ma thesis presentation

How to Pull Off Your Thesis Defense With a Great Presentation

You’ve reached the home stretch in your journey toward your post-graduate degree. You’ve diligently studied, researched and performed for years, and all that’s left is your master thesis or doctorate dissertation. 

“ All that’s left,” however, might be the understatement of the century. There’s nothing simple about orally defending your thesis, and this final stage often means the difference between a degree and a program that remains incomplete.

Even after you’ve dedicated months filled with blood, sweat and tears defining your argument, researching your support and writing your defense, you aren’t ready to address the academic panel. You still have to design an effective visual presentation, and the slide deck can make or break your entire thesis.

Unsure how to design a stellar slide deck to visually present your thesis or dissertation? Check out the following tips to pull off your master thesis defense with a great presentation:

1.   Properly structure your slide deck

Every master thesis defense presentation is unique, but most effective slide decks will follow a similar structure, including:  

• Title - Just like a research paper, your thesis presentation must include a title slide. This should include the same information as any other title page: the title, your name, your academic institution, course name and the name of the academic advisor to your thesis or dissertation. That doesn’t mean your title slide needs to look like the start of any other Frankendeck . Instead, add your text atop a relative image, and adjust the brightness to ensure your text pops.
• Introduction - Your thesis presentation should also include an introduction slide, which details the topic of your thesis, the question your research will seek to answer and any additional objectives to your research, as well as the answer or solution you will be defending.
• Literature review - Following your thesis introduction, design one or more slides that review the literature you researched. This shouldn’t be a full bibliography (although that should be included in the accompanying written account of your research), but instead, the slides should list your most relevant research sources. If the information is featured on a slide, make sure you include its source. 
• Methodology - Your thesis presentation slide deck should also include a slide (or slides) detailing the methodology of your research and argument. Here you want to describe the type of study— whether it’s quantitative, qualitative or a combination of the two, as well as an explanation of why you chose the method or methods you used. If you conducted original research, you will want to detail the study population, sampling methods and other details pertinent to your studies, while you’ll also want to detail how you analyzed your data.
• Results - No thesis presentation slide deck is complete without dedicating slides to illustrate the results of your research. Be sure to include a description of any data you collected through your research, as well as the results of your analysis of the data. What were your most significant findings?
• Discussion - How do the results of your research support your overall thesis argument? Be sure to include slides that discuss your overall findings and how they relate to your original question.
• Conclusion - Concluding slides should restate your original research questions, represent the results of your research, suggest future research and make any final recommendations.
• Ending slide – Close your thesis presentation with a concluding slide that offers an interesting quote or trivia that makes your audience further ponder your topic, a GIF or animation that recaptures the audience’s attention or even a hypothetical question that opens additional discussion from the academic panel. This is your opportunity to make your presentation memorable.

Thesis Presentation vs. Dissertation

Thesis presentation and dissertation are two terms often used in academic settings related to upper education. While they are related, there are distinct differences between the two, which is important to understand as you begin to structure your thesis defense.

‍ A thesis presentation typically refers to the final oral presentation that a student gives to defend their thesis or research project. It is a formal presentation to explain their findings, methodology, and conclusions to a panel of faculty members or experts in the field. The purpose of a thesis defense presentation is to demonstrate the student's knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and to defend the validity of their research.

On the other hand, a dissertation refers to a lengthy and comprehensive research project that is typically required for the completion of a doctoral degree. It involves in-depth research, analysis, and the development of original ideas in a particular field of study. A dissertation is usually written over an extended period and is expected to contribute new knowledge or insights to the field. Unlike a thesis presentation, a dissertation is submitted in written form and is typically evaluated by a committee of faculty members or experts in the field.

2.   Choose which ideas to illustrate

Unless you have an hour to fill with your master thesis defense or doctorate dissertation, you won’t be able to include every idea from your overall research documentation in your slide show. Choose the most important ideas to illustrate on slides, while also keeping in mind what aspects of your research you’ll be able to visually represent.

3.   Define your presentation’s theme

A stellar thesis or dissertation presentation will be professional in appearance, and a cohesive design is an absolute must. Choose what types of typography and color schemes best support your topic. 

Instead of adjusting these settings on each individual slide— a tedious task at best— choose a PowerPoint-alternative presentation software like Beautiful.ai that allows you to customize a theme for your entire slide deck. Choose your fonts and other typography, your color palette, margins, footers, logos, transitions and more, and the cloud-based tool will automatically apply those design specifications to every slide you add to the master thesis defense presentation.

4.   Design simple and focused slides

You might have a lot of information to present, but when it comes to your thesis presentation— or almost any slide deck for that matter— less is more. Be sure every slide counts by focusing on your main points. 

Then, whatever you do, keep your slides simple. Not even an academic panel is going to dedicate much time deciphering a cluttered slide with all too many details. Try to avoid presenting more than one or two ideas on each slide.

5.   Include data visualizations

The whole point of your presentation is to illustrate the concepts included in your thesis. Humans are visual creatures and react strongly to imagery, and the panel evaluating your thesis or dissertation is no exception— regardless of how studious and formal the academics might seem. Illustrate the results of your research with colorful and engaging infographics . You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create them, either. 

Beautiful.ai users can choose from a host of smart slide templates with data visualizations — including favorites like bar graphs and pie charts , as well as less common options like scattergraphs , flow charts and pictograms . Just input your data and watch as our special brand of artificial intelligence creates the infographic for you.  

6.   Practice makes perfect

After spending months researching your thesis or dissertation, writing about your findings and designing a stellar master thesis defense presentation, you would hate to see all your hard work be for naught. That’s still a distinct possibility, however, if you don’t also practice your delivery. 

Practice, practice and practice some more until you know your master thesis defense like the back of your hand. No academic panel will be impressed by a graduate candidate who stumbles through their presentation or appears to be reading from their notes. Know the contents of every slide, as well as exactly what parts of your overall defense you want to deliver during its display. 

