PhysicsThesis Standards Procedures

Standards

1.) The thesis must be grammatically correct before being reviewed by committee members.

ISU has a writing center which can help the thesis author create a grammatically correct document in addition to the assistance the student's major advisor can provide.

2.) The thesis must include an objective evaluation of its conclusion(s).

A scientific thesis is a dissertation advancing an original point of view as a result of research and must perform an objective evaluation of its veracity.

Procedures

General procedures

1.) all defenses must be announced by the chair at least 2 days prior to the defense. The announcement should include the degree being conferred, a title, an abstract, and a list all committee members.

2.) Faculty who decide to conditionally pass must state the conditions that the student must meet on the ballot.

Committee formation

1.) The faculty member whose work is forming the basis of the students research must be a committee member.

2.) The majority of committee members must be Physicists in order to confer a Physics degree.

Oral exams

Procedures

1.)Committee members who are not the student's adviser must be given priority in asking questions in the oral exam.

2.) The exam chairperson's role is to mediate the question and answer period between the candidate and the remaining committee members.

3.) All committee members must be present for the duration of the oral exam.

4.) An oral exam will contain two question and answer sessions. The first session will invite questions from the general audience who are not committee members or graduate faculty unable to stay for the second session. The second session will contain all committee members and invite members of the graduate faculty.

Written exams

1.) The students major advisor must recuse themselves from evaluating their student when the advisor serves on the written exam committee.