1 Guidelines for CE Graduate Students Bruce ThomsonJosie Gibson Graduate AdvisorCoord. Of Advising Fall 2004

2 Outline of Presentation Administrative aspects of CE graduate programs Academic requirements for M.S. & Ph.D. degrees Guidance Selecting an advisor Selecting a research topic Completing project/thesis/dissertation

3 Top 10 Lives from Grad Students It doesn’t bother me that my old room mate is making $80K/yr working for an engineering design firm.

4 Admission to CE Graduate Program Requirements: B.S. degree in engineering or science GRE (quantitative & verbal) Letters of recommendation Admission is by CE Graduate Advisor with consent of CE Graduate Committee

5 Remedial Course Work B.S.C.E. - No remedial course work for admission B.S., other engineering - Remedial courses may be needed prior to taking advanced courses B.S., non-engineering - Remedial courses: Math through O.D.E. Chemistry & Physics Statics  Dynamics Mech. Of Matls.  Fluid Mechs. Soil Mechs.  Others ?

6 Degrees WERC Certificate M.S. Degree in Civil Engineering Construction  Hydraulics Environmental  Geotechnical Structural/Mechs.  Transportation Water Resources M. of Engr. In Hazardous Waste Engineering Master of Construction Management in progress Ph.D. in Engineering

7 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students I’d be delighted to proofread your book/chapter/article

8 M.S. Degree Requirements - 1 UNM Catalog pg. 55, 375, 391 Plan I - Thesis Option 30 credits + 2 credits seminar (CE 691) 24 credits classes 6 credits thesis (CE 599) M.S. Thesis - Public defense Thesis expected of students supported as TA or RA

9 M.S. Degree Requirements - 2 Plan II - M.S. Project 33 credits + 2 credits seminar (CE 691) 30 credits classes 3 credits M.S. Project (CE 588) Public defense of project Plan II - Course work only M.S. 33 credits classes + 2 credits seminar (CE 691) M.S. Comprehensive Examination

10 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students My work has a lot of practical importance

11 Ph.D. Requirements Course work 24 credits beyond M.S. degree (pg. 376) 48 credits beyond B.S. degree 4 credits seminar (CE 691) Qualifying Examination Comprehensive Examination - Admission to Candidacy Allows enrollment for dissertation credits Ph.D. Dissertation - Public Defense

12 Miscellaneous Points Core curriculum - Each area has core classes, see CE Graduate Handbook Non-degree/transfer credits - A maximum of 12 credit hours of non-degree classes towards degree Time to complete degree: M.S. - 7 years start to finish (no exceptions) Ph.D. - 5 years after admission to candidacy

13 Administrative Considerations Really Important forms ( M.S. - “Program of Studies” Submit at least 1 semester before graduation Recommend submitting after credits Ph.D. - “Application for Candidacy” - After passing Comprehensive Exam Project/Thesis/Dissertation Defense, & M.S. Comp. Exams Notify OGS > 2 weeks before date of defense/exam “Intent to Graduate” form at start of last semester

14 Program of Studies Form ( )

15 “Gotcha” Requirements “I” grades become “F” grades after 1 semester (2 years if not enrolled at UNM. Students can’t defend their Project, Thesis, or Dissertation if their GPA < 3.0 Once enrolled in CE 599 (Thesis) or CE 699 (Dissertation), students must continue to enroll in these classes until graduation Students must be enrolled at UNM during the semester they intend to graduate

16 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students I would never date an undergraduate

17 Project/Thesis/Dissertation Committees must have  2 CE faculty Ph.D. Committee must have 1 outside member Work with major professor to select Committee Committee Members outside of UNM must be approved by OGS - takes ~1 month. Difference between M.S. Project & M.S. Thesis: Gray area Thesis must satisfy OGS requirements & appears in UNM library Students supported by UNM expected to do thesis

18 Selecting a Topic Selecting a good project/thesis/dissertation topic is often the single most difficult task in a student’s career Generally topic selection requires iterative process Work with major professor Topic can be related to employment, however, there must be component of project done explicitly to satisfy UNM degree requirements.

19 Top 10 Lies from Graduate Students Your latest article was so inspiring

20 Criteria for a Good Project/Thesis Clear statement of research hypothesis or question Title Statement of objectives Some info. on topic is available to student Expertise is available on-campus or within professional community for assistance Resources (money, equipment, time) are available for project Project has well defined end point.

21 A REALLY Bad Project/Thesis/Dissertation Proposal “I want to look at the following topic.” Contains no research hypothesis or question There is no definition of the project Contains no end point - how do you know when you’re done?

22 2 Strategies for Selecting Topic Traditional strategy Pose research hypothesis or question Generate information to test hypothesis Analyze information to reach conclusion Inverse strategy - Used by part time students Identify source of information Examine data to determine if hypothesis can be tested Analyze information to reach conclusion

23 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students I turned down a lot of great job offers to come here

24 Recommended Process for Research Project/Thesis/Dissertation - 1 Submit detailed outline/proposal to major professor Clear title Statement of objectives Literature search with > 10 key references Proposed research method Expected results & how analyzed Begin work with major prof.’s consent Give committee members copy of outline/proposal

25 Recommended Process for Research Project/Thesis/Dissertation % completion meeting with Committee. Objectives: Obtain “buy-in” on project Solicit advice & guidance 70% completion meeting with Committee. Objectives: Identify potential “fatal flaws” Assistance in reaching conclusions

26 Recommended Process for Research Project/Thesis/Dissertation - 3 Notify CE Coord. of Advising 2 weeks prior to defense My students must post notice of defense Defense: Formal oral presentation min. for MS min. for Ph.D. Turn in final copies Thesis & dissertations to OGS by ~11/15 & 4/15 M.S. projects due by end of semester

27 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students I just have one more book/paper to read and then I’ll start writing

28 Comment on Project/Thesis/Dissertation The Project/Thesis/Dissertation should be: Demonstration to UNM and the engineering profession of the student’s competence & professionalism Reflect the best work that the student can do given the resources (time, $$, equipment, etc.) available The student should be proud of his work and should enjoy the opportunity to present to his professors, peers, friends & family.

29 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students The department is giving me so much support

30 Publication Issues Producing a publishable work should be the goal of every graduate student Authorship Negotiation between student & advisor as to who’s first author Projects resulting in a work product (i.e. SAND reports) should include advisor as co-author

31 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students My job prospects look really good

32 Expectations of Research Assistants RA’s are expected to work > 20 hours per week during school year and > 40 hours per week during summers unless informed differently by professor. Many students work much more than this. RA’s generally are allowed 2 weeks vacation per year Inform professor when you will not be on campus. Message: You’re here to get an education. Simply considering grad school as a job significantly devalues a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

33 Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students No really, I’ll be out of here in only 2 more years

34 Most Hated Question of Graduate School “How’s your thesis coming?”

35 Best Quote After M.S. Defense “That was kind of fun.” -G. Hall, M.S. 1999