university of utah phd thesis

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USpace's Theses and Dissertations collection includes dissertations, theses and masters projects from University of Utah graduates.

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The author of a thesis or dissertation is fully responsible for the use of any copyrighted material in the manuscript. The author is responsible for obtaining permission to quote copyrighted material. All quoted and paraphrased material must be properly cited. 

Consult the Handbook for Theses and Dissertations for important information regarding copyrighted material in your thesis or dissertation.

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Copyright Overview and Resources  (Source: J. Willard Marriott Library)

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Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It   (Source: Indiana University-Bloomington)

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Department of Linguistics

College of humanities, main navigation, student theses & dissertations.

Congratulations to our students for these accomplishments! Please click below to see the great work of our Linguistics students.

PhD Dissertations

Ahmed Alnuqaydan The Interaction of Stress and Phonological Variation in Qassimi Arabic

Dori Huang The Use of Cohesive Devices in High School Chinese Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Learners' Writing

Catherine Showalter "Orthographic input familiarity and congruence effects on phono-lexical acquisition of Russian by native speakers of English”

Taylor Anne Barriuso "The L2 acquisition of phonemes and allophones under various exposure conditions."

Jin Bi "Bilingualism and Cognitive Control: A Comparison of Sequential and Simultaneous Bilinguals"

Abdulaziz Alzoubi "The Effect of Social Factors on Emphatic-Plain Contrast: A Sociophonetic Study of Arabic in Amman City of Jordan"

Miranda McCarvel "Harmonic Serialism with Lexical Selection: Evidence from Jèrriais Allomorphy"

Sarah Braden “Scientific Inquiry as Social and Linguistic Practice: Language Socialization Pathways in a Ninth-Grade Physics Class”

Katherine Matsumoto "Recent language change in Shoshone: Structural consequences of language loss"

Kristin Hiller "International Undergraduates and Discourses of Internationalization: Exploring Conceptualizations and Experiences of the Internationalization of Higher Education and Representations of International Undergraduates at a U.S. University"

Hossam Ahmed "Verbal Complementizers in Arabic"

Zebulon Pischnotte " A Sociolinguistic Study of Bitburger Platt German "  

Neil Olsen A Descriptive Grammar of Koho-Sre: A Mon-Khmer Language

Heeok “Jade” Jeong Exploring the spaces of culturally relevant pedagogy: The discursive (trans)formation of the pedagogical practices of two teachers of English language learners

Tamrika Khvtisiashvili Principal Aspects of Xinaliq Phonology and Morphosyntax

Asmaa Shehata " When Variability Matters in Second Language Word Learning: Talker Variability and Task Type Effects"

Kristen Lindahl Exploring an 'Invisible Meduim:' Teacher Language Awareness among K-12 Preservice Educators if English Learners

Anna Krulatz Interlanguage pragmatics in Russian: the speech act of request in email , 

Jelena Markovic The effects of the explicit instruction of formulaic sequences on second-language writers

Wilson Silva A Descriptive Grammar of Desano

Raichle Farrelly Emerging from the Echo Chamber: An Activity Theory Perspective on the Situated Practice of L2 Teachers of Adult Emergent Readers ,

Mara Haslam " The Effect of Perceptual Training Including Required Lexical Access and Meaningful Linguistic Context on L2 Phonology"

Naomi Palosaari Topics in Mocho' Phonology and Morphology

Zuzana Tomas Textual borrowing across academic assignments: Examining undergraduate L2 writers' implementation of writing instruction

Eleonore Lemmerich An Explicit Awareness-Raising Approach to the Teaching of Sociopragmatic Variation in Early Foreign Language Learning

Christopher Rogers A Comparative Grammer of Xinkan

Ellen Shipley Knell A Longitudinal Study of Early English Immersion and Literacy in Xi'an, China

Qing Xing "An Investigation of the Relationship Between the Teaching Beliefs and Behaviors of Teachers of English as a Second Language or Foreign Language"

Aleksandra M. Zaba "Relative Frequency of Patterns and Learnability: The Case of Phonological Harmony"

Susan McKay Raising-to-Object in French: A Functional Perspective

Dijana Trajchevska Crosslinguistic Influence and Evidentiality

Brendan Terry An Approach to Embedding Pronunciation Instruction into an Intermediate-High Level ESL Content-Based Instruction Course

Austin Tracy Looking for the Essence of Lexical Diversity

Daniel Razo Spanish Adverbials: Scales and Repetitian

Brian Collins "The Roles of -Ywac in the Polish Aspectual System"

Jessica Larsen "How 'Enjoying a Meal' Is Similiar to 'Beginning a Book': Investigating Compositionality and the Processing of Complement Coercion Verbs"

John Blackham "There and Back Again: An Adverb's Tale"

Dursun Altinok "Quantifier Scope and Prosody in Turkish"

Shasha Xu "Effects of ESL Instructors’ Ethnicity and Perceived Accent on University ESL Students’ Expectations of ESL Instructors"

Rachel Haynes Miller "Students’ Discrimination of German Contrasts after One Year of Dual Immersion"

Andrew Hayes " Integrated Versus Decontextualized Approaches to Vocabulary Instruction in a Second Language Writing Course"

Josh Jackson "The Effects of Novel Orthographic Elements and Phonetic Instruction in Second Language Phonological Acquisition"

Jemina Keller "An Investigation of K-5/6 Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge and Beliefs About the Utah Core State Standards and English Learners"

Andrew Bayles "High-Vowel Lenition in the French of Quebec and Paris"

Kelsey Brown "The Influence of Explicit Instruction on Failure to Acquire a Phonological Rule Due to Orthographic Input: The Case of Native English Speakers Learning German"

Derron Borders "The Role of Gender Socialization and Sibilants in the Perception of Gay- and Straight-Sounding Voices: A Study of Returned Latter-Day-Saint Missionaries in Utah"

George Michael Pescaru "Coordination and Interaction in Markedness Supression"

Christina Yong "Adverbial Ordering in English"

Andrew Zupon "Icelandic Quirky Agreement Restrictions: Evidence for Phi-Defective T in Quirky Subject Constructions"

Maria Alexeeva "Academic English Learners' Perceptions of the Value of Discourse-level, Form-focused Activities in College-level Grammar Instruction"

Mengqi Wang " Evidence on Long Head Movement in Mandarin Predicate Cleft" 

Vitor De Souza Action Research: Perceptions of Content-Based Instruction in an English as a Foreign Language Setting

Lindsay Hansen Second-Language Writer and Instructor Perceptions of the Effectiveness of a Curriculum-Integrated Research Skills Library Guide

Tulay Orucu , "Teaching English Grammar in a Hybrid Course: Student Performance and Teacher and Student Perceptions"

Amanda Rabideau Talker background and individual differences in the speech intelligibility benefit

Daniel Dixon "Leveling Up Language Proficiency Through Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games: Opportunities for English Learners to Receive Input, Modify Output, Negotiate Meaning, and Employ Language-Learning Strategies"

Kevin Kau Teaching Beliefs and Practices of Language Teaching Assistants

Scott Duede Expanding and Explaining Classifier Typologies

Catherine E. Showalter The Influence of Novel Orthographic Information on Second Language Word Learning: The Case of Native English Speakers Learning Arabic

Deborah Wager Fingerspelling in American Sign Language:A Case Study of Discourse Styles and Reduction

Jennifer Mitchell Historical Duration in Modern Day Shosone Reflexes *aCi "

Gene Deal Shoshoni Geminates: A Description and Analysis

Todd McKay An Investigation into a Communicative Approach to English Language Teaching in Governmental and Nongovernmental Primary Schools in Bangladesh

Jenia Ivanova Phonological Aspects of Teacher Talk ,

Karen Marsh The Impact of Parent English as a Second Language Classes on Children's School Performance and Parent-School Interactions

Elizabeth Neilson Oral Stop Contracts in Omaha: An Acoustic Analysis

Robert D. Sykes A Sociophonetic Study of (ai) in Utah English

Dominique Samantha Pantophlet A Critical Period Hypothesis from an English as a Foreign Language Perspective

Sadie Moon Dickman Differences in Intelligibility of Non-Native Directed Speech and Hearing Impaired Directed Speech for Non-Native Listeners ,

Sara Christine Bridge Write Your Story: A Course to Promote L2 Writing Fluency Through Theme-Based Memoirs

Katherine Matsumoto-Gray Politeness in Increasing Degrees of Imposition: A Sociolinguistic Study of Politeness in Political Conversations

