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Graduate Student Survival 101

Graduate Student Survival 101. Informal: www.ece.utah.edu/~cfurse Formal: www.ece.utah.edu. Getting Started -- Semester 1:. Choose/register for classes . temporary advisor >> Permanent Advisor online advising for EM students. Furse MS spread sheet. Furse PhD spread sheet

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Graduate Student Survival 101

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  1. Graduate Student Survival 101 Informal: www.ece.utah.edu/~cfurse Formal: www.ece.utah.edu

  2. Getting Started --Semester 1: • Choose/register for classes. • temporary advisor >> Permanent Advisor • online advising for EM students. • Furse MS spread sheet.Furse PhD spread sheet • Research – Literature Search: • MS Students – begin preparing for proposal defense by choosing a topic and ideas for your thesis at the end of this semester. See notes on proposal defense under Semester 2. • PhD Students – Talk to Holly about scheduling your qualifying exam early in the next semester.

  3. Moving Along -- Semester 2: • Classes. • Thesis credits. • Finalize thesis area and advisor. • Program of Study Form: • MS Students -- Thesis Proposal: • Written Proposal: • Oral Proposal Defense: • PhD Students : Qualifying Exam

  4. Work in Progress – Semester 3 • Classes / Thesis Credits • Research • PhD Students – Dissertation Proposal.

  5. Finishing up – Semester 4+ • Classes/ Thesis Credits • MS Thesis Defense (PhD students typically defend in semester 6-8) • Written Thesis • Oral Defense

  6. $$$ Tuition Benefit Program $$$ Registration Requirements. • Full time, matriculated students. • TA/RA working 10-20 hr /week • Pays for grad courses only (5xxx and up) • Limited number of course hours (watch out for thesis credits!) • For help: Sally Reed (reed@ece.utah.edu)

  7. Limits • MS/ME limited to 2 years (4 semesters) • Students entering the Ph.D. program without a master’s degree are limited to 5 years (10 semesters) • Students entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree from the University of Utah are limited to 5 years of tuition benefit support (2 years for the master’s plus 3 years for the doctorate) • Students entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree from another institution are limited to 4 years (8 semesters) of tuition benefit support. • See the Graduate Handbook for additional requirements.

  8. GPA Requirement. The Graduate School’s Tuition Benefit Program requires the student to maintain a 3.0 GPA. The minimum support for the 2006-2007 academic year is: Minimum Financial Support Required

  9. Résumé Website forResearch Assistant Opportunities Format of resumes: http://www.ece.utah.edu/resumes/submit.shtml To Post: Holly Cox cox@ece.utah.edu You might also want to contact a specific faculty member if you are confident that you are qualified to work in their area of interest. Dear Sir: We urge you not to contact a large number of faculty members on campus and not to send out global email messages asking for financial assistance.

  10. Web Addresses For tuition waiver information: http://www.utah.edu/graduate_school/tbpguidelines.html For information on the department and links to graduate forms: http://www.ece.utah.edu

  11. Health Insurance Compare Plans: http://www.CampusCoverage.com Graduate Student Health Insurance Benefit Program: See Graduate School website for more information.

  12. Transfer Credit • Up to 6 semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward fulfillment of graduate degree requirements if they: • 1. are of high letter grade (A or B; no “credit only” grades) • 2. are recommended by the student’s supervisory committee, • and • are taken within the prescribed time limit. • (Are not used elsewhere for a degree)

  13. Nonmatriculated Courses Up to 9 hours of nonmatriculated (Before being admitted to UU GRAD program) coursework may be included on a student’s program of study if approved by the supervisory committee and the Department Graduate Committee.

  14. SPEAK Test MS/PHD graduate students who have NOT earned a degree from an English-speaking country are required to take the SPEAK Test the first semester. The International Teaching Assistant Workshop SET test can be substituted. A passing score of 50 is required. A student who receives a lower score may be required to take English courses to improve their English-language skills. IF you don’t do this, you will be deregistered from classes in semester 2.