Things to keep in mind to help you nail your presentation

The golden rule of any presentation is to keep your audience engaged. You can ensure a more engaging presentation by maintaining eye contact, using appropriate gestures, and speaking clearly. You can also choose to include the audience in your presentation with interactive questions, polls, and slides.

To help boost audience retention, utilize storytelling. Studies show that when facts are presented in the form of a story, people are 22 times more likely to remember them. Talk about powerful.

Last but not least, plan for questions— and not simply by allowing time for them. Watch other thesis defenses delivered at your institution, and consider what types of questions the academic panel might ask, so you can prepare the best possible answer.

Extra credit:

Get started with our PhD Defense Thesis presentation template here .

Samantha Pratt Lile

Samantha is an independent journalist, editor, blogger and content manager. Examples of her published work can be found at sites including the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed.

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• Presentations

How to Start and Give a Great Thesis Defense Presentation

To complete a graduate degree, you'll likely need to create a thesis defense presentation. You must complete a thesis to finish many graduate degree programs. 

A thesis is a paper where you explore a topic in depth that's related to what you’ve studied. After completing your thesis paper, you will be asked to defend it through a presentation.

You give this thesis defense in a meeting with a panel of two or more professors in your program. The panel could include other professionals related to your field.

In your thesis defense presentation, you will be asked questions about your topic. The purpose of the questions is to get you to think deeply about your work, so the questions could be open-ended.

To create a thesis defense presentation, you need to know how to make a thesis presentation and how to start your thesis defense. Keep reading to find out more about thesis defense presentations.

How to Structure Your PPT for Thesis Defense

Thesis defense presentations can vary in length. They can be 20 minutes long or two hours long. It depends on how much time is allowed for your presentation and questions.

Talk to your professor to find out how much time is set aside for your presentation. Your thesis defense presentation will be unique to your thesis. But a good presentation includes the following structure:

• Title . You need a title just as your research paper needed a title. The title slide will include the information that you’d include on your paper title. This information can include the title, your name, your school, and course name.
• Introduction . Just like most presentations, your thesis defense presentation should include an introduction slide. This slide should have the topic of your thesis and the question that your presentation answers. It should also include any objections to your research and the answer you’ll be defending in your thesis presentation.
• Literature Review . Next, create two or more slides with a review of the literature used in your research. It doesn’t need to be a complete bibliography. Although you do need to cite your sources, these slides should include your most relevant sources.
• Methodology . These slides in your thesis presentation are where you describe what method you used and an explanation of why you chose that method. If you've got some original research, include the details of that research and how you analyzed the data that you got from that research.
• Results . Some of the most important slides of your PPT for thesis defense contain the results of your research. This should include a description of the data you collected by researching and the results of your data analysis. You also should highlight what your most noteworthy finding was.
• Discussion . These slides of your PPT for thesis defense need to include your research results. Also, show how the results support your argument and how it relates to your original question.
• Conclusion . The conclusion thesis presentation slides should restate your original research questions, show the results of your research, and suggest future research and any final recommendations.
• Ending Slide . The ending slides of your thesis defense presentation are where you add an interesting fact, quote, gif, or hypothetical question. The point is to get your audience to continue to think about your topic while also grabbing their attention. You want your presentation to be memorable.

How to Make a Thesis Presentation

After you’ve seen what the structure of a thesis defense presentation is, there are some more tips that you can follow. Here are tips on how to create a thesis defense presentation:

1. Define Your Concept

After choosing which template to use, the next step is to choose the concept of your thesis defense presentation. Your concept should be relevant to your thesis. To have a fully rounded concept, try to make your presentation templates design relevant to your thesis topic.

Before working on your defense, think about the message you want to convey. This will help you choose elements such as font images and a theme that'll be cohesive.

2. Know Your Audience

Most people give their thesis defense presentation to an academic panel. This panel will look to see if you've developed a thorough understanding of your topic and thesis. They’ll also be looking to see if you've got a solid foundation for your argument.

This is why your presentation is important. You don’t want a sloppy presentation because it can give the impression of laziness and that you don’t care about your presentation. So, choose all aspects of your presentation carefully.

3. Keep Your Slides Focused   

Part of giving a good thesis presentation is to have focused slides. This means that you don’t want to have too much information on a slide. It’s best to follow the rule of one point per slide. If you've got too much on a single slide, it can be hard for the audience to follow you.

4. Structure Your Presentation

After you’ve chosen your concept, it's time to structure the content of your thesis. When structuring your information, you want to show that you understand the subject matter and that you're organized.

5. Less Is More

Each slide should have enough information that you can make your point. It’s important that your audience listens more than they read. By speaking, you show your audience that you know the topic you’re presenting on. So, when creating your slides, remember that less is more.

6. Consider Your Typography

After choosing your thesis presentation subject, consider what typography to use. Your typography should create an impact without distracting from your topic.

When considering your typography, consider your text's colors. Your text's colors should contrast with your slide's background. If the text doesn’t contrast well, it can distract the audience, causing them not to pay attention as you speak.

7. Stick to Important Data

Include data that'll strengthen your argument. Your data should also show that you’ve researched your thesis. If you can, add visuals that are relevant to your data. Visuals stimulate your brain and can increase how fast you process information. So, including relevant visuals can make your data easier to process and remember.

8. Consistency Is Key

When thinking about how to make a thesis presentation, think about consistency. For an impressive presentation, your presentation should flow well. It’s easier to have consistency when using a template because it’s already designed by a professional.

Check your finished presentation for consistency. This means making sure all your titles on slides are the same font and font size. Also, make sure that your body text is consistent throughout.

9. Explain Your Thesis

The next step in how to make a thesis presentation is to explain your thesis in great detail. The first part of this is your methodology slide . This is where you explain what method you used for your research, why you chose the topic, and how you conducted your research.