David Joseph Iannucci Aspects of Chitimacha Phonology

Shaun Paul Matthews Antisymmetry, Relative Clauses and Adjectives

Albert O. Jarvi Effect of Lexical Access and Meaningful Linguistic Context on Second Language Speech Perception

Joshua Bowles Agreement in Tuyuca ,

Marcus Feickert Without a Trace: Interpreting Full Copies of Qualifier Phrases in Semantics

Hossam Eldin Ibrahim Ahmed Parallel Derivation and Multiple Loci

Marlin Taylor Complements, Small Clauses, and Antisymmetry

Zebulon Aaron Pischnotte Optimality Theory Applied to Iñupiaq Eskimo Consonant Assimilation

Jennifer Leparmentier Novel Feature Processing by Children and Adults

2006 - 2003

Waleed A. Alrowsa Agreement in Najdi Arabic

Anna Lee Variable Consonant Sequence Reduction in English: An Optimality Theory Approach

David Patrick Hall Topichood, Scope, and Events

Zuzana Sarikova Shared Cognitive Learning Styles between Instructors and Students as Predictors of Attitudes toward Learning

Aleksandra Zaba Cross-Modular (Re)Balancing Effects in Language

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Andrea Gutierrez-Prieto A Psychopy Implementation of the Artificial Grammar Learning Paradigm: Replication LAIA Psychopy 

Hallie Allan Noun Incorporation in Crow: An Assessment of Various Approaches

Cailey Lloyd The Role of Written Input in the Acquisition of a German-Like Pattern of Final Devoicing by Native English Speakers: Evidence from a Listening Task

Marcel Peterson Language-Internal Alternatable Feature Strength in English and Italian

Julia Vonessen The Relationship between Listener Attitudes and the Comprehension of Nonnative-Accented Speech

Angel Elizabeth Kaiser

Tyler Watson Laws

Differences in Voice-Onset Time (VOT) in Spanish Between First Language (L1), Second Langauge (L2), and Heritage Speakers 

Austin Dean Buttars

Jacqueline Danae Jolley

Eve Olson Voice onset time in Arabic and English stop consonants

Sara Blalock NG

Musical Text-Setting as Evidence for Syllabification of Highly Moraic Structures in English

Eizabeth Anne Nakashima

Linguistic Reclamation in the LGBTQ+ Community

Jessica Loveland Learning styles of teachers and students in a second language classrooms

Alexander Nash The Proto-Indo-European urheimat: The Armenian hypothesis

Savannah Manwill Sociolinguistics of Basque in the U.S.

Andrew Lee Zupon Restrictions on Denominal Verb Formation

2009 - 2001

Stephen John Sovinsky Speech Act Theory and Internet Culture: Computer-Mediated Communication in the Era of Web 2.0

Zachary Bret Rasmussen The Interlanguage Speech Intelligibility Benefit: Arabic-Accented English

Robert Benjamin Young The Syntax of Double Objects as an Instance of V Segmentation

If you graduated with us and you don't see yourself listed here, please send your name, title, and semester and year of graduation to [email protected] .

Myers Research Group

Dissertations and theses, phd dissertations:.

• Tramy Nguyen,  Asynchronous Genetic Circuit Design , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December 2019
• Leandro Watanabe,  Scalable and Reproducible Modeling and Simulation for Heterogeneous Populations , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, May 2019
• Zhen Zhang, Verification Methodologies for Fault-Tolerant Network-on-Chip Systems , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, May, 2016.
• Andrew N. Fisher, Efficient, Sound Formal Verification for Analog/Mixed-Signal Circuits , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, August, 2015.
• Nicholas Roehner, Technology Mapping of Genetic Circuits Designs , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2014.
• Curtis K. Madsen, Stochastic Analysis of Synthetic Genetic Circuits , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, August, 2013.
• Robert Thacker, A New Verification Method For Embedded Systems , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2009.
• Scott Little, Efficient Modeling and Verification of Analog/Mixed-Signal Circuits Using Labeled Hybrid Petri Nets , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2008.
• Hiroyuki Kuwahara, Model Abstraction and Temporal Behavior Analysis of Genetic Regulatory Networks , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2007.
• Nathan Barker, Learning Genetic Regulatory Network Connectivity from Time Series Data , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2007.
• David C. Walter, Verification of Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuits Using Symbolic Methods , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, August, 2007.
• Curtis A. Nelson, Technology Mapping of Timed Asynchronous Circuits , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2004.
• Hans Jacobson, Interlocked Synchronous Pipelines , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, May, 2004.
• Eric Mercer, Correctness and Reduction in Timed Circuit Analysis , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2002.
• Jie Dai, Design Methodology for Analog VLSI Implementations of Error Control Decoders , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, December, 2002.
• Eric Peskin, Protocol Selection, Implementation, and Analysis for Asynchronous Circuits , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, August, 2002.
• Hao Zheng, Modular Synthesis and Verification of Timed Circuits Using Automatic Abstraction , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, August, 2001.
• Wendy Belluomini, Algorithms for Synthesis and Verification of Timed Circuits and Systems , PhD Dissertation, University of Utah, September, 1999.
• Chris J. Myers, Computer Aided Synthesis and Verification of Gate-Level Timed Circuits , PhD Dissertation, Stanford University, October, 1995.

Master’s Theses:

• Meher Samineni,  Software Compliance Testing For Workflows Using the Synthetic Biology Open Language , MS Thesis, University of Utah, May, 2019.
• Michael Zhang,  SBOLExplorer: Data Infrastructure and Data Mining for Genetic Design Repositories , MS Thesis, University of Utah, May, 2019.
• Dhanashree Kulkarni, Improved model generation and property specification for analog/mixed-signal circuits , MS Thesis, University of Utah, August, 2013.
• Satish Batchu, Automatic Extraction of Behavioral Models from Simulations of Analog/Mixed-Signal (AMS) Circuits , MS Thesis, University of Utah, December, 2010.
• Nam Nguyen, Design and Analysis of Genetic Circuits , MS Thesis, University of Utah, August, 2008.
• Yanyi Zhao, Application of Synchronous Synthesis Tools for High-Level Asynchronous Design , MS Thesis, University of Utah, December, 2004.
• Chris Krieger, Complete State Coding of Timed Asynchronous Circuits , MS Thesis, University of Utah, December 2002.
• Kip Killpack, Analysis and Characterization of a Locally-Clocked Module , MS Thesis, University of Utah, May 2002.
• Eric G Mercer, Stochastic Cycle Period Analysis in Timed Circuits , MS Thesis, University of Utah, May 1999.
• Brandon M. Bachman, Architectural-Level Synthesis of Asynchronous Systems , MS Thesis, University of Utah, December 1998.
• Robert A. Thacker, Implicit Methods for Timed Circuit Synthesis , MS Thesis, University of Utah, June, 1998.
• Hao Zheng, Specification and Compilation of Timed Systems , MS Thesis, University of Utah, June, 1998.

Bachelor’s Theses:

• Z. Zundel, Improving Authentication and Authorization on SynBioHub , BS Thesis, University of Utah, December 2019
• M. Zhang, SBOLDesigner: A Hierarchical Genetic Design Editor , BS Thesis, University of Utah, April 2018
• M. Samineni, Software Compliance Testing for the Synthetic Biology Open Language , BS Thesis, University of Utah, August 2017
• L. Watanabe, Hierarchical Stochastic Simulation of Genetic Circuits , BS Thesis, University of Utah, May, 2014.
• K. Jones, Automated Abstraction of Labeled Petri Nets , BS Thesis, University of Utah, May, 2011.
• T. Patterson, Modeling and Visualization of Synthetic Genetic Circuits , BS Thesis, University of Utah, May, 2011.
• C. Madsen, Representing Genetic Networks as Labeled Hybrid Petri Nets for State Space Exploration and Markov Chain Analysis , BS Thesis, University of Utah, June, 2009.
• S. Little, A Comparison of Timed State Space Analysis Methods , BS Thesis, University of Utah, June, 2003.
• Y. Zhao, Design of an Asynchronous Ditherer for an MPEG Decoder , BS Thesis, University of Utah, June, 2003.

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy College of Education

Phd program.

Application Deadline: 12/01/23

Program Information

Students can specialize in either K12 or Higher Education. Coursework includes topics in educational leadership, organizations, educational policy, or critical studies in education.