  15. 2006-2007 Graduate Committee

  16. International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) International students who are interested in working as teaching assistants and whose first language is not English must take the ITA (International Teaching Assistant) workshop in August. http://www.utah.edu/ita/

  17. Temporary Advisors – Plz Set Appointment

  18. ECE Department Requirements for Master’s Degrees

  19. Basic Requirements for the M.E. Degree *Please note that international students must be full-time students.

  20. Basic Requirements for the M.E. Degree (cont.)

  21. M.E. Program Requirements(Professional Degree) 1. All coursework is to be completed within 4 consecutive calendar years. 2. Coursework listed on the program of study must total a minimum of 30 hours of graduate coursework at the 5000 level or above, in engineering and allied fields. 3. The 30 required hours must include the following: a. A minimum of 18 hours of ECE courses; b. At least 15 hours of the required 18 ECE hours must be at the 6000 or 7000 level; c. 2 hours of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900 and 6910). 4. Required coursework hours may not include faculty consultation or thesis research. 5. M.E. students may take no more than three semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special Studies). These hours will not count toward the ECE required hours but can be included in the total required hours. 6. A statement defending the program of study and outlining the student’s goals must be provided at the time the program of study is submitted. Master of Engineering students will be graduated in the semester in which 30 hours of coursework are completed. All students who are on visas must be registered for at least 9 credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

  22. Special Studies M.E. students may take no more than 3 semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special Studies). These hours will not count toward the ECE required hours but can be included in the total required hours. M.S. students may take up to 3 semester hours of ECE 6950. These hours will count toward the required 6-10 hours of thesis. Therefore, an M.S. student who takes 3 hours of Special Studies will take 6-7 hours of thesis. Ph.D. students may take up to 3 semester hours of ECE 7950 (Special Studies) which will count toward the required 42 coursework hours. Students must get permission from the Graduate Committee before taking any Special Studies courses. Permission is obtained by completing and filing the Special Studies Request form with the Graduate Secretary. The general guidelines state that for every hour of credit, it generally requires 2 hours of study per week outside of class. Therefore, it will be understood that for every credit hour of Special Studies, the student will be expected to spend 3 hours per week on the activity. Special studies courses from other departments cannot be used for the program of study. Special Studies may not include the material of any class taught by the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department.

  23. Faculty Consultation/Independent Study Students studying for the M.E. degree may petition the ECE Graduate Committee for approval to register for ECE 6980, Faculty Consultation/ Independent Study, for the following reasons, although approval is not guaranteed: • A student needs 3 credit hours to bring their registration to the maxi- mum in a semester for which they are eligible for a full tuition waiver. • A student needs to maintain continuous registration and would other- wise not be in residency. • A student is not able to take regular courses to maintain residency during curricular practical training. The petition form is available from the Graduate Secretary and must be submitted before the beginning of the semester for which the student would like to register for ECE 6980. Faculty Consultation/Independent Study is a CR/NC course and does not count toward the fulfillment of the degree requirements. A student cannot apply for Faculty Consultation if they have enough credits for graduation.

  24. Credit/No Credit Courses Graduate students are granted the option, subject to approval by the Department Graduate Committee and review by the Dean of the Graduate School, to enroll in some courses in which they will be graded on a credit/ no credit (CR/NC) rather than on a letter-grade basis. The intent of the CR/NC option is to free students to extend their studies to areas outside their major or specialty and to take classes they otherwise might not take if they had to compete with majors for a letter grade. Students may not register for CR/NC courses in their major department unless a course in the major department is offered only on a CR/NC basis. Consult the Graduate Handbook for further information on the CR/NC policy.

  25. Coursework Guideline Criteria • A minimum GPA of 3.0 on coursework listed on the program of study with no grade lower than C- is required for graduation. A student who receives a grade lower than C- in a course listed on the program of study must repeat that same course and receive a higher grade. Courses cannot be deleted from the program of study after they are taken. • ECE required courses are not to include special studies, thesis hours, or faculty consultation. • Coursework cannot be used for more than one degree on the same level. • A course taken for 5000-level credit cannot be taken again for 6000-level credit. • Cross-listed courses must be registered through the ECE course numbers. • Where a course has both a 5000- and 6000-level number, the 5000-level version is intended for undergraduates and the 6000-level version for honors and graduate students. The two versions of the class will meet together, but extra work will be expected of honors and graduate students. • Master’s students may take upper-division courses (5000 level or above) in other departments as long as the ECE degree course requirements have been met, with written approval of the supervisory committee. • Students may only register for thesis research after they have set up a supervisory committee. • Courses from other departments may not be substituted for the ECE 6000-level required courses. • No Graduate Seminar course (ECE 6900, 6910, 7900, 7910) may be taken twice to satisfy the requirement. Each seminar course has different requirements and may not be substituted for each other. • Students who receive an “Incomplete” grade in a class must complete the class by the following semester, even if the semester is the summer semester.