For this part of your thesis, chart and tables in your presentation are helpful in explaining data. In this section, keep your text minimal to let the chart, graphs, and data stand out. 

Next, tell the audience what the data means. Infographics are a great option to use in this section. Infographics and icons can quickly and simply show your message.

10. End Your Thesis

The last section of your thesis presentation is where you end it. Make your ending memorable to keep your audience thinking.

In your conclusion, overview your thesis topic and remind the audience of the answer that your research proved. Next, cover the important research points you want your audience to remember. A slide with icons is a great way to do this. Also, address your shortcomings in your research and how there can be improvements in future research.

Finally, use some more presentation tips by reading this helpful article:

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Every template is designed by a professional to look stylish and impressive. This means that your presentation will stand out among all the made-from-scratch presentations.

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How to prepare an excellent thesis defense

What is a thesis defense?

How long is a thesis defense, what happens at a thesis defense, your presentation, questions from the committee, 6 tips to help you prepare for your thesis defense, 1. anticipate questions and prepare for them, 2. dress for success, 3. ask for help, as needed, 4. have a backup plan, 5. prepare for the possibility that you might not know an answer, 6. de-stress before, during, and after, frequently asked questions about preparing an excellent thesis defense, related articles.

If you're about to complete, or have ever completed a graduate degree, you have most likely come across the term "thesis defense." In many countries, to finish a graduate degree, you have to write a thesis .

A thesis is a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.

Once you hand in your thesis, you will be assigned a date to defend your work. Your thesis defense meeting usually consists of you and a committee of two or more professors working in your program. It may also include other people, like professionals from other colleges or those who are working in your field.

During your thesis defense, you will be asked questions about your work. The main purpose of your thesis defense is for the committee to make sure that you actually understand your field and focus area.

The questions are usually open-ended and require the student to think critically about their work. By the time of your thesis defense, your paper has already been evaluated. The questions asked are not designed so that you actually have to aggressively "defend" your work; often, your thesis defense is more of a formality required so that you can get your degree.

• Check with your department about requirements and timing.
• Re-read your thesis.
• Anticipate questions and prepare for them.
• Create a back-up plan to deal with technology hiccups.
• Plan de-stressing activities both before, and after, your defense.

How long your oral thesis defense is depends largely on the institution and requirements of your degree. It is best to consult your department or institution about this. In general, a thesis defense may take only 20 minutes, but it may also take two hours or more. The length also depends on how much time is allocated to the presentation and questioning part.

Tip: Check with your department or institution as soon as possible to determine the approved length for a thesis defense.

First of all, be aware that a thesis defense varies from country to country. This is just a general overview, but a thesis defense can take many different formats. Some are closed, others are public defenses. Some take place with two committee members, some with more examiners.

The same goes for the length of your thesis defense, as mentioned above. The most important first step for you is to clarify with your department what the structure of your thesis defense will look like. In general, your thesis defense will include:

• your presentation of around 20-30 minutes
• questions from the committee
• questions from the audience (if the defense is public and the department allows it)

You might have to give a presentation, often with Powerpoint, Google slides, or Keynote slides. Make sure to prepare an appropriate amount of slides. A general rule is to use about 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation.

But that also depends on your specific topic and the way you present. The good news is that there will be plenty of time ahead of your thesis defense to prepare your slides and practice your presentation alone and in front of friends or family.

Tip: Practice delivering your thesis presentation in front of family, friends, or colleagues.

You can prepare your slides by using information from your thesis' first chapter (the overview of your thesis) as a framework or outline. Substantive information in your thesis should correspond with your slides.

Make sure your slides are of good quality— both in terms of the integrity of the information and the appearance. If you need more help with how to prepare your presentation slides, both the ASQ Higher Education Brief and James Hayton have good guidelines on the topic.

The committee will ask questions about your work after you finish your presentation. The questions will most likely be about the core content of your thesis, such as what you learned from the study you conducted. They may also ask you to summarize certain findings and to discuss how your work will contribute to the existing body of knowledge.

Tip: Read your entire thesis in preparation of the questions, so you have a refreshed perspective on your work.

While you are preparing, you can create a list of possible questions and try to answer them. You can foresee many of the questions you will get by simply spending some time rereading your thesis.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your thesis defense:

You can absolutely prepare for most of the questions you will be asked. Read through your thesis and while you're reading it, create a list of possible questions. In addition, since you will know who will be on the committee, look at the academic expertise of the committee members. In what areas would they most likely be focused?

If possible, sit at other thesis defenses with these committee members to get a feel for how they ask and what they ask. As a graduate student, you should generally be adept at anticipating test questions, so use this advantage to gather as much information as possible before your thesis defense meeting.

Your thesis defense is a formal event, often the entire department or university is invited to participate. It signals a critical rite of passage for graduate students and faculty who have supported them throughout a long and challenging process.

While most universities don't have specific rules on how to dress for that event, do regard it with dignity and respect. This one might be a no-brainer, but know that you should dress as if you were on a job interview or delivering a paper at a conference.

It might help you deal with your stress before your thesis defense to entrust someone with the smaller but important responsibilities of your defense well ahead of schedule. This trusted person could be responsible for:

• preparing the room of the day of defense
• setting up equipment for the presentation
• preparing and distributing handouts

Technology is unpredictable. Life is too. There are no guarantees that your Powerpoint presentation will work at all or look the way it is supposed to on the big screen. We've all been there. Make sure to have a plan B for these situations. Handouts can help when technology fails, and an additional clean shirt can save the day if you have a spill.

One of the scariest aspects of the defense is the possibility of being asked a question you can't answer. While you can prepare for some questions, you can never know exactly what the committee will ask.

There will always be gaps in your knowledge. But your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. You are not expected to know everything.

James Hayton writes on his blog that examiners will sometimes even ask questions they don't know the answer to, out of curiosity, or because they want to see how you think. While it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, but you would need to do [...] in order to find out.” This shows that you have the ability to think as an academic.