Independent research in an area chosen by the student will be the basis of the final dissertation. Assistantships are available to full-time students (20 hours a week and receive a stipend along with a full tuition waiver.)

For most studies, the following information should be explained in separate sections of your proposal document:

Problem Statement and Research Questions

What is the problem to be investigated? In other words, what is the purpose of the study? What are the specific research questions the study will seek to answer?

Conceptual Framework & Related Literature

What theories, concepts, and research provide the best framework to explain or study the problem? Offer conceptual definitions of study variables where appropriate.

Significance

Why is the problem important? How will the proposed study fill an important need for knowledge or chart a new area for investigation?

Include methodological considerations such as:

(A) sample or data sources (B) data collection procedures (C) instrumentation or measurement tools and issues, including operational definitions of variables where appropriate (D) study design (including checks on possible bias or threats to study validity) (E) data analysis

Assumptions and Limitations 

What are the assumptions and expected limitations of the study?

Implications

What might be the implications of this study for future scholarship and educational practice?

How have your doctoral course work, assistantship and/or internship, and previous experience prepared you to do this scholarly work?

What is the expected timeline for completing your study?

Pre-Defense to Publication, A Checklist for Graduate Students

At a Glance

Application Fee

For domestic applicants the application fee is $55, for international applicants, the fee is $65. You can pay your fee online through the Slate application system.

Transcripts

All applicants should upload an unofficial copy of their academic transcripts in the online application. Current students or graduates of the University of Utah will not be required to submit their U of U transcripts. If you are admitted to our program, you will be required to provide an official copy of your transcripts, sent directly from your previous school to the address below:

The University of Utah 201 S 1460 E Room 250 S SSB Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Under the Program Information section on the application, first choose your program of interest, Educational Leadership & Policy PhD. Then choose your area of emphasis – either Higher Education or K12.

A Master's Degree is required with a minimum 3.0 GPA (or enrollment in joint MPA/PhD program).

Please upload the following under the appropriate sections on the Slate application:

-RESUME  that includes professional and leadership experience.

-STATEMENT OF INTENT AND RESEARCH INTEREST ( 1000 words or less )

Describe the following:

• Your educational journey to this point and your career aspirations upon completing a PhD • How you see the ELP PhD program fitting into your academic and professional trajectory • Concise statement of your research interests • Which ELP faculty member(s) best match your research interests and why

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Select and answer one of the following essay topics:

Topic A : Education has long been viewed as the "great equalizer" through which individuals and groups that have traditionally been marginalized in the broader society can attain greater economic and social equity. However, evidence suggests that education has fallen short of this goal, particularly in relation to historically marginalized students in educational settings (e.g., students of color, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, immigrant students, LGBT students, and students living with disabilities).

In the face of enduring challenges to provide all students with high-quality learning opportunities in higher education, what role, in your opinion, does educational leadership and/or policy play in creating more socially just educational environments?

Topic B: It is often believed that education is beneficial to both individuals and society. Describe some of the major individual and societal benefits of education. Is it possible that educational attainment is differentially beneficial for particular groups in the population (e.g., racial, social, sexual identity, gender, ability, etc...)? Discuss the idea of education as a public versus private good. What role do educational leaders and policymakers play in ensuring that the benefits of education are equitable for all? Please limit your response to 1000 words or less.

Letters of Recommendation -- Three recommendations are required as part of the application process. These should be written by those who can speak to your leadership and academic ability and potential. We HIGHLY recommend that at least one letter be written by a faculty from whom you have previously taken a class. This can be done through the Slate application website.

All application materials are provided on or prior to the application deadline of December 1. Applications that are incomplete at the deadline will not be considered.

If you have questions or concerns at any time please contact our Academic Coordinator, Marilynn Howard, at 801-581-6714 or  [email protected] .

Degrees are awarded when students have completed t he Graduate School Thesis Editor's  requirements for release to the Registrar.

Student Stories

Amber roderick-landward.

Director of Instructional Supports Educational Leadership & Policy PhD, 2019 Amber is a strategic thinker,...

Department of Physics & Astronomy College of Science

University of Utah

Welcome to graduate studies in physics and astronomy at the University of Utah! Please navigate to the resources below or learn about our PhD program at the Apply link above.

Find announcements through the post feature below or by searching UMail. Department policy can be found in the graduate program handbook corresponding to the matriculation year. International students must confer with ISSS for the most accurate I-20 and OPT policies. Grads are advised to not drop classes, withdraw, switch grading options, or make other enrollment decisions without first meeting with the graduate program coordinator or Director of Graduate Studies. Course decisions and research help are available from the assigned Advisory or Supervisory Committee.

Graduate Program

• Application Guidance
• Graduate Program Forms
• Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC)
• Comprehensive Exam Requirements
• Ph.D. Applicants
• Post-baccalaureate Fellowship
• TA Resources

International student visa renewal

Students who choose to travel back to their home country to renew their visa do so at their own risk. It is critical that before traveling abroad, you assess the circumstances that could hinder your ability to return to Utah, such as covid-19 quarantine requirements or regional conflict. Before traveling, you should confer with: ISSS, your PI or the TA coordinator, the payroll officer, and the department coordinator. The department is able to provide an offer letter, noting your employment details and financial support. No other departmental documentation is available.

Graduation preparation should begin at least one semester prior. Request a graduation consultation with the program coordinator, schedule an appointment with ISSS (if on a visa), check thesis deadlines. Finally, prepare for your job search by meeting with Dr. Francine Mahak at the Career &amp; Professional Services Center.

Advising Day

Advising Day takes place fall and spring semester on Reading Day. All graduate students and their internal committee members are required to attend. Please come prepared with your transcripts, UnID, Ta or RA plans for the next semester, and questions or concerns for your committee.

Advising Day Spring 2024 will take place April 24, 2024

For more information, contact:

Pearl sandick, kelsey krause, comprehensive exam.

Find old exams here:

Fall '19 EM Fall '19 QM Fall '20 QM Fall '20 EM Fall '21 QM Fall '21 EM

Fall  '22 QM Fall '22 EM   Fall  '23 QM   Fall '23 EM

Staying Connected

Events and seminars are happening in person and remotely. You can learn more about these in the events calendar and by reading departmental emails.

Events Calendar

Materials Science & Engineering Ph.D. Program

The Doctoral (PhD) degree offered through the Materials Science and Engineering Department is an intensive research and doctoral dissertation degree. Students may directly pursue a PhD degree without first earning a MS degree.

MSE Graduate Handbook Year 2020-2021

MSE Graduate Handbook Year 2018-2019

MSE Graduate Handbook Year 2017-2018

Academic Advising

Office: CME 304

Complete a minimum of 54 credit hours in courses level 6000 or above

• 30 hours of course work (that include 3 hours of MSE Graduate Seminar MSE 7800 / 7801 , and 15 out of the 30 hours must be MSE/MET E courses). Exceptions to this rule are at the discretion of the student’s Supervisory Committee
• A minimum of 24 hours of Thesis Research ( MSE 7970 )

All coursework must be completed at a cumulative 3.0 GPA (B grade average). All courses must be passed with a B- or better.

Students will also be required to complete the following requirements during the course of the program:

• Qualifying Examination
• Supervisory Committee
• Program of Study
• Dissertation Proposal
• Dissertation

Required Courses

All entering PhD students are required to take the following MSE core courses within their first two semesters, regardless of where they received their Mater’s degree.* These courses will count towards the 25 hours of MSE coursework hours.

• MSE 6032  – Advanced Thermodynamics (3 credits)
• MSE 6001  – Engineering Materials (3 credits)
• MSE 6034  – Kinetics (3 credits)
• MSE 6011  – Advanced Materials Techniques: Experiment, Theory, and Characterization (3 credits)

*EXCEPTION: Students who received a B.S. or M.S. degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah, and received a B or better in MSE 5034 and MSE 3001 will not be required to take MSE 6034, 6011 and 6001. These students are allowed to substitute these three required courses with any other 6000/7000 level MSE or MET E course.

Graduate Seminar

Students are required to take 6 semesters (0.5 credit hours each semester) of MSE Graduate Seminar.

• MSE 7800  – Graduate Seminar I (0.5 credits) Fall Semesters
• MSE 7801  – Graduate Seminar II (0.5 credits) Spring Semesters

Two oral presentations are required.  Graduate Seminar credit hours cannot be used to satisfy the 25 credit hours of MSE coursework.