  26. Supervisory Committee Each student forms a supervisory committee whose members guide the student’s graduate program. Students must form this committee by the beginning of the second semester of study. Any regular ECE faculty member may serve as a supervisory committee chair. After the faculty members have agreed to serve on a supervisory committee, the student should file a completed “Request for Supervisory Committee” form with the Graduate Secretary in the ECE office. A committee may be revised, if necessary, by submitting a “Request to Change Supervisory Committee Personnel” form. The Graduate Committee approves all supervisory committee forms; final approval is granted by either the Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean of the College of Engineering. Faculty outside of the ECE Department may supervise a student, but the student must have a regular ECE faculty member serve as co-chair. Individuals who are not faculty members may serve on a supervisory committee if approved by the supervisory committee chair and the Graduate Committee. A current vita for any non-university member must be submitted with the Supervisory Committee form.

  27. Change of Degree Status Graduate students who wish to change degree programs within the department must submit the following to the Graduate Committee for approval: 1. A letter to the Graduate Committee explaining the reason for the requested change of degree, including a description of the intended research area if the change is to study for a research degree. 2. A letter of recommendation in support of the application from a faculty member express- ing willingness to serve as the chair of the student’s supervisory committee. 3. The completed Request for Supervisory Committee form for the requested degree. 4. The completed program of study for the requested degree. If a student wishes to change from a thesis to a non-thesis degree program, a separate sheet must be included indicating at least 12 hours of coursework to be taken after the change is approved. 5. A current University of Utah transcript. Students cannot convert hours taken in thesis (ECE 6970/7970) to special studies (ECE 6950). ECE 6970/7970 hours cannot be used for the M.E. degree. Please note that students who are studying for the M.E. degree cannot receive a tuition waiver for work they perform as a research assistant.

  28. Faculty Consultation-CPT International students participating in a cooperative work experience for curricular practical training must register for ECE 6981, Faculty Consultation-CPT. Students must contact Lisa Christensen in Career Services to set up the training and to obtain a syllabus for the course. Registration in ECE 6981 DOES NOT give authorization to work. ECE 6981 will not count toward any degree requirements. This course is used to maintain quality of the curricular practical training experience.

  29. Basic Requirements for the M.S. Degree *Please note that international students must be full-time students.

  30. Basic Requirements for the M.S. Degree (cont.)

  31. Application for Admission to Candidacy(Program of Study) After consulting with the approved supervisory committee chair, the student must plan a program of study and complete and submit the “Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree” or “Program of Study for the Ph.D. Degree” form. Approval signatures of the supervisory committee members are to be obtained by the student. Completed and signed forms must be submitted to the Graduate Secretary in the ECE office by the drop deadline of the second semester of study. After approval of the Department Graduate Committee, the program of study is submitted to the Graduate School of the College of Engineering for their approval. The program of study must be filed prior to taking the Comprehensive Exam (if applicable).

  32. Changes in the Program of Study Modifications to the program of study may be made by filing an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form with the supervisory committee and obtaining required approval of the Department Graduate Committee before enrollment in any added courses. Completed courses cannot be deleted from the program of study. Credit towards obtaining a degree will not be granted for classes taken prior to approval of the form, unless the student is changing degree status.

  33. M.S. Program Requirements 1. All coursework is to be completed within 4 consecutive calendar years. 2. Coursework listed on the program of study must total a minimum of 30 hours of graduate coursework at the 5000 level or above, in engineering & allied fields. 3. The 30 required hours must include the following: a. A minimum of 12 hours of ECE courses; b. At least 9 hours of the required 12 ECE hours must be at the 6000 or 7000 level; c. 2 hours of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900 and 6910); d. 6-10 hours of thesis research (ECE 6970). 4. Required coursework hours may not include special studies, faculty consultation, or thesis research. 5. M.S. students may take up to 3 semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special Studies). These hours will count toward the required 6-10 hours of thesis. Therefore, an M.S. student who takes 3 hours of Special Studies will take 6-7 hours of thesis. All students who are on visas must be registered for at least 9 credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

  34. Due Dates Full-time graduate students: Part-time graduate students:

  35. Research Comprehensive Exam(Thesis/Dissertation Proposal) M.S. and Ph.D. candidates must take a Research Comprehensive Exam to be administered by their supervisory committee at a time determined by that committee, but no later than the third semester of study for M.S. candidates and the fifth semester for Ph.D. candidates. The candidates write a proposal on their research in the NSF or NIH format which would include only the technical proposal and the vita sections. The page limit for the proposal should be 10 pages for M.S. students and 15 pages for Ph.D. students. The written proposal should be submitted to the members of the candidate’s supervisory committee at least 2 weeks before the oral comprehensive exam. Students must notify the ECE Graduate Secretary at least one week before they are going to take the Comprehensive Exam. The Graduate Secretary will inform the Graduate School after the exam has been taken.

  36. ECE Department Degree Requirements

  37. Basic Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree *Please note that international students must be full-time students.