You will be nervous. But your examiners will expect you to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions, for example. Dora Farkas at finishyourthesis.com notes that it’s a myth that thesis committees are out to get you.

Two common symptoms of being nervous are talking really fast and nervous laughs. Try to slow yourself down and take a deep breath. Remember what feels like hours to you are just a few seconds in real life.

• Try meditational breathing right before your defense.
• Get plenty of exercise and sleep in the weeks prior to your defense.
• Have your clothes or other items you need ready to go the night before.
• During your defense, allow yourself to process each question before answering.
• Go to dinner with friends and family, or to a fun activity like mini-golf, after your defense.

Allow yourself to process each question, respond to it, and stop talking once you have responded. While a smile can often help dissolve a difficult situation, remember that nervous laughs can be irritating for your audience.

We all make mistakes and your thesis defense will not be perfect. However, careful preparation, mindfulness, and confidence can help you feel less stressful both before, and during, your defense.

Finally, consider planning something fun that you can look forward to after your defense.

It is completely normal to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions for example if needed. Slow yourself down, and take a deep breath.

Your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. James Hayton writes on his blog that it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", but he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, you would need to do [...] in order to find out".

Your Powerpoint presentation can get stuck or not look the way it is supposed to do on the big screen. It can happen and your supervisors know it. In general, handouts can always save the day when technology fails.

• Dress for success.
• Ask for help setting up.
• Have a backup plan (in case technology fails you).
• Deal with your nerves.

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Masters Thesis Defense Presentation

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Make sure to take a look at this thesis template so you can nail your thesis and finally get it over with.

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Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Want a sample masters thesis defense presentation? Do not look any futher as our team of experts have come up with 49 slides ready-made Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides. These master thesis defense presentation templates is what you want if you are making a presentation for the related topic. There are many visual slides in this PPT sample file like agenda, thesis outline, introduction, literature review, hypothesis, methods, statistical analysis, results, column chart, bar diagram, pie chart, discussion, limitation of your study, conclusions, reference, and many more. Our thesis defense presentation outline will help you to present your topic in a very professional and impactful way. Best part is that all the slides in our thesis presentation ppt samples are fully editable, and you can make changes as per your need and content. These PPT templates will save you time and effort, that you must put in if you need to create a professional presentation from scratch. There are additional slides too like vision, goals and objectives, comparison, financial, quote, dashboard, location, timeline, post it, mind map etc. So, do not wait, just download this Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides and put your point across to the audience in a professional manner. Our Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides are highly informative. Acquaint yourself with current events.

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Download our professional Master Thesis Defense Structure PPT comprising extensively researched content and professional design layouts. Don’t waste hours fiddling with PowerPoint toolbars and finding professional PowerPoint templates. This complete presentation saves hours of your time. Comprising a total of 49 slides, the PowerPoint presentation is a visual masterpiece with professional PPT templates, data-driven graphs, charts and tables, a beautiful theme, impressive slide designs, icons, imagery and more. It is fully editable so that you can make changes to colors, data and fonts if you need to. Just enter your text in the placeholders provided and rock the meeting or conference you are presenting at.

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Content of this Powerpoint Presentation

To be honored with a doctor’s or even master’s degree, an individual needs to have an impressive thesis defense. A thesis is a research paper that helps you analyze a topic of your study in depth, and naturally, you’d want it to be unique. A professionally-designed thesis defense presentation will help you with this. Generally, the popular structure of a thesis defense consists of a heading, introduction, literature review, research methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. 

Submit your research proposal with our expert-designed presentation templates shown here .

The entire content in your thesis defense should be well-backed by proper research and every detail must be cross-checked. Additionally, as a thesis defender, you need to have clear concepts of your own. In other words, you should be thoroughly invested in preparing it. To reinforce your research work and presentation delivery, check out SlideTeam's Thesis Defense Structure Templates. This complete deck contains amazing graphics and visuals, including tables, charts, and bar graphs to present complex information regarding thesis defense in a clear and concise manner. Scroll to discover the best of the presentation designs that this complete deck has to offer and what makes it the top choice for a graduate student.

Template 1- Master Thesis Defense Structure Template

Are you looking for a sample master thesis defense PPT Presentation? No need to look any further. Introducing this complete deck of Master Thesis Defense Structure PowerPoint Template that summarizes your thesis defense insightfully. This presentation template consists of various slides including agenda, thesis outline, introduction, literature review, hypothesis, statistical analysis, discussion, chats, graphs, limitation of the study, conclusion, reference, and many more. Our thesis defense template helps you present your topic professionally, and you can make changes as needed, as it is fully customizable. 

Template 2- Introduction Template

The introduction is the first section of your thesis. The introduction captures the readers' attention and sets the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic. An ideal introduction should include the topic in context, the focus and scope, the relevance of the research, research questions and objectives, and an overview of the structure. Our Thesis Defense PPT Template offers what the introduction of a thesis paper looks like. This slide stresses the background of the topic and cites supporting literature. Also, it establishes the need for your research and points out the gap. Use our PPT Slide to set the stage for your readers.

Template 3- Literature Review Template

A well-constructed literature review is mandatory for research because it helps you to build a strong foundation for a specific topic. Introducing the Literature Review PPT Template enables you to identify relevant theories, methods ,and gaps in the existing research. This presentation slide showcases the five steps of a literature review: searching for relevant literature, evaluating sources, identifying themes, debates and gaps, outlining the structure, and writing the review. Use our literature review template to analyze, synthesize, and critically assess the clear picture of the subject.

Plan a research roadmap using these dedicated PPT Products to manage your time and resources efficiently.

Template 4- Hypothesis Template

A hypothesis highlights the possible outcome of the experiment. It showcases the relation between the problem and the literature review defined using the hypothesis. Use our hypothesis PowerPoint Template, which is self-explanatory and consistent. This PPT Layout helps you test theories and concepts by formulating hypotheses and also enables you to evaluate the relationships, patterns, or effects between variables. Apart from this, the "hypothesis slide” guides you in selecting appropriate research methods and tools, the choice of which depends upon the specific hypothesis being tested. 