MSE Graduate Seminar Independent Study

If students are unable to attend the Graduate Seminar in a given semester due to an academic or work related conflict, they will be required to make up the credit through an independent study. Students will still be required to register for MSE 7800/7801, as the credit hours are required for the graduate program. However, it will be the student’s responsibility to attend at least 10 seminars or lecture during the duration of the semester.

The seminars or lectures must be related to the field of Materials Science & Engineering. The seminars or lectures can be on or off campus. They could also be pre-recorded and viewed from various media platforms (example YouTube).

Students must write a one page (typed, single spaced, 12 pt. font) paper addressing the following topics: • How the topics relates to your research • One full paragraph should discuss the research style and communication skills of the speaker. • Students should give advice on how the presentation could have been better

The 10 one-page papers are due the last day of classes in the given semester. Thesis Hours

Students must complete at least 14 hours of Thesis Research ( MSE 7970 , Thesis Research: Ph.D.). The candidate must also be regularly enrolled at the University and registered for at least one course during the semester in which the final oral examination (dissertation defense) is taken.

After the residency requirement has been met (two consecutive semesters of nine hours or more), graduate students who are registered for three credit hours in any one of the following classes are considered full-time status:

• Classes within the range of 6970-6989, 7970-7989

This does not fulfill state residency requirements.

Registration Restrictions

Credit hour requirements for full time and part time status at the University of Utah:

• Graduate credit may be transferred from other regionally-accredited institutions with department and advisor approval. Credits transferred from another institution may be used for only one degree. Up to six semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward fulfillment of graduate degree requirements if they are of high letter grade (B or higher; ‘credit only’ grades are unacceptable), are recommended by the student’s supervisory committee, and were taken within four years of semester of admission to the University of Utah for master’s students and within seven years of semester of admission to the University of Utah for doctoral students.
• Only nine semester hours of nonmatriculated credit, taken no more than three year prior to approval, can be applied toward a graduate degree.
• No candidate for a graduate degree is permitted to register for more than 16 credit hours in any single semester. A schedule of nine credit hours is considered a full load for doctoral degree candidates.
• Only 3 hours of MSE 6980 / 7980 – Faculty Consultations can be counted towards the PhD degree provided there is proper documentation. This can take the place of 3 MSE coursework hours on the Program of Study.
• Only 1 hour of MSE 6950  – Independent Study can be used towards the PhD degree.

English Proficiency

The University of Utah Admissions Department sets the requirements for English Proficiency, not the department. This requirement cannot be waived. Applications will not be processed without official test results dated within two years. For more information, please see the admissions page on English Proficiency found here .

Candidate will write a report and prepare an oral presentation for a topic of scientific area which is NOT directly related to his/her ongoing Ph.D. research. The presentation and report shall cover:

•  Current state of the art of the area,
• Key challenges related to materials design,
• Ideas for future research directions in this field (students are encouraged to propose their own ideas and discuss possible plan and feasibility of proposed research).

Students will be expected to do a deep dive into the topic and be prepared to apply/discuss the basic MSE principles (covered by the core courses) to the selected topic.

Topic selection: The topics will be suggested/assigned by the MSE graduate committee.

Deliverables:

• Report (written portion) should be concise and not exceeding 10 pages (single spaced).
• Oral presentation will be a 20minute power point presentation with additional 20-30 minutes for questions from the committee.
• Topic selection/assignment will occur earlier May (after the Spring semester).
• Reports will be due first week of June.
• Presentations will be scheduled in the second/third weeks of June depending on examination committee schedule availability.

Examination committee will consist of at least three MSE faculty, excluding student’s primary advisor.

After successfully passing the Candidacy Evaluation, PhD students must make an appointment with the MSE Academic Advisor to start building a supervisory committee.

Each supervisory committee consists of five faculty members . In compliance with The Graduate School’s policy, the majority of the committee members (3) must be tenure line faculty in the MSE department. The supervisory committee chair must be a regular tenure line faculty at the University of Utah. The dean of The Graduate School may approve requests to appoint a committee member from another university where appropriate justification and supporting documentation is provided. The supervisory committee is responsible for approving the student’s academic program, preparing and judging the qualifying examinations, approving the dissertation subject and final dissertation, and administering and judging the final oral examination (dissertation defense).

Supervisory Committee Form

• PhD Supervisory Committee form

During the third year of graduate study, PhD students are required to complete a Program of Study. This form is not a selection of courses that satisfies the minimum requirements but will be a list of all course work and research hours proposed for the PhD degree that will be approved by the Supervisory Committee. It is important that students understand that the Supervisory Committee makes the final decision for the courses that will appear on the Program of Study for the PhD. Procedure to Complete

The procedure to complete the Program of Study form is as follows:

• Students must arrange a meeting with their Supervisory Committee Chair to present the proposed course for the Program of Study form.
• At the meeting, the Supervisory Committee Chair will review and approve the student’s courses for their degree.
• In some cases, the Supervisory Committee Chair may require extra course work that exceeds the minimum requirements for a PhD degree based on the dissertation topic.
• As stated in the Graduate School’s requirements: coursework used to complete requirements for one graduate program may not be used to meet the requirement of another.
• All course work must be completed in the first two years of graduate study.

Program of Study Form

• PhD Program of Study, MSE

After advancing to candidacy, but before the end of the third year (6th semester) in the program, students must complete the written and oral portions of the Dissertation Proposal Exam. An exception can be granted by a student’s Supervisory Committee Chair for extenuating circumstances.

The Dissertation Proposal must occur before the Dissertation Defense and the two many not be completed within the same semester. The Dissertation Proposal Exam (written, oral, or both parts) may be repeated once if a “Fail” or “Conditional Pass” is received the first time. Written Proposal

Students must independently prepare a written proposal for the research they will complete for their dissertation. It must be given to their Supervisory Committee at least two weeks prior to the date of the oral exam. Students must propose their own original research which will form the basis of their publications and PhD dissertation. The proposal should detail the prior work in the field, detail any results already obtained by the student, and lay out the research objectives and plan for meeting those objectives before completing the dissertation. A copy of the Dissertation Proposal will be provided to the Academic Advisor to be retained in the student’s file.

The proposal should follow the NSF proposal format (or other federal agency if approved by the committee). For more information on the format, student should refer to the MSE Dissertation Written Proposal Template here .

For additional resources and information on NSF formatting, students should refer to the University of Utah Office of Sponsored Projects website by clicking here.

Oral Proposal

Students must arrange with their Supervisory Committee to present and defend their proposal. A common format is to prepare a talk lasting 40 minutes if uninterrupted based on the same ideas and research plan contained in the Written Proposal.

The committee will ask questions, evaluate the proposal, and give feedback and suggestions to the student on the proposed research. The committee will sign the Dissertation Proposal from, which has separate “Pass,” “Conditional Pass” and “Fail” marks. Again, the committee may require remedial actions for “Conditional Pass” or “Fail” marks.

Dissertation Proposal Form

• MSE Dissertation Written Proposal Template
• PhD Dissertation Proposal form

  Dissertation

Students must submit a dissertation embodying the results of scientific or scholarly research. The dissertation must provide evidence of originality and the ability to do independent investigation and it must contribute to knowledge. The dissertation must show a mastery of the relevant literature and be presented in an acceptable style. The style and format are determined by departmental policy and registered with the thesis and dissertation editor, who approves individual dissertations in accordance with departmental and Graduate School policy. The approved style guides can be found here .

At least three weeks before the final dissertation defense, students should submit an acceptable draft of the dissertation to the chair of the Supervisory Committee; committee members should receive copies at least two weeks before the examination date.

The doctoral dissertation is expected to be available to other scholars and to the general public. It is the responsibility of all doctoral candidates to arrange for the publication of their dissertations. The University accepts two alternatives for complying with the publication requirements:

The entire dissertation is submitted to UMI Dissertation Publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning, and copies are made available for public sale. The abstract only is published if the entire dissertation has been previously published and distributed, exclusive of vanity publishing. The doctoral candidate may elect to microfilm the entire previously published work. Regardless of the option used for meeting the publication requirement, an abstract of each dissertation is published in UMI Dissertation Publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning, Dissertation Abstracts International.

Detailed policies and procedures concerning publication requirements, use of restricted data, and other matters pertaining to the preparation and acceptance of the dissertation are contained in A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations, published by The Graduate School and available on The Graduate School website .