  38. Basic Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree (cont.)

  39. Ph.D. Program Requirements 1. All coursework is to be completed within 7 consecutive calendar years. 2. Coursework listed on the program of study must consist of: a. A minimum of 42 hours of graduate courses (5000 level or above) beyond the BS degree, in engineering and allied fields. Students with an MS degree may count up to 6 hours of thesis credit toward coursework. b. 4 semesters of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900, 6910, 7900, 7910) or 2 semesters of Graduate Seminar (ECE 7900, 7910) if a prior MS degree. c. At least 36 semester hours of thesis research (ECE 7970). Students with an MS degree may count any additional thesis hours (beyond the 6 used for coursework) toward these 36 hours. 3. Required coursework hours may not include faculty consultation or research. 4. Ph.D. students may take up to 3 hours of ECE 7950 (Special Studies) which will count toward the required 42 coursework hours. All students who are on visas must be registered for at least 9 credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

  40. Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Procedure 1. During the first semester, the candidate forms a supervisory committee and discusses his/her field of study with the primary advisor. 2. During the second semester, the Graduate Secretary solicits one paper from the research literature from each member of the supervisory committee. 3. Eight weeks prior to the oral exam, the candidate chooses three of the five papers to study. The candidate submits the written summary within six weeks (four weeks in summer). The summary will then be distributed to the supervisory committee, and the candidate schedules the oral exam. 4. The candidate then has the oral exam. Based upon the written summary and oral exam, the committee will recommend Pass, Fail, or, in exceptional cases, Retry. In the event of a second chance, the candidate must repeat the process the following semester, even if that semester is summer. In both the written component and the oral presentation, the candidate must address the following points for each study paper: (1) the methods, results, and significance of the paper; (2) the completeness of the paper and what follow-on research could be performed; and (3) the relationship of the paper to the candidate’s intended field of study. In the oral exam, in addition to the items covered in the written summary, the candidate should be prepared to answer questions from the committee specific to the papers and in the general field of study.

  41. Thesis/Dissertation Requirements The supervisory committee must give preliminary approval of the thesis prior to the defense. The defense can be scheduled after this approval. The student must provide one copy of the thesis to the chair of the supervisory committee at least 3 weeks before the defense, and one copy to each of the other committee members at least 2 weeks prior to the defense. After successfully defending the thesis, the student must obtain approval from the Final Reader (typically the supervisory committee chair) and submit the “Final Reading Approval” form to the Graduate Secretary for the Department Chair’s signature. The student must then submit the form to the Thesis Editor with a draft of the final thesis. The due date of the final thesis to the Thesis Editor may be found at http://www.utah.edu/graduate_school/thesisoffice.html. Detailed policies and procedures concerning the thesis are contained in A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations published by the Graduate School.

  42. Thesis/Dissertation Defense The Final Oral Examination (oral thesis/dissertation 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. The committee may request further work of the candidate before a final decision is made. All students must understand that they are responsible for ensuring that the submitted thesis/dissertation meets the requirements of the Graduate School of proper format. Ample help is available from the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Editor in the form of a Style and Format Guide as well as seminars. Theses with improper format will be rejected. The student must provide the ECE Graduate Secretary with the following information at least one week before the date of the defense: the defense date and time, room, and a copy of the abstract and title of the thesis. A “Report of the Final Oral Examination” will be completed by the ECE Graduate Secretary for approval signatures during the defense, and the Graduate Secretary will submit the form to the Graduate School.

  43. Phone Numbers for Graduate Information Graduate Records – 302 Park Bldg International Admissions – 250 SSB Margo Hobbs 1-6923 Jennifer Kleinschmidt 1-3091 Thesis Office – 302 Park Bldg Registrar’s Office – 250 SSB Christine Pickett 1-8893 (Editor) Marilyn Owen 1-8876 Martha Klein 1-8893 (Asst Editor) Registrar’s Office – 250 SSB Graduate School – 302 Park Bldg Ron Pattersen 1-3736 (Petitions) Dean David Chapman 1-7942 1-6925 Emily Johnson 1-8969 (Leave of Absence) Assoc Dean Frederick Rhodewalt 5-7199 Transcripts – 250 SSB Denise Haynie 1-6925 (Exec Sec to Dean) Jan Cope 1-8965 Carol Bergstrom 1-6020 (Fellowships & Tuition Ben) Testing Center – 498 SSB Marilyn Corbett 1-7643 (Fellowships & Tuition Ben) 1-8733 Graduate Information – 250 SSB Graduation Verification – 250 SSB Emily Erickson 5-6766 Jeanie Jacquez 1-8965 Graduate Admissions – 250 SSB Graduate Secretary – ECE Department LeAna Prigmore 1-7283 Holly Cox 1-3843

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