Template 5- Methods Template

The methods used in a thesis or research are the collection and analysis of data. Establishing the research methods is an integral part of your thesis paper. In our Methods Template, we follow some steps to plan your strategies. It showcases the study design in the first place. Then, groups are defined, and participant demographics are based on age, height, and weight. Moreover, this PPT Design also highlights the procedures of research processing, determining the independent and dependent variables and instrumentation, including surveys and equipment. Use this slide to identify research problems and develop a hypothesis.

Template 6- Statistical Analysis Template

Statistical analysis is a crucial research tool used by research aspirants. Statistical analysis helps you draw valid conclusions with careful planning from the beginning of the research process. To prepare an appropriate statistical analysis, specify your hypothesis, research design, sample size, and sampling procedure. Our professionally designed statistical analysis PPT Framework highlights the significant relationship between two data sets with the help of the Tukey HSD Test. It focuses on treatment and error. Apart from this, statistical analysis also showcases mean difference, standard error, and confidence interval. Therefore, interpret your findings and hypothesis with our statistical analysis template.

Template 7- Results Template

The result segment of a thesis defense paper highlights the study's findings. In this section, the research aspirant reports and investigates the data collected during the survey to derive conclusions. Our customizable Results PowerPoint Template provides an idea of the data collection, statistical analysis performed, and key findings. Use this presentation design to report the data accurately and objectively.

Template 8- Discussion Template

This professionally designed customizable PowerPoint Layout highlights the interpretation and describes the significance of your findings in relation to the investigated research problem. This PPT Slide showcases the explanation and evaluation of your findings and how they relate to your literature review and thesis. Use this presentation slide to make an argument in support of your overall conclusion.

Template 9- Limitations of your Study Template

Use the Limitation PPT Template to highlight the weaknesses in your research design or the implementation that may have affected outcomes and conclusions. This PPT Layout helps you to encounter challenges that limit your research efforts. Grab it now.

Template 10- Implications for Future Research Template

Do you want to guide your future research? Use this Implications for Future Research PowerPoint Template to guide your future research by identifying the areas that need further investigation, pointing out the gaps in current knowledge, and suggesting new directions for research. Grab this presentation layout now.

Justify your perceptions, ideas, and methods for your field of study and elaborate on the insights of the persisting literature and theories related to the topic using these ready-to-use presentation templates. Using the predefined structure of this PPT Presentation, you can easily defend your topic and offer your research and analysis as its justification. Download now.

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Thesis Defense PowerPoint: Presentation Structure and Slides Content

Last updated on September 15th, 2023

Writing a thesis is as important as defending it. The goal is not only to present one of the largest papers you ever worked on throughout the university years but also to build a strategy and create a presentation that answers all questions the audience might have.

Of course, today, this task is largely facilitated by modern technologies. PowerPoint and other programs let you create a perfect background for your defense. It helps you stay in control of the whole presentation and also includes all the important numbers and facts for the audience.

Creating a presentation for a thesis is not a piece of cake. Many students would say that they’d rather write a paper than work on a PowerPoint presentation. Since it’s academic, it also has its requirements and specifics. Of course, companies where you buy college essays can help you with pptx files as well. Yet, knowing all dos and don’ts to add your own voice to the presentation can help you ace your defense.

That’s why we decided to analyze a few structure and content tips to help you author your thesis defense presentation and make sure you get a high grade. But let’s discuss best presentation-making practices first.

What Should You Know About Presentation Making?

Before you start working on a presentation, you have to understand the level and the needs of your audience. If we talk about a thesis defense presentation , you will present your research paper to people knowledgeable in your field. There is no need to translate terminology in this case.

Remember that your presentations should be simple and easy to read. If you basically copy-paste the text from your thesis to the slides, you’ll create a wall of words. This brings zero value. Instead, you should make every slide look engaging. This can be achieved if you set to add only key facts there.

There is a golden rule for presentation making. Create no more than 10 slides, take no more than 20 min, and use a font size of no less than 30 points. If you follow it for every academic work you need a presentation for, you’ll most likely get a high grade.

How to Structure Your Presentation and What Content to Include?

Here are some slide guidelines that you can consider for thesis defense presentations:

1. Title Slide

The title page starts the whole presentation. It gives the audience an idea about the thesis and the course. Make it simple but appealing to highlight your scientific goals while following best academic practices.

A regular title slide page includes the thesis title, your name, university, and course details. Sometimes, it’s recommended to mention your advisor’s name on the title page as well. A title slide for a thesis presentation typically fits in one single slide.

2. Introduction of the Presentation

There is no surprise that your presentation will repeat the structure of your thesis to a certain extent. That means you’ll have to include a proper introduction into your presentation as well.

On that slide, you’ll need to mention the topic once again to keep the audience focused. Also, you’ll be giving more details about the questions and goals of your research. Your audience has to understand the purpose of the paper that is in front of them. You have to make it clear for them what things you are investigating in particular.

3. Acknowledgements Slide

Say Thank you to your collaborators for their help in putting this presentation together. You would also like to thank the teachers and professors who have helped you during the preparation of the thesis. Here is the place to do it. The acknowledgments slide can be added at the beginning of your presentation, or at the end.

4. Literature Review Slide

This slide is not a requirement. However, if you want to render literature sources that you used for your research based on certain criteria, this is the right place to do it. You can provide your audience with a brief understanding of the resources you relied on.

First of all, you can specify the theories that you consider in your research. Secondly, you can highlight weaknesses that exist in current research. In certain cases, it can help you avoid some uncomfortable questions throughout your defense.

5. Methodology Slide

Every thesis paper is written with its own methodology. It’s better to define the tools and methods right away to add a framework to your paper.

