Masters Committee and Exam Process

Students are responsible for knowing all requirements of their program when they matriculate.

Examination Committee

The Master’s final committee, which serves as the examining committee for the final oral exam, is established by an online process found here.  This process can take up to 3 weeks so plan accordingly.  The committee needs to be assigned before any action on scheduling the final exam can take place.

The master's final examination committee must consist of at least three members, including the advisor(s). All members appointed to the committee must meet the minimum standards established by the program and college. All members of the committee and the student must participate in the final examination. Committee members and/or the student may participate remotely as long as all conditions for participation in the examination are met.

  • At least two members (including the advisor) must be WRS faculty and be involved in research closely related to that of the student’s project.
  • The 3rd member (the external member) must be from an area of emphasis outside that of the student’s research (i.e. doing research unrelated to the student's). This member may, however, be a member of the WRS faculty.
    • If the student has a declared minor(s), the outside member must be from the minor field(s).  This member may, however, be a member of the WRS faculty.

Changes in committee membership may be made after filing the degree plan if approved by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and the collegiate unit.

Master’s Final Exam

First and very importantly, you must review and follow the Degree Completion Steps (formerly known as the Grad Packet).  Here are the steps for Plan A students  |  Here are the steps for Plan B students   

  • You must apply to graduate during the month before the month you plan to defend.  Example:  If you schedule your defense for August 23rd, then you must apply to graduate in July for August.  Waiting until August to apply will mean you are applying for September.
  • If you plan to defend at the end of August or the end of December, be prepared for the possibility of having to register for the next semester.  Talk with the Graduate Program Coordinator immediately to make sure you understand your situation.

The final exam consists of two parts.  They are to be done one right after the other (same day).

  1. Public seminar by the student, covering the objectives of the thesis, technical approach, results, and conclusions.
  2. Defense of the work to the examining committee in a closed session immediately following the public seminar.

Scheduling

Begin scheduling your final exam as soon as your advisor regards your thesis/project ready for review by the rest of the committee. To allocate sufficient time to read the thesis/project and decide whether it is ready for defense:

  • Plan a date that you will deliver the thesis/project to your advisor and committee members. Notify them of the delivery date at least two weeks in advance so they can schedule time to read it.
  • Allow all members of the examining committee at least two weeks to read the thesis/project after it has been delivered. Your defense date should be at the end of that reading period.

When your committee receives the thesis/project and the date of your exam has been set, activate the Reviewer’s Report form and the Final Exam Form (See the Degree Completion Steps).

Occasionally reviewers will determine that substantial revision is required before the thesis/project is ready to defend, and their concerns must be addressed before the defense can proceed.

Finally, supply the WRS Graduate Program Coordinator with the date, time, title, abstract, and room or Zoom link (or both) so an email announcement can be distributed to all WRS faculty and students at least one week prior to the exam. You must then forward that announcement to any other dept or organization you have been working with. You are responsible for scheduling a room, if in-person, but are able to contact the WRS Graduate Program Coordinator if assistance is required.

Scheduling Considerations

  • Final oral exams may be scheduled in one month, but revisions and final paperwork often take students into the next month.  This becomes an issue for exams scheduled in late August or late December.  Students finishing in September or January MUST register for the semester even though they don't need the entirety of it.  Contact the WRS Graduate Program Coordinator early to plan accordingly.
  • If final oral exams need to be scheduled in the summer, make sure to allow extra time in planning as many staff and faculty are off-campus.

Public Seminar

You and your advisor should decide on the length of your presentation. It is recommended that oral presentations last about 40 minutes. Consult with your advisor for help in selecting material and for advice on making an effective presentation. It is a good idea to practice the seminar in front of graduate students in your advisor’s group before the exam date. Be sure to start your talk by describing your main objectives and why the work was done, and end by summarizing your important findings and conclusions. Also, be sure to acknowledge assistance you received from others in doing the work and funding assistance from granting agencies or fellowships. Although questions of clarification may occur during the presentation, most questions from the audience are reserved until the end of the presentation. When there are no further questions from the general audience, they are asked to leave and the second part of the thesis defense can begin.

Closed Session with Examining Committee

Your advisor, as chair of the examining committee, will moderate the session. Questions usually arise directly from the thesis or the oral presentation. However, you should be prepared for the possibility that a line of questioning may lead beyond the narrow confines of the thesis material. For example, questions about a statistical method you used or how you performed an analysis may lead to broader questioning to gauge your understanding of the method and other procedures that may have been appropriate to address the issue at hand.

Additional Info for Plan A Students

M.S. thesis defenses typically last between two and three hours. Because questioning is open-ended, you should be sure to schedule enough time to allow the committee to complete its questioning. To be on the safe side, you should reserve the exam room for a three-hour period and make sure that committee members are available for the entire period.

Specific formatting guidelines for your thesis are available on the Graduate School’s website. You must present an electronic copy to the WRS Program Coordinator. Check with your advisor for their copy requirements

Additional Info for Plan B Students

Plan B exams tend to be shorter and less complicated than a thesis defense. Because Plan B programs are more course-intensive, the examining committee may spend relatively less time addressing the project and more time on questions related to what was learned from required courses. Such questions still tend to evolve from the topic of the project and presentation, but you should be ready for general questions in the areas of the WRS core, your area of emphasis within WRS, and your related field or minor program.

Plan B students should provide an electronic copy of their Plan B project to the WRS Program Coordinator after a successful final oral exam.