Guidelines for CE Graduate Students

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Guidelines for CE Graduate Students

• Bruce Thomson Josie Gibson
• Graduate Advisor Coord. Of Advising
• 277-4729 277-6633
• bthomson_at_unm.edu jgibson_at_unm.edu
• Fall 2004

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Outline of Presentation

• Administrative aspects of CE graduate programs
• Academic requirements for M.S. Ph.D. degrees
• Guidance
• Selecting an advisor
• Selecting a research topic
• Completing project/thesis/dissertation
• http//www.unm.edu/civil/

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Top 10 Lives from Grad Students - 10

• 10.It doesnt bother me that my old room mate is
  making 80K/yr working for an engineering design
  firm.

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Admission to CE Graduate Program

• Requirements
• B.S. degree in engineering or science
• GRE (quantitative verbal)
• Letters of recommendation
• Admission is by CE Graduate Advisor with consent
  of CE Graduate Committee

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Remedial Course Work

• B.S.C.E. - No remedial course work for admission
• B.S., other engineering - Remedial courses may be
  needed prior to taking advanced courses
• B.S., non-engineering - Remedial courses
• Math through O.D.E.
• Chemistry Physics
• Statics ? Dynamics
• Mech. Of Matls. ? Fluid Mechs.
• Soil Mechs. ? Others ?

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Degrees

• WERC Certificate
• M.S. Degree in Civil Engineering
• Construction ? Hydraulics
• Environmental ? Geotechnical
• Structural/Mechs. ? Transportation
• Water Resources
• M. of Engr. In Hazardous Waste Engineering
• Master of Construction Management in progress
• Ph.D. in Engineering

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 9

• 9. Id be delighted to proofread your
  book/chapter/article

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M.S. Degree Requirements - 1

• UNM 2001-2003 Catalog pg. 55, 375, 391
• Plan I - Thesis Option
• 30 credits 2 credits seminar (CE 691)
• 24 credits classes
• 6 credits thesis (CE 599)
• M.S. Thesis - Public defense
• Thesis expected of students supported as TA or RA

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M.S. Degree Requirements - 2

• Plan II - M.S. Project
• 33 credits 2 credits seminar (CE 691)
• 30 credits classes
• 3 credits M.S. Project (CE 588)
• Public defense of project
• Plan II - Course work only M.S.
• 33 credits classes 2 credits seminar (CE 691)
• M.S. Comprehensive Examination

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 8

• 8. My work has a lot of practical importance

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Ph.D. Requirements

• Course work
• 24 credits beyond M.S. degree (pg. 376)
• 48 credits beyond B.S. degree
• 4 credits seminar (CE 691)
• Qualifying Examination
• Comprehensive Examination - Admission to
  Candidacy
• Allows enrollment for dissertation credits
• Ph.D. Dissertation - Public Defense

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Miscellaneous Points

• Core curriculum - Each area has 3 - 5 core
  classes, see CE Graduate Handbook
• Non-degree/transfer credits - A maximum of 12
  credit hours of non-degree classes towards degree
• Time to complete degree
• M.S. - 7 years start to finish (no exceptions)
• Ph.D. - 5 years after admission to candidacy

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Administrative Considerations

• Really Important forms (http//www.unm.edu/grad/)
  
• M.S. - Program of Studies
• Submit at least 1 semester before graduation
• Recommend submitting after 18-21 credits
• Ph.D. - Application for Candidacy - After
  passing Comprehensive Exam
• Project/Thesis/Dissertation Defense, M.S. Comp.
  Exams
• Notify OGS gt 2 weeks before date of defense/exam
• Intent to Graduate form at start of last
  semester

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Program of Studies Form (http//unm.edu/grad/efo
rms/pdf_forms/AC_masters.pdf)
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Gotcha Requirements

• I grades become F grades after 1 semester (2
  years if not enrolled at UNM.
• Students cant defend their Project, Thesis, or
  Dissertation if their GPA lt 3.0
• Once enrolled in CE 599 (Thesis) or CE 699
  (Dissertation), students must continue to enroll
  in these classes until graduation
• Students must be enrolled at UNM during the
  semester they intend to graduate