This part helps you narrow down your thesis, actually. This is a good thing because you won’t be asked questions pertaining to methods and information not used within your research.

How many slides you need to dedicate for the Methods content? The total number of slides will depend on the case, but typically you can consider from one to three slides. Slide 1 for Study Design, Slide 2 for Measures and Slide 3 for the Sample.

6. Presentation of Results

A few slides that show results should be one of the most comprehensive parts of your presentation. We highly advise you to check this section for all relevant numbers and findings to make it informative.

The thing is that thesis papers crafted by companies where you can order cheap essay online may not include formulas or calculations for diagrams and charts. Nevertheless, you’ll have to include infographics in your presentation.

This is why you have to request these calculations and formulas from your writers or ask them to work on the presentation as well. The point is that you have to know the depth of your research before you start defending it. These details are a part of your grade.

7. Discussion

The discussion part of your thesis presentation should focus on major findings from your research with regard to the discipline program and the goals of this study. You need to explain why you believe these findings are relevant and that much significant. Also, you may provide a few ideas on how your findings relate to what others found in the past. In addition, this is the part where you explain outstanding data or unusual results.

Remember that you are not limited by the number of slides in this section. However, you should keep in mind that only the most important ideas should go into the presentation.

8. Conclusions

To finalize your presentation, you must end it with a proper conclusion. Again, the best practices of presentation making suggest that you should include only key ideas in your slide. You need to convey the rest in a verbal message. This is a bit hard to do when it comes to the conclusion.

However, the goal is to answer the questions you set at the beginning. If you can prove or debunk your thesis statement, consider you have fulfilled your research mission.

9. Future Works or Future Directions slide

In order to make the most of this thesis presentation, future work will involve a number of different people. Some of these people will be responsible for creating the slides and videos that are used in the presentation, while others will be responsible for making sure that all the materials are up-to-date and error-free.

A timeline for this future work can be included in a future work slide, but what to include on this slide will depends on a variety of factors. In this slide, you can present the audience how you envision the future work of your research, who will be doing it, what resources are required, and the different milestones. Typically, a timeline slide design can be used in this section, but you can also use a multi-step slide to describe a list of points. This can be a final slide of presentation unless you want to give space for questions and answer section (Q&A).

Building your thesis is already a tough task. Presentation is considered an add-on that has recently become a must. That is why you should take it seriously and make sure you follow the tips above to ace your defense and wow everyone with your research.

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Home PowerPoint Templates PowerPoint Themes Master Thesis PowerPoint Template

Master Thesis PowerPoint Template

The Master Thesis PowerPoint Template is a research defense presentation. It is a 14 slides PowerPoint useful for academic purposes. Not only the alumni of the master, but others can also benefit from this education PowerPoint template . Like the graduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. students etc. Here, they can create a convincing defense presentation with a standard layout of the thesis. It is a gray and white color theme template with additional blue and red colors to highlight PowerPoint elements. These colors provide the professional look to the slides, while the bold red color accents the important segments. The editable slides with background photos have a layer of translucent shape to provide the desired color effect. The users can change this color of a translucent layer from shape fill option.

The Master Thesis PowerPoint Template has 11 sections for defense presentation. These are the logical flow starting from the introduction to the feasibility of a proposed idea. The structure designed follows the best practices for a thesis presentation .

Following are the slides topics of master thesis PowerPoint template:

• Acknowledgment: Show the gratitude
• Overview: Give a quick idea of the proposed topic.
• Scope: The range of activities included in the thesis
• Methodology: A system of methods
• Theories: Set of principles to explain an idea
• Project Goals: The desired outcome of the master thesis
• Results: The actual outcome of activities
• Findings: What project suggests, reveals and indicate
• Conclusions : Summarizing the presentation with the decision
• Recommendations: Critical suggestions to select the best course of action in a certain situation
• Future Research: Lastly, the systematic study of probable future events

The Master Thesis PowerPoint Template presents the bullet list layouts through brilliant clipart and shapes. Whereas, the images used as background are high-resolution photos which users can change accordingly. Further, the result slides contain data-driven charts, helping the presenter to explain the accuracy through numeric calculations. The change in numeric data automatically updates the graph. Moreover, the master thesis PowerPoint is an informative template to explain the dissertation in phases.

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How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

Most PhD vivas and PhD defences start with a short presentation by the candidate. The structure of these presentations is very important! There are several factors and approaches to consider when developing your viva presentation structure.

Factors to consider when developing a viva presentation structure

Presenting a whole PhD in a short amount of time is very challenging. After all, a PhD is often the result of several years of work!

It is simply impossible to include everything in a viva presentation.

The structure of a viva presentation plays a crucial role in bringing across the key messages of your PhD.

Structuring your viva presentation traditionally

A very traditional viva presentation structure simply follows the structure of the PhD thesis.

The disadvantage of this traditional format is that it is very challenging to fit all the information in a – let’s say – 10-minute presentation.

Structuring your viva presentation around key findings

For instance, you can select your three main findings which you each connect to the existing literature, your unique research approach and your (new) empirical insights.

Furthermore, it might be tricky to find enough time during the presentation to discuss your theoretical framework and embed your discussion in the existing literature when addressing complex issues.

Structuring your viva presentation around key arguments

So, for example, your key argument 1 is your stance on an issue, combining your theoretical and empirical understanding of it. You use the existing theory to understand your empirical data, and your empirical data analysis to develop your theoretical understanding.

Structuring your viva presentation around case studies

Another common way to structure a viva presentation is around case studies or study contexts.

A viva presentation structure around case studies can be easy to follow for the audience, and shed light on the similarities and differences of cases.

Final thoughts on viva presentation structures

The key to a good viva presentation is to choose a structure which reflects the key points of your PhD thesis that you want to convey to the examiners.

The example viva presentation structures discussed here intend to showcase variety and possibilities and to provide inspiration.