Please be sure to check the Thesis Office manuscript tracking system to see if your dissertation has been uploaded to  ProQuest . Defense

PhD students must orally defend the significant contents, results, and conclusions associated with their doctoral research before the entire Supervisory Committee at an open and public defense. At the conclusion of the public participation, the committee will excuse the public and conduct further questioning on the thesis and related topics. The outcome of the defense is reported on the PhD Defense Form.

The draft or final dissertation document will serve as the written basis for the presentation and should be submitted to the Supervisory Committee four weeks prior to the oral defense. The Supervisory Committee will examine in detail the contents, results, conclusions and contribution made by the student’s research and written dissertation.

“The Supervisory Committee Approval” and “Final Reading Approval” forms must be filled out by the student and the appropriate signatures obtained before final dissertation can be submitted to the Thesis Editor for final approval and release. These forms are the responsibility of the student and can be found on The Graduate School’s website .

When should you defend in order to graduate in a specific semester?

The earlier you defend in a given semester, the more likely you are to be able to graduate that same semester. Check the  Thesis Calendar  to see when the submission deadline is. You need to defend far enough ahead of that deadline that you can make any changes to the text required by your committee and ensure that the manuscript adheres to your chosen style guide and Thesis Office requirements by the deadline. Be aware that if you submit your manuscript on the deadline and there are any formatting errors you will not graduate that semester. The sooner you turn your manuscript in the more likely you are to graduate in that semester.   As a general rule of thumb, plan to defend in the first 2 months of the semester if you want to graduate that semester. Registration

Student must be registered for 3 credit hours of MSE 7970 during the semester they defend. Once student defends and the dissertation has been accepted by the Supervisory Committee, the student is not required to register for another semester. International Students should check with the International Center once they have defended to make sure that they do not go out of status while completing requested rewrites.

Defense and Dissertation Forms

Materials Science and Engineering Department form:

• PhD Dissertation Defense form – Must be completed at the time of defense.

Graduate School Forms

• Dissertation forms  – Forms that must be turned in with completed dissertation to the Thesis Office.
• Preliminary Review Dissertation form  – Form for those seeking a preliminary dissertation review by the Thesis Office.
• For information on admission to the PhD program  click here.
• For information about housing options at the University of Utah, click here.

Full Time Student Status

Part time student status.

• Appeal to the Department Chair (in writing) within 40 working days; chairs must notify student of a decision with 15 days. If the faculty member or student disagrees with decision then,
• Appeal to Academic Committee, see II Section D, Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities for details on Academic Appeal Committee hearings.
• Dismiss the student from the program immediately.
• Place the student on academic probation for 1 semester. In this case, the student’s committee will provide a list of specific milestones which the student must accomplish in order to be reinstated to good standing. If these milestone are not accomplished within 1 semester, the student will be dismissed from the program.
• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Passing all required examinations within specified times limits (e.g. for PhD students the candidacy exam, dissertation proposal, and thesis defense).
• Continuously maintain an official advisor and supervisory committee from the 3rd semester through completion of the program.
• Continually make acceptable progress toward the degree as determined by the supervisory committee + thesis advisor.
• PhD Program of Study form, MSE
• PhD Dissertation Defense form
• Milestone Master Application
• Recommendation for Change of Graduate Classification
• Dissertation Forms
• Preliminary Review Dissertation Form
• Non-Matriculated Credit Hours Form 
• Graduate Transfer Credit Authorization
• Insurance Declaration Form

Thesis Office

Preliminary formatting.

• During the semester before your graduation date, students should check their Electronic Graduate Record File in CIS. For more information on how to access the Electronic Graduate Record File  click here .
• If students have questions or issues surrounding graduation, they should make an appointment with the MSE Academic Advisor. It is important that you communicate with the Academic Advisor about your intended graduation date and progress.

Campus Resources

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Ph.D. in Metropolitan Planning, Policy, and Design (Requirements)

• B.S./B.A. Urban Ecology + MCMP (Apply)
• Master of City and Metropolitan Planning (Apply)
• Ph.D. in Metropolitan Planning, Policy, and Design (Apply)
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City and Metropolitan Planning College of Architecture + Planning

The doctoral degree in Metropolitan Planning, Policy and Design helps meet society’s need for researchers, scholars, teachers, and leaders to make our metropolitan areas sustainable and resilient. The planning challenge is to anticipate change and learn how best to manage it; the policy challenge is how to craft and implement policies needed to facilitate desired change; and the design challenge is how to shape the built environment to achieve desired outcomes.

The doctoral degree includes core, electives, qualifying examination, proposal, and dissertation benchmarks. The following outlines the degree requirements for students entering the program in fall semester 2019 or later. The total number of credits needed to graduate is 55 with a master’s degree in planning, 58 with a master’s degree in another field, and 76 without a master’s degree. The entire program takes between 5 to 7 years, depending on prior graduate work. The following outlines the degree requirements for students entering the program fall semester of 2019 or later. We recommend you meet with your advisor every semester to plan out coursework.

Planning Foundation (0-24)

For students with an accredited planning master’s degree from Utah or elsewhere, the graduate planning core is waived.

For students with a master’s degree in another area from Utah or elsewhere, the graduate planning core is waived except for CMP7100 – Urban & Planning Theory (3).

For those without a graduate degree, the MCMP core is required (see list below). For most students, completing the core planning courses will require the equivalent of about one full academic year of study.

CMP 6010 Community & Regional Analysis (3)CMP 6160 Plan Making (3)

CMP 6260 Land Use Law (3)

CMP 6322 City & Metropolitan Economics (3)

CMP 6430 Community Engagement in Planning (3)

CMP 6450 Geographic Information Systems in Planning (3)

CMP 6610 Urban Ecology (3)

CMP 7100 Urban & Planning Theory (3)

Doctoral Foundation (16)

The doctoral foundation is composed of 4 semester-long doctoral seminars in research design, quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and theory. Students also take 4 semesters of the research seminar in the first two years of the program; however, the department expects students to participate in the seminar beyond the first two years of study.

CMP 7840 Advanced Planning Theory (3)

CMP 7401 Research Design for Metropolitan Planning, Policy and Design (3)

CMP 7302 Qualitative Methods for Planners and Designers (3)

CMP 7022 Quantitative Methods in Planning (3)

CMP 7501 Metropolitan Planning, Policy and Design Research Seminar (1) x 4 semesters.

Elective Courses (12)

Elective courses are selected in consultation with the Supervisory Committee and should be selected to deepen knowledge in substantive areas related to the dissertation project. While a minimum number of credits are expected, this may vary depending on the level of preparation by the student as determined by the Supervisory Committee. The courses can be taken inside or outside of the department and must be numbered 6000 and above.

Qualifying Examination (minimum 6 credit hours required)

The qualifying (or preliminary) examination requires the student to produce a scholarly piece of work that is of publishable quality. The paper typically includes a review of relevant literature, methods/data collection, findings, conclusion, and implications for planning, policy, and/or design. Students enroll in this course while working on the qualifying exam paper. This course may be repeated.

CMP 7930 Qualifying Exam (1 to 9)

Dissertation Research Proposal (minimum 3 credit hours required)

Candidates will prepare and defend their proposal for a dissertation based on the plan and format negotiated with the Supervisory Committee. Students enroll in this course while writing the proposal. This course may be repeated.

CMP 7940 Dissertation Research Proposal (3)

Dissertation (minimum 18 credit hours required)

Students are required to write and defend their dissertation in order to graduate from the program. Typically, a dissertation is a written work on a singular topic, but a three discrete paper dissertation is also an option. An approved dissertation proposal is required before taking dissertation credits. This course may be repeated.

CMP 7970 Dissertation (1 – 18)

DEPARTMENT RULES ON DEGREE PROGRESS AND TIMELINE

Per Department policy, all Ph.D. students must meet the milestones and deadlines stated below. Students that fail to meet any of these deadlines will be put on an academic probation. Failure to meet the conditions of the academic probation may result in removal from the program. This process and time limits for filing a formal appeal of an academic decision are outlined in University Policy 6-400.

Required milestones and deadlines:

• Ph.D. students should have their supervisory committee in place by the end of the second year which is the time it takes to complete the required foundational core and elective course work.
• Ph.D. students must advance to candidacy by the end of the third year. Advancing to candidacy means the student has completed all required course work (except for CMP 7940 and 7970) and completed the qualifying exam.
• Ph.D. students must have an approved dissertation prospectus (proposal) by the end of the fourth year. Typically, this is completed by the end of the third year. Upon completing this stage, a student is advanced to “ABD” or “all but dissertation” status, meaning that the student has completed the required course work (except for CMP 7970), qualifying exam, and successfully defended the dissertation proposal.
• A Ph.D. student with or without a master’s degree has 7 calendar years from the date of first registration to complete the doctoral degree with an approved dissertation. This timeline applies to both full- and part-time students. If a student takes an approved leave of absence (maximum of two semesters) the approved leave will not count towards the student’s time to program completion.
• Students must be registered in the semester that they defend their thesis, including the summer semester.

