Forms for Current Graduate Students
Links to the most recent versions of these forms are below or available from the Graduate School web site:
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/students/masters_forms.php
The University's Thesis Handbook also provides crucial information for graduate students and is on-line
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/thesis/handbook.pdf
1. Request for Supervisory Committee
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/students/forms/supervisory.pdf
Due year two, before other forms, but full-time students should form a committee during semester 2 when working on the proposal.
2. Application for Admission to Candidacy (Masters)
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/students/forms/masters/candidacy.pdf
Due 2 months prior to graduation semester, so typically in November of the 2-year full time program. This form contains all the courses that count for your degree program.
3. Proposal Defense: Report of the Comprehensive Examination for the M.A. and M.S. Degrees
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/students/forms/masters/comprehensive.pdf
For students supported by the FCS Department for full time enrollment, the proposal defense is required to be successfully defended before the end of the third semester . If not, financial support will be withdrawn. For students who are part time, supporting themselves, or on some other form of support, there is a 4-year limit before the University of Utah terminates you from the Master's Program.
The student's written Master's proposal, which resembles the introduction and methods section of a journal article (with a proposal for how to examine results and what the implications of results would be), is ready for defense when the student and his/her Committee agree. Students should allow sufficient time for multiple drafts of the proposal to be reviewed by the Chair of the committee and members, as appropriate, well before the proposal defense is scheduled. The student schedules a defense, with 2 weeks notice to the department, so that all faculty and students may attend. Scheduling involves having the student provide the proposal title, abstract, time, place, and date of defense to the main office for distribution to the department and working with the main office to reserve the room. The student passes the comprehensive exam when the thesis committee votes that the student has defended the proposal successfully. A successful defense may entail agreeing to alter provisions in the written draft.
4. Final Defense: Report of the Final Exam for the Master's Degree
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/students/forms/masters/final.pdf
The draft of the thesis that students defend orally for the committee and the department should be a draft the Chair receives and approves of for defense 3 weeks before the defense date, with the copy to your committee members 2 weeks before the defense date. At that time, the thesis title, abstract, time, place and date of defense should be sent to the main office for distribution to other members of the department. After the oral part of the defense, the thesis committee votes on whether the student has passed the defense. Note that the Thesis Editor will provide a “preliminary review” of major format issues with the thesis if it is submitted before the defense.
The student must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours during the semester in which the successful defense occurs. Thus, if the student is not ready for a defense until after the end of the 4 th semester, the student will need to pay to enroll in 3 credit hours (typically FCS 6970 Thesis Research or FCS 6980 Faculty Consultation). Passing this defense means the student does not have to pay the 3 credit hours of continuous registration tuition in the following semester. However, the final changes needed by the committee, the thesis Chair for the Final Reading Approval, or format changes for the Thesis Editor should be finished expeditiously.
5. Supervisory Committee Approval & Final Reading Approval
Get multiple copies (at least 3) on thesis weight paper, signed in black ink after thesis has been defended and approved by committee and your final reader (typically the chair of your committee). Note the special requirements for listing names, spacing, and other format issues in the Thesis Handbook (p. 15). Students may bring the Supervisory Committee Approval forms to their final defense, but there is no guarantee that committee members will agree to sign the forms at that time (committee members may want to see a revised draft before signing).
http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/thesis/forms/signature_ms.pdf
6. Other forms exist for particular purposes (such as a 4-member committee instead of a 3-member committee, or forms for leaves of absence), but the above include the major ones.