Always think about what fits best to your thesis, asking yourself the following questions:

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Thesis Defense Presentation templates

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How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction

Published on September 7, 2022 by Tegan George and Shona McCombes. Revised on November 21, 2023.

The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation , appearing right after the table of contents . Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic .

Your introduction should include:

• Your topic, in context: what does your reader need to know to understand your thesis dissertation?
• Your focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
• The relevance of your research: how does your work fit into existing studies on your topic?
• Your questions and objectives: what does your research aim to find out, and how?
• An overview of your structure: what does each section contribute to the overall aim?

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Table of contents

How to start your introduction, topic and context, focus and scope, relevance and importance, questions and objectives, overview of the structure, thesis introduction example, introduction checklist, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about introductions.

Although your introduction kicks off your dissertation, it doesn’t have to be the first thing you write — in fact, it’s often one of the very last parts to be completed (just before your abstract ).

It’s a good idea to write a rough draft of your introduction as you begin your research, to help guide you. If you wrote a research proposal , consider using this as a template, as it contains many of the same elements. However, be sure to revise your introduction throughout the writing process, making sure it matches the content of your ensuing sections.

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Begin by introducing your dissertation topic and giving any necessary background information. It’s important to contextualize your research and generate interest. Aim to show why your topic is timely or important. You may want to mention a relevant news item, academic debate, or practical problem.

After a brief introduction to your general area of interest, narrow your focus and define the scope of your research.

You can narrow this down in many ways, such as by:

• Geographical area
• Time period
• Demographics or communities
• Themes or aspects of the topic

It’s essential to share your motivation for doing this research, as well as how it relates to existing work on your topic. Further, you should also mention what new insights you expect it will contribute.

Start by giving a brief overview of the current state of research. You should definitely cite the most relevant literature, but remember that you will conduct a more in-depth survey of relevant sources in the literature review section, so there’s no need to go too in-depth in the introduction.

Depending on your field, the importance of your research might focus on its practical application (e.g., in policy or management) or on advancing scholarly understanding of the topic (e.g., by developing theories or adding new empirical data). In many cases, it will do both.

Ultimately, your introduction should explain how your thesis or dissertation:

• Helps solve a practical or theoretical problem
• Addresses a gap in the literature
• Builds on existing research
• Proposes a new understanding of your topic

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Perhaps the most important part of your introduction is your questions and objectives, as it sets up the expectations for the rest of your thesis or dissertation. How you formulate your research questions and research objectives will depend on your discipline, topic, and focus, but you should always clearly state the central aim of your research.

If your research aims to test hypotheses , you can formulate them here. Your introduction is also a good place for a conceptual framework that suggests relationships between variables .

• Conduct surveys to collect data on students’ levels of knowledge, understanding, and positive/negative perceptions of government policy.
• Determine whether attitudes to climate policy are associated with variables such as age, gender, region, and social class.
• Conduct interviews to gain qualitative insights into students’ perspectives and actions in relation to climate policy.

To help guide your reader, end your introduction with an outline  of the structure of the thesis or dissertation to follow. Share a brief summary of each chapter, clearly showing how each contributes to your central aims. However, be careful to keep this overview concise: 1-2 sentences should be enough.

I. Introduction

Human language consists of a set of vowels and consonants which are combined to form words. During the speech production process, thoughts are converted into spoken utterances to convey a message. The appropriate words and their meanings are selected in the mental lexicon (Dell & Burger, 1997). This pre-verbal message is then grammatically coded, during which a syntactic representation of the utterance is built.

Speech, language, and voice disorders affect the vocal cords, nerves, muscles, and brain structures, which result in a distorted language reception or speech production (Sataloff & Hawkshaw, 2014). The symptoms vary from adding superfluous words and taking pauses to hoarseness of the voice, depending on the type of disorder (Dodd, 2005). However, distortions of the speech may also occur as a result of a disease that seems unrelated to speech, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study aims to determine which acoustic parameters are suitable for the automatic detection of exacerbations in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by investigating which aspects of speech differ between COPD patients and healthy speakers and which aspects differ between COPD patients in exacerbation and stable COPD patients.

Checklist: Introduction

I have introduced my research topic in an engaging way.

I have provided necessary context to help the reader understand my topic.

I have clearly specified the focus of my research.

I have shown the relevance and importance of the dissertation topic .

I have clearly stated the problem or question that my research addresses.

I have outlined the specific objectives of the research .

I have provided an overview of the dissertation’s structure .

You've written a strong introduction for your thesis or dissertation. Use the other checklists to continue improving your dissertation.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

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• Self-serving bias
• Availability heuristic
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• Hindsight bias
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The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem

and your problem statement

• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an overview of the paper

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.

They summarize the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .

Scope of research is determined at the beginning of your research process , prior to the data collection stage. Sometimes called “scope of study,” your scope delineates what will and will not be covered in your project. It helps you focus your work and your time, ensuring that you’ll be able to achieve your goals and outcomes.

Defining a scope can be very useful in any research project, from a research proposal to a thesis or dissertation . A scope is needed for all types of research: quantitative , qualitative , and mixed methods .

To define your scope of research, consider the following:

• Budget constraints or any specifics of grant funding
• Your proposed timeline and duration
• Specifics about your population of study, your proposed sample size , and the research methodology you’ll pursue
• Any inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Any anticipated control , extraneous , or confounding variables that could bias your research if not accounted for properly.

Cite this Scribbr article

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George, T. & McCombes, S. (2023, November 21). How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction. Scribbr. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/introduction-structure/

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Remember that you are responsible for scheduling your thesis defense in the semester in which you plan to file. Work with the graduate assistant to find a room once you and your committee have settled on a time. Allow two hours for the defense. 

