis Degrees:

Not required to defend product, view degree program requirements.

Schedule & Announce the Defense:

Defenses need to be scheduled within the Thesis Deadlines. Students are encouraged hold defenses as early as possible. The student is responsible for finding a time where all committee members are able to attend in advance.  Keep in mind that faculty members have many responsibilities and obligations, especially during the period approaching the end of any term and/or in the summer term. Faculty members have no obligation to accommodate students who fail to meet Thesis Deadlines, and thus, the student should schedule the defense well in advance and give the committee members sufficient time to read material in advance.

Once a date and time are agreed upon by the student's committee. A room will need to be reserved by the student with Live25.

The following information needs to be forwarded to the graduate school two weeks prior to the defense, only after the room has been reserved and confirmed:

• Student Name
• Degree Program
• Academic Advisor
• Title of Defense
• Defense Date, Time and Location
• Abstract
• Zoom/Teams Link

Defend the product:

Required graduation documents will be used by the graduate school to document that you have successfully completed your defense. 

Graduation Deadline extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. If you cannot meet graduation deadlines, then a Petition to the Dean Form needs to be submitted as soon as possible.

Step 3: Finalize the Product and Pubication Process ✓

Finalize the Product:

Some products require revision after the defense. All changes required by the student's committee need to be made to the thesis/publishable paper/dissertation before final submission to the graduate school.

Required Final Format Check:

The graduate school will check that your final thesis/publishable paper dissertation is compliant with the format of the required template and check for Common Thesis Formatting Problems. The Dean of the Graduate School may also review the thesis at this time; this review is to inform the Dean of the overall scientific/technical merit of the work being produced at the graduate level, so that he/she may stay abreast of student outcomes.

Publication Process: 

The publication process is completed by the graduate school. It takes place after a student's graduation has been confirmed. If your thesis, publishable paper or dissertation has not been published within 1-2 months after graduation and you do not have a publication delay, please reach out to the graduate school via gradschool@mtech.edu. Thesis, Publishable Papers, and Dissertations will be published in the Montana Tech's Digital Commons and ProQuest. Master of Science Option B will be published in the Montana Tech's Digital Commons. 

Hard Product Copy Orders (optional; not applicable to non-thesis degrees):

The graduate school pays for one library archival copy of the bound graduate product. One copy for the department/advisor, as well as the one copy for the student may be ordered additionally by completing the Thesis/Dissertation Copy Order Form. Students desiring additional copies of the graduate product can order copies directly from ProQuest with direct shipping to their desired address.

Graduation Deadlines ✓

The Graduate School requires a Canvas course tailored for those preparing to graduate (excludes distance programs, MPEM). It is the students responsibility to stay informed about all graduation deadlines and paperwork. Once you have submitted your completed degree application, you will receive an official invitation to join the course.  Review graduate product deadlines, defense deadlines, and the canvas course here. 

Required Graduation Paperwork ✓

All signatures must be completed and compiled in order for forms to be processed by the graduate school.

Master of Science: Option A - Thesis/Publishable Paper

• Graduate Program Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• Committee Appointment Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• Graduate Student Product Publication Agreement – obtain signatures after successful defense and complete product
• Graduate Product Rubrics - not required for on-campus Industrial Hygiene; supply to committee members to complete during defense
• M.S. Thesis/Publishable Paper Signature Sheet – obtain signatures after successful defense and complete product
• Checkout Form – obtain signatures after successful defense and complete product. (The Graduate School will sign the checkout form and the signature page once the thesis/dissertation format is approved.)
• Final thesis/publishable paper in pdf form
  

Master of Science: Option B - Product

• Graduate Program Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• Committee Appointment Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• Graduate Student Product Publication Agreement

• Checkout Form 
• Final product in pdf form 

Ph.D.

• Committee Appointment Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• Graduate Program Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• Graduate Student Product Publication Agreement – obtain signatures after successful defense and complete product
• Graduate Product Rubrics - supply to committee members to complete during defense
• Results of Dissertation Defense - obtain committee signatures directly after defense
• Checkout Form – obtain signatures after successful defense and complete product. (The Graduate School will sign the checkout form and the signature page once the thesis/dissertation format is approved.)
• Final dissertation in pdf form with Ph.D. Dissertation Signature Sheet 

Master of Project Engineering and Management

• Graduate Program Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• No other graduation paperwork is required

Masters Industrial Hygiene Professional Track

• IH Program Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school), please contact your advisor for this form.
• No other graduation paperwork is required

Master of Engineering

• Graduate Program Form (pre-required - due second semester of graduate school)
• No other graduation paperwork is required

Missing Graduation Deadlines  ✓

Missing deadlines may result in postponed graduation. If you cannot meet the graduation deadlines outlined a Petition to the Dean Form needs to be submitted to the graduate school before graduation deadlines via gradschool@mtech.edu. Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. 

Post-Graduation Information ✓

Updating Address Information

If you need to change your diploma address after graduation, please email enrollment@mtech.edu to update your address.

Diplomas

Diplomas can take anywhere from 3-5 months to mail after the students graduation term. If you are concerned about this matter please reach out to enrollment at enrollment@mtech.edu.