RECOMMENDED DEGREE PLAN:

To ensure students meet department rules on degree progression, we recommend following this degree plan:

• Year 1 – Take planning foundation and/or doctoral foundation, and elective courses
• Year 2 – Finish coursework and form Supervisory Committee
• Year 3 – Pass Qualifying Exam (Fall semester) and defend Dissertation Proposal (Spring/Summer)
• Year 4 – Conduct dissertation research (Data Collection, Analysis, and Writing)
• Year 5 – Defend dissertation and submit thesis document to University Thesis Office

Forming a Supervisory Committee

Ph.D. students should have their Supervisory Committee in place by the end of the second year which is the time it takes to complete the required foundational core and elective course work.

Each Supervisory Committee consists of five faculty members. The committee chair and the majority of the committee must be tenure-line faculty in the student’s department. One member of the committee must be appointed from outside the student’s major department. The outside member is normally from another University of Utah department. However, the dean of The Graduate School may approve requests to appoint a committee member from another university where appropriate justification and supporting documentation is provided.

The Supervisory Committee is responsible for approving the student’s academic program, preparing and judging the qualifying examinations (unless delegated to a departmental examination committee), approving the dissertation subject and final dissertation, and administering and judging the final oral examination (dissertation defense).

To officially confirm your supervisory committee, fill the Supervisory Committee Form. Your supervisory committee is NOT formalized until you submit this form to the department (Send to the administrative officer with cc- to Chair).

The qualifying (or preliminary) examination requires the student to produce a scholarly piece of work that is of publishable quality. The paper typically includes a review of relevant literature, methods/data collection, findings, conclusion, and implications for planning, policy, and/or design.

Students are required to take at least 6 credit hours of CMP7930 to prepare for the qualifying exam. Students must have an approved supervisory committee before registering for CMP7930. A permission code is required for registration.

The paper is the written portion of the exam. In the oral exam, the student presents the paper and responds to questions posed by the Supervisory Committee. After the student passes both the written and oral exam it is anticipated that the student will refine and submit the paper to an appropriate peer-reviewed journal for its consideration.

Students must send their QE paper to the committee 4 weeks in advance of the defense date and work with their advisor to send out a public announcement of the defense date 2 weeks in advance. The advisor should send out the announcement, but students should initiate the process.

Students must complete the qualifying exam by the end of the 4th year to remain in good academic standing, however, most students finish this exam by the 3rd year. After the student completes the qualifying exam, the student has advanced to candidacy.

To officially defend your QE, fill the relevant form obtainable from this link and get all the relevant signatures, then submit to the administrative officer with cc- to Chair. Your pass grade is not formalized until you submit this form to the department.

Ph.D. candidates will prepare and defend their proposal for a dissertation based on the plan and format negotiated with the Supervisory Committee. The design for the proposal may begin at any time.

Students are required to take at least 3 credit hours of CMP7940-Dissertation Research Proposal while they are writing the dissertation proposal. A permission code is required for registration.

Ph.D. candidates will prepare and defend their proposal for a dissertation based on the plan and format negotiated with the Supervisory Committee. The design for the proposal may begin at any time. Students are required to take at least 3 credit hours of CMP7940-Dissertation Research Proposal while they are writing the dissertation proposal.

After the proposal is defended, the student is considered to be “ABD” or All But Dissertation. Students must send their proposal document to the committee 4 weeks in advance of the defense date and work with their advisor to send out a public announcement of the defense date 2 weeks in advance. The advisor should send out the announcement, but students should initiate the process.

To officially defend your proposal, get all the relevant signatures on the Dissertation Proposal Defense Form, then submit to the administrative officer with cc- to Chair. Your pass grade is not formalized until you submit this form to the department.

Students may enroll in CMP 7970 once they defend the dissertation proposal. A minimum of 18 credit hours is required. A permission code is required for registration.

Students (including international students) who have defended their proposals (are in ABD status) and have completed the minimum 18 credits need only register for 3 credit hours CMP 7970 each successive semester to maintain full-time status and 1 credit hour for part-time status. Note: Some assistantships, fellowships, and/or grants may require up to 9 credit hours.

Students are required to write and defend their dissertation in order to graduate from the program. Typically, dissertations are a written work on a singular topic including multiple chapters, such as an introduction, literature review, research methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.

The Supervisory Committee will also consider a three discrete paper dissertation (with an introduction and conclusion). The three papers must be deemed publishable in peer-reviewed journals by a majority of the committee. Co-authorship of the papers in the dissertation is permitted, provided that the student is the first author on all papers and is responsible for the full writing of all of the papers. If it is found that any significant portion of a paper was not written by the student, the committee may prohibit that paper from being included in the dissertation.

The qualifying exam and dissertation defense must occur at least one semester apart.

To officially pass your dissertation defense, get all the relevant signatures on the Dissertation Defense Form, then submit to the administrative officer with cc- to Chair. Your pass grade for CMP7970 is not formalized until you submit this form to the department.

Excerpts from the  Graduate School Rules & Regulations

Transfer Credit A student may petition to transfer up to six semester credit hours of graduate course work from an accredited college or university provided that: 1) The course work was not used to satisfy requirement for a baccalaureate degree or another master’s degree, 2) The course grade was at least a “B” (or equivalent), 3) The course work is not more than four years old when the transfer is approved, and 4) The student fulfills the residency requirements of the University of Utah. Students seeking transfer credit will need to demonstrate the appropriateness of the proposed transfer credits to the program. At a minimum, this will require providing copies of course syllabi, catalog descriptions, and grade transcripts. In some cases, copies of course work products may also be required. Students should discuss their specific circumstances with their academic advisor.

Non-matriculated Credit Non-matriculated graduate credits are those graduate credits that students might accumulate prior to being formally admitted (matriculated) into a graduate degree program. According to Graduate School regulations, up to nine non-matriculated graduate credit hours, taken no more than three years prior to approval, may be counted toward meeting the degree requirements. Students should discuss their specific circumstances with their academic advisor.

Course Substitutions Occasionally, students have completed course work in other graduate degree programs that closely resembles the content of a core course. In such circumstances, students may petition to substitute a core requirement with some other graduate-level course. Students seeking to make such substitutions should consult with Program Coordinator.

Time Limit Program time extensions must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Minimum Registration, Continuous Registration, and Leave of Absence All graduate students at the University of Utah must maintain minimum registration of at least 3 credit hours of graduate level course work from the time of formal admission through completion of all requirements for the degree they are seeking unless granted on official leave of absence (see below). Students not on campus and not using University facilities during summer are not expected to register for summer term. Students receiving scholarship or assistantship aid must maintain a schedule of at least nine credit hours per term to be eligible for Graduate Student Tuition Benefits.

Students unable to maintain continuous registration as outlined above must file a Leave of Absence form for the semester(s) during which they will not be enrolled. Leave of Absence forms are available from the Graduate School’s website, and must be submitted prior to the beginning of the semester of leave. The Program Coordinator and the CMP Department Chair must approve each request. After signatures have been obtained, the CMP office will forward the request to the Graduate School. At the end of the leave of absence, the student must register for at least three credit hours in the CMP program, or make another request for a leave of absence. Students who do not meet the minimum registration requirements and who fail to obtain an approved leave of absence are discontinued as students of the University of Utah and can return only upon reapplication of admission and approved by the CMP department.

Grades Students must achieve a minimum letter grade of B– to count a course toward the degree requirements. Courses with lower grades or with a credit/no-credit grading option will not be counted.

Minimum Grade point Regulations Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students whose GPA’s fall below a 3.0 or who accumulate more than 3 incompletes will be placed on probation. Probation may carry specific requirements that the student must meet in order for probation to be removed. Students on probation for two consecutive terms will be asked to withdraw from the program. Students may retake courses in an attempt to raise their grades. At the point of entry of the first grade, a student’s transcript will note that the course has been repeated. The new grade is shown in the semester in which the course is retaken. The student’s GPA is recalculated to eliminate the effect of the first grade and to recognize only the new grade.