Writing the MA Thesis in Linguistics

An MA thesis represents an original investigation into a problem or a research project that contributes new knowledge to the field.  A thesis is  not  required in our MA program.  You should undertake an MA thesis if some idea or observation intrigues you so much that you want to pursue it in depth, and you wish to have the experience of organizing and executing your own research project. Beyond this, some students may be motivated to write the MA thesis in order to produce a writing sample for PhD applications or because the MA degree may carry more weight professionally if associated with a thesis. Note that students who elect to write a thesis may count the oral thesis-defense as the concluding exam for the program in place of the written comprehensive exam taken by non-thesis-writers.

• Select a topic, enlisting the help of an advisor or advisors (official or not).   This is very important.  Most students will try to tackle a project that is much too big for the time and resources available. So you will need faculty help in refining your research question(s) and your methodology into something that can be managed for this project. You should do this no later than the middle of your second semester in the program ; the earlier, the better. 
• At the same time, you will select an official advisor. Faculty are not obliged to take on thesis projects, so listen to the feedback you receive from faculty and be prepared to ‘sell’ your idea to your chosen mentor. Eventually you will need to recruit a committee of three faculty members (including your advisor, two of whom must be from the Linguistics department), but many thesis projects get most of their input from a single advisor. Unlike a PhD thesis committee, an MA committee need not contain an external member (a CU faculty member from outside LING) . You are welcome to invite an external member to serve as the third member of your thesis committee, but faculty members from institutions outside CU are not permitted to serve on MA thesis committees. You must have your committee in place by early March (or late October for fall graduation) of your last semester in the program. Notify the Linguistics program assistant of your committee’s composition to be recorded in your file.
• Start early and observe the work schedule religiously.  Scrambling to get everything done in the last two weeks of the semester is neither fun nor good scholarly methodology, and it does not endear you to your faculty committee.

There are strict Graduate School procedures and deadlines governing the preparation and submission of the thesis.    Be sure to follow them . Linguistics Education Program Assistant Ethan McGinnis  is fully informed about the procedures and should be consulted about them. See this link for thesis formatting .Your thesis will be submitted electronically ; the signed title page is also submitted. 

The Schedule

Work backwards. If you plan to graduate with a completed thesis in May of 20xx, you must file your completed thesis by mid-April of 20xx (exact date set by the Graduate School each Academic Year). Before your thesis is filed, it must be researched, written, read by the committee, defended, revised, and re-read by the committee, and the defense and revision always happen at a time of the semester when both you and the faculty are extremely busy.  You must allow enough time between the defense exam and the filing date to make required revisions and allow the faculty readers sufficient time to evaluate the document carefully. Be aware that if you do not allow at least two weeks between your defense date and the thesis filing date, you will probably postpone the awarding of your diploma until the following graduation date (at least).

So for a spring graduation , your backwards schedule might look like this (the dates for a particular year will vary):

• late-April : File the thesis with the Graduate School by the thesis filing deadline, ensuring that you have conformed to the thesis specifications.
• early-April : Submit the final version of your thesis, incorporating revisions required by your thesis committee, to your thesis committee. Make sure to do this well ahead of the thesis filing deadline. While they read it, make sure all Graduate School procedures are understood and being followed.
• mid- to late-March (ideally before spring break) : Take the thesis defense exam. You must work with your committee and the program assistant in Linguistics to fix the time and room for your thesis defense. Allow two hours for the defense . Be sure to check with your thesis advisor about the appropriate format for the defense (e.g., how long your presentation should be, how many minutes to set aside for questions). 
• early March, depending on defense arrangements : Submit the completed thesis to your committee (at least two weeks before the defense date). Make certain that the exam report form, containing the names of your thesis committee members (and which your committee will sign once you have taken the exam), has been sent to the Graduate School at least two weeks in advance of the defense date.
• March 1 or earlier : Submit the final draft of your thesis to your advisor. The advisor needs time to read this draft before giving you clearance to circulate it to the rest of the committee. Expect to do some revising between now and the date when you will give the document to the whole committee.
• February or earlier : Make certain that all three of your desired committee members are willing to serve.  Ensure that you have notified the Linguistics program assistant of your committee’s composition.
• February 1, graduation year : File the Application for Candidacy form with the Graduate School (see below).
• April 1, first year (second semester in program) : Submit a thesis proposal (2 pages) that outlines your topic and methods to your advisor and one additional committee member.  Notify the Linguistics program assistant of your advisor to be recorded in your digital file. To be safe, double-check during advising to make sure that this information is in your official Record of Progress. You now have nearly a year in which to do the project and write the thesis.
• December, first year (end of first semester in program) :  Express "soft intent" to do a thesis. This means that you have discussed the thesis possibility with at least one interested faculty member and the Grad Advisor. At this point, you are not yet obligated to write a thesis; however, you are encouraged to take the Research in Linguistics course in Spring to further explore your interests.

Additional Regulations

• Credit hours : You must take (i.e., pay for) at least four, and may take up to six, credits of the course listed as MA Thesis in order to graduate under the thesis plan. You can register for those hours at any time that is convenient (financially most advantageous) for you and your advisor; the timing of the credits does not have to be the same as the timing of your work on the thesis.  You may take all the credits in one semester if you wish.  Those 4-6 credit hours substitute for course credits and contribute to the 30 total hours you need to graduate.

Master's Thesis Plan Form : Students completing a written thesis must now submit a Master’s Thesis Plan Form contained in this link:  https://www.colorado.edu/graduateschool/content/masters-thesis-plan-form This form should be submitted as early as possible in the graduate career and at the latest it should be submitted by the deadline to graduate posted for the semester in which the student plans to graduate.

Candidacy application : The Candidacy Application is a form required by the Graduate School before you can take your final exam (which, for thesis writers, is the thesis defense).  It is due very near the beginning of the semester in which you expect to take the exam. The candidacy form must be completed before the thesis defense and approved by the Graduate School at that time. 

• Comprehensive exam :  Starting July 2024,  students will have the option to either write an MA thesis or take the comprehensive exam in order to complete the MA degree requirements.  Students who pass the thesis defense are not required to take the written comprehensive exam.
• Completing Your Degree
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