Incomplete and Work-in Progress grades Occasionally, a student needs to discontinue work in a particular course before the semester is finished. An “I” (incomplete) can be given in such cases and needs to be cleared within one calendar year or the “I” will be converted to an “E” (failure) automatically. If the course is successfully completed the “I” will remain on a student’s transcript and a letter grade will be inserted next to the “I”. Sometimes a “T” grade is used instead of an “I” courses where students are engaged in independent research extending beyond the semester. Students can check the status of their grades by visiting the Campus Information System.

Maximum Hours Graduate students are not permitted to register for more than 16 credit hours in any single semester. Students must achieve a minimum letter grade of B– to count a course toward the degree requirements. Courses with lower grades or with a credit/no-credit grading option will not be counted.

Civil | Construction | Nuclear

Graduate civil engineering, graduate degrees, civil & environmental engineering.

Civil and Environmental Engineering has both MS and PhD degree offerings.

With over four distinct and competitive areas of study, students choose a research area to focus on and that area's renown faculty to work with in their studies. 

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING  

Environmental Engineers work to improve public health and quality of life, while protecting and restoring environmental systems. These engineers focus on drinking water treatment, wastewater reclamation, air pollution control, solid waste management and environmental remediation.

Research active professors in this area:

• Dr. Ramesh Goel
• Dr. Andy Hong
• Dr. Jennifer Weidhaas

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Geotechnical Engineering is the application of Civil Engineering technology to some aspect of the earth, usually the soil and rock found on or near the surface. Infrastructure and natural geologic landforms and hazards designed and/or analyzed by Geotechnical Engineers include foundations for many types of structures (for example, buildings, bridges, dams, and roadways), natural and human-made slopes, retaining walls, tunnels, earthen dams and levees, highway embankments, earthquakes, liquefaction and lateral spread, ground contamination, ground improvement and stabilization, lightweight embankment materials, and re-use of construction and other waste materials.  Sub-disciplines and related disciplines include Soil Mechanics, Rock Mechanics, Foundation Engineering, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Geoenvironmental Engineering, and Geological Engineering.

• Dr. Steve Bartlett
• Dr. Kami Mohammadi
• Dr. Shahrzad Roshankhah

MATERIALS ENGINEERING  

• Materials deals with the durability of materials. For example, better portland cement concrete does not fall apart from intrusion of chemicals (salts, etc.), better asphalt concrete will not be susceptible to water intrusions (e.g., less potholes during the spring thaw)
• When materials last longer, the maintenance cycle is extended (i.e., less often) resulting in substantial savings
• Better materials also reduce the carbon footprint of everything we built. 
• Concrete last between 20 to 50 years and is responsible for 5% of all greenhouse emission in the planet
• Over $40M are spend every year in road maintenance. Given a 10 year cycle, a simple improvement of 1 year will result in $4M in savings. That's every year!
• Dr. Pedro Romero

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Structural engineering involves learning the theory of structures such as buildings and bridges, and includes computer-aided engineering and structural dynamics, and earthquake and wind engineering analysis and design. Structural engineers carry out performance-based design and study the behavior of structures built using reinforced and prestressed concrete, structural steel, timber, or composites. Moreover, structural engineers are involved in mitigating the impact of natural hazards and extreme weather using advanced structural sensing, hybrid simulation and reliability, to improve infrastructure resilience.

• Dr. Luis Ibarra
• Dr. Chris Pantelides
• Dr. Abbas Rashidi  
• Dr. Xuan "Peter" Zhu

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

The transportation engineering program in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering emphasis on the applications of state-of-art advancements concerning planning, design, operations, maintenance, and assessment of transportation systems. The faculty conducts research in the area of the transportation system design and modeling, addresses contemporary issues such as shared mobility, vehicle electrification and automation, and stresses the development of computational analytics and problem-solving skill sets. 

• Dr. Cathy Liu
• Dr. Nikola Markovic
• Dr. Juan Medina

WATER RESOURCES  

Water resources engineers plan and design infrastructure systems to provide clean drinking water, collect and treat wastewater, supply water for agriculture, protect from floods, prevent adverse water quality impacts, increase efficiency, address greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigate drought impacts. Today’s exciting opportunities for civil engineers include applications of smart technologies, distributed sensor systems, artificial intelligence, natural systems, biotechnology, robots, social sensing, and more to make water systems of all kinds more sustainable and resilient.

• Dr. Michael Barber
• Dr. Brian McPherson  

* The only exception is for MS non-thesis students who have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Our Graduate Students Make a Difference

Now a Ph.D. student, Beatriz Fieldkircher sought an internship in the asphalt materials lab at the University of Utah in 2022. Initially driven by the desire to design enduring pavements, Beatriz’s research began to hone in on asphalt’s behavior under varying temperature conditions.

Her research  was recently awarded The Utah Asphalt Pavement Association’s $1,500 One-Time Annual Scholarship—a distinct and prestigious recognition in the state’s engineering and transportation industry .

Connect With Us

The Graduate School

University information technology (uit), main navigation, icon  july 21, 2021 update: revised manuscript clearance procedure icon, thesis & dissertation, handbook for theses and dissertations.

See the Handbook

Target Dates for Submission

VIEW TARGET DATES

Online Manuscript Submission

Submit your Manuscript 

Resources for each step in the Submission Process

Getting started, submission procedure, templates, guides & sample pages, department-approved style guides, thesis resources, preparing for submission, meet with an editor, how-to videos, target dates, after submission, thesis tracking, thesis and dissertation awards, announcements.

Workshop: Impact of AI on Writing

Join us for a lively presentation given by Dr. Hollis Robbins about the impact of artificial intelligence on writing. This summer workshop is offered to graduate students and postdocs.

Grammarly Premium is available to University of Utah Graduate Students!

Graduate students are encouraged to use Grammarly throughout their graduate research career and to assist with writing their manuscripts.

Dissertation & Thesis Summer Writing Day

Join your fellow graduate students in this self-paced writing event and make a serious dent in your thesis or dissertation.

REMINDER: Submit Your Defended Manuscript by March 29th

The target date to submit your manuscript for spring graduation is approaching! Mark your calendars for Friday, March 29th. It is STRONGLY recommended that defended manuscripts are submitted BEFORE the target date to ensure a timely process. Submit TODAY!

Events & Target Dates

Friday  

Summer 2024 Second Half Last Day to Withdraw From Classes

Wednesday  

Holiday: Pioneer Day

Summer 2024 full-term last day to reverse cr/nc option, summer 2024 second half last day to reverse cr/nc option, summer 2024 full-term classes end, summer 2024 second half classes end, questions ask the thesis editors.

• Harmful Language Statement

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As a graduate student, you may need to complete a thesis or dissertation as part of your program's graduation requirements. While theses are common among master’s students and dissertations among doctoral students, this may not apply universally across all programs. We encourage you to reach out to your program adviser to determine the specific requirements for your culminating project.

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The Thesis and Dissertation Handbook explains Penn State formatting requirements for all master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. It covers the submission process and approval deadlines, the responsibilities of each student, and provides page examples. We highly recommend all students doing theses or dissertations to carefully review the handbook.

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UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this community https://hdl.handle.net/2152/4

This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.

Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].

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Authors of these ETDs have retained their copyright while granting the University of Texas Libraries the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute their works.

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• UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations   31296

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• Graduate Certificate: Engineering Entrepreneurship

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Engineering entrepreneurship.

In partnership with the David Eccles School of Business, the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program offers engineering students the opportunity for hands-on innovation experience as well as a strong foundation in the business aspects of technology. Program courses are available on an à la carte basis to all students. Courses are also available on a certificate basis for those students completing all certificate requirements (see below for certificate requirements) . This program is intended for students who wish to start their own companies, as well as for those interested in the complexities of the dynamic business world in which we live. Our aim is to provide the educational background necessary to thrive in both small and large business environments, and to help students better understand the business viability of engineering solutions.

Suggested Coursework

The following are suggested Programs of Study for a graduate student pursuing an ECE MS degree while earning an Engineering Entrepreneurship Certificate.

Although the required courses (ENGIN) are not from the ECE department, they are offered for students who are interested in business but do not want the time-commitment of a full MBA degree. Students can complete any number of these courses or the all of them for the full certificate and can be used on their Program of Study towards their credit requirements. (The first 6 ENGIN credits can be used toward the required 18 ECE credits, additional ENGIN courses will then be considered allied credits).

• Traditional
• Accelerated
• Default Committee

Traditional MS

3 semesters   |   1-1.5 years.

These Programs of Study meet Coursework option requirements for a full-time student and can easily be adapted to the Project option . Students completing the Thesis option must meet with the Graduate Student Coordinator to create their academic plan.

Accelerated MS

3 semesters   |   1 year.

This Program of Study meets the requirements for the Project Option for a full-time student (9+ credits per term).

Part-Time MS

*Graduate seminar credits may be completed in any order within a student’s first academic year in the program.

5 Semesters   |   2-2.5 Years

A schedule like this is for students who are currently working and don’t have the capacity to be full-time students but feel capable of managing a steady pace of courses (2 per semester).

Summer Project

9 Semesters   |   4 Years

A reduced and extended part-time schedule of 8 semesters of coursework, with 1 course per term, and a summer project.

Default Supervisory Committee

The default committee will be determined by any additional area(s) of emphasis a student pursues with the ece electives., privacy preference center, privacy preferences.

Voices of U of U Health

University of Utah Health

• Patient Care
• U Health Plans

Proactive Approach to Substance Misuse in the Workplace

Substance misuse and addiction in the workplace is a growing problem across the U.S. Health care workers are not immune, with an estimate of more than 1 in 100 workers diverting medications .

In high-stress jobs with easy access to controlled substances, people suffering from addiction can fall into diversion—stealing a controlled substance from medical center stockpiles for one’s own use.

We need to acknowledge that, yes, diversion happens at University of Utah Health.

And for those who need it, help is here.

Giving Employees Confidential Help

We all need to recognize and understand the signs of addiction and diversion. That’s why we’re launching a new initiative for our employees. Instead of punishment, we’re looking for proactive treatment.

We want to help employees who feel they may divert before they take actions that cause harm to themselves and endanger their careers.

In our roles as Chief Pharmacy Officer and Director of the Resiliency Center, we have a firsthand view of the challenges our employees face.

Sometimes the biggest challenge with substance misuse is asking for help. In the health care field, seeking help can be especially challenging. Along with the potential feelings of fear and shame, there’s concern over job or license loss.

We want our employees to know that confidential resources are available to help. Everyone should be free to seek help without fear.

Need for a New Approach

Our work on this initiative began by trying to figure out what to do about the problem of diversion. U of U Health Pharmacy Services is responsible for replenishing the automated dispensing cabinets on floors and tracking controlled substances. For years, identifying, preventing, and resolving diversion has been a priority.

The first impulse was to beef up monitoring by using AI to track drugs and identify potential diversions. But that won’t solve the root of the problem, colleagues noted. By the time a person felt the need to divert, things were pretty bad for them. And if a person was caught diverting, would they be in a state to get the help they needed? Probably not, we concluded.

Diversion is a serious issue: It’s against the law. It’s negligence. It can take away medication from patients who need it. It means automatic termination under U of U Health policy . That’s one of the most cut-and-dried policies on the books. And if you’re fired for diversion, you’re not eligible for rehire. Your career here is effectively over.

When someone is fired for diversion, we ask “What did we miss? Were there ways we could have assisted them?” We should be able to do things for people before it reaches that point. 

We were seeing phenomenal people struggle with addiction, which led them to a poor decision. Our goal is to provide people with help for substance misuse problems before they can’t get help. We can guide them toward available resources so they can seek help.

Teamwork in Action

This initiative is the result of a lot of hard work by U of U Health’s Controlled Substances Steering Committee. That committee is made up of members from medical, nursing, and pharmacy staff, along with representatives from the Office of General Council, Compliance Services, Human Resources, Security, Decision Support, and Enterprise Data Warehouse.

The goal of this initiative is shared across the system. No one said “no” to this effort. We only needed to figure out how to do it legally and effectively, with privacy and well-being in mind.

Do for Each Other What We Do for Our Patients

This is a start. We want to assure people that help is available to you if you are struggling with substance use—including urges to divert drugs—and we’re facilitating access as a system.

This human-centered approach counters the more punitive legal approaches to substance misuse. As a health system, we’re responding to the call to action from Michael Good, CEO of U of U Health: “What if we do for each other what we do for our patients?”

It is common to feel scared or embarrassed if you’re having urges to divert. However, this doesn’t mean that you are a bad person. Having the urge to divert is a symptom of a current struggle and a sign that it is time for help.

The reality is that addiction is a medical issue. Help is needed, help can work, and help is available. 

The Resiliency Center , a confidential and free resource for all health system employees, is a good place to start. The Resiliency Center is a front door to services that meet the unique needs of health care professionals. Start by visiting the Resiliency Center website . On the main page, is a link to resources for substance misuse in the workplace .

Megan Call, PhD, MS

Megan Call directs the Resiliency Center at University of Utah Health. Call is a licensed counseling psychologist and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She has research and clinical interests in promoting resilience and well-being among health care professionals, with a specific focus on embracing vulnerability and discomfort, incorporating informal mindfulness into everyday practice, improving communication and relationship skills among teams, and addressing systematic change. She received a PhD in counseling psychology and an MS in health promotion and education at the University of Utah.  

Kavish Choudhary, PharmD, MS

Kavish Choudhary is Chief Pharmacy Officer for University of Utah Health and associate dean for the College of Pharmacy. Choudhary and his team are responsible for providing oversight for all pharmacy services across U of U Health’s five hospitals and 12 community health centers. His scope includes developing, supervising, and coordinating pharmacy services and a nationally recognized Drug Information Service. He received a PharmD from Ohio Northern University and completed post-graduate training at University of Wisconsin Health, where he received an MS in health system pharmacy administration.  

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Top five early recruits for Utah's 2025 football recruiting class

Kenny lee | jul 6, 2024.

Utah's recruiting efforts for their 2025 class have been nothing short of impressive, securing 10 commitments during official visits in June and bringing their total commitments to 13. This surge has strengthened their class, making it one of the most talked-about in recent memory.

Leading this group is Christian Thatcher , a standout four-star linebacker from Las Vegas. Rated as the No. 7 linebacker in the nation by ESPN, Thatcher's decision to join Utah over other prestigious programs like USC, Washington, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado marks a significant win for the Utes. Thatcher's junior season stats are noteworthy, with 95 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception in just seven games. His commitment to Utah was heavily influenced by the program's coaching staff, particularly linebackers coach Colton Swan and coach Chase Murdock, whose reputations and personal engagement left a lasting impression on Thatcher and his family.

Another key commitment is Wyatt Becker, a quarterback from Sierra Canyon High in California. Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 180 pounds, Becker is ranked as the No. 17 QB in the country by ESPN and the No. 26 recruit from California. His junior year saw him throw for 2,660 yards and 30 touchdowns with a 63.2% completion rate. Becker's choice to join Utah over offers from top-tier programs like Georgia, Florida State, Penn State, Oregon, and Texas A&M highlights Utah’s growing appeal. Becker cited head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig as major factors in his decision.

Cyrus Polu, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker from Desert Hills High in Saint George, Utah, is another prized recruit. Ranked as the third-best recruit from Utah by ESPN and On3, Polu chose the Utes over schools like UCLA, BYU, Michigan State, Stanford, and Washington. His stats from the previous season include 59 tackles, four interceptions, and two pass deflections. Polu's commitment was driven by the strong relationships he and his family developed with the Utah coaching staff and the overall positive atmosphere within the program.

Shelton "Manny" Fuller , a 6-foot, 185-pound athlete from Del Valle High in El Paso, Texas, brings versatility to the class. Ranked as the ninth-best athlete in the nation by On3, Fuller had a standout junior season with 713 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, along with notable defensive contributions. He chose Utah over offers from BYU, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Houston.

Finally, Max Fonoimoana , a linebacker from Kahuku High in Hawaii, adds depth to Utah's defensive lineup. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 200 pounds, Fonoimoana is ranked as the No. 3 prospect from Hawaii by 247Sports and the No. 48 linebacker in the country by Rivals. His familial connection to Utah, with his grandfather playing quarterback for the Utes in the 1960s and his brother set to join the team in 2025, further solidifies his commitment.

As of July 6, Utah's recruiting class ranks No. 10 in the 16-team Big 12 according to 247Sports' composite team rankings, with an average recruit ranking of 86.38. While currently positioned at No. 11 by Rivals and No. 12 by On3 in the Big 12, these rankings are expected to evolve as the season progresses and more commitments are made. With the addition of these talented recruits, Utah's future looks promising as they continue to strengthen their program.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Congratulations to emma thornburg-suresh on a successful thesis defense.