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 7

• 7. I would never date an undergraduate

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Project/Thesis/Dissertation

• Committees must have ? 2 CE faculty
• Ph.D. Committee must have 1 outside member
• Work with major professor to select Committee
• Committee Members outside of UNM must be approved
  by OGS - takes 1 month.
• Difference between M.S. Project M.S. Thesis
• Gray area
• Thesis must satisfy OGS requirements appears in
  UNM library
• Students supported by UNM expected to do thesis

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Selecting a Topic

• Selecting a good project/thesis/dissertation
  topic is often the single most difficult task in
  a students career
• Generally topic selection requires iterative
  process
• Work with major professor
• Topic can be related to employment, however,
  there must be component of project done
  explicitly to satisfy UNM degree requirements.

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Top 10 Lies from Graduate Students - 6

• 6. Your latest article was so inspiring

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Criteria for a Good Project/Thesis

• Clear statement of research hypothesis or
  question
• Title
• Statement of objectives
• Some info. on topic is available to student
• Expertise is available on-campus or within
  professional community for assistance
• Resources (money, equipment, time) are available
  for project
• Project has well defined end point.

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A REALLY Bad Project/Thesis/Dissertation Proposal

• I want to look at the following topic.
• Contains no research hypothesis or question
• There is no definition of the project
• Contains no end point - how do you know when
  youre done?

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2 Strategies for Selecting Topic

• Traditional strategy
• Pose research hypothesis or question
• Generate information to test hypothesis
• Analyze information to reach conclusion
• Inverse strategy - Used by part time students
• Identify source of information
• Examine data to determine if hypothesis can be
  tested
• Analyze information to reach conclusion

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 5

• 5. I turned down a lot of great job offers to
  come here

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Recommended Process for Research
Project/Thesis/Dissertation - 1

• Submit detailed outline/proposal to major
  professor
• Clear title
• Statement of objectives
• Literature search with gt 10 key references
• Proposed research method
• Expected results how analyzed
• Begin work with major prof.s consent
• Give committee members copy of outline/proposal

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Recommended Process for Research
Project/Thesis/Dissertation - 2

• 30 completion meeting with Committee.
  Objectives
• Obtain buy-in on project
• Solicit advice guidance
• 70 completion meeting with Committee.
  Objectives
• Identify potential fatal flaws
• Assistance in reaching conclusions

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Recommended Process for Research
Project/Thesis/Dissertation - 3

• Notify CE Coord. of Advising 2 weeks prior to
  defense
• My students must post notice of defense
• Defense
• Formal oral presentation
• 20-30 min. for MS
• 40-50 min. for Ph.D.
• Turn in final copies
• Thesis dissertations to OGS by 11/15 4/15
• M.S. projects due by end of semester

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 4

• 4. I just have one more book/paper to read and
  then Ill start writing

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Comment on Project/Thesis/Dissertation

• The Project/Thesis/Dissertation should be
• Demonstration to UNM and the engineering
  profession of the students competence
  professionalism
• Reflect the best work that the student can do
  given the resources (time, , equipment, etc.)
  available
• The student should be proud of his work and
  should enjoy the opportunity to present to his
  professors, peers, friends family.

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 3

• 3. The department is giving me so much support

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Publication Issues

• Producing a publishable work should be the goal
  of every graduate student
• Authorship
• Negotiation between student advisor as to whos
  first author
• Projects resulting in a work product (i.e. SAND
  reports) should include advisor as co-author

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 2

• 2. My job prospects look really good

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Expectations of Research Assistants

• RAs are expected to work gt 20 hours per week
  during school year and gt 40 hours per week during
  summers unless informed differently by professor.
  Many students work much more than this.
• RAs generally are allowed 2 weeks vacation per
  year
• Inform professor when you will not be on campus.
• Message Youre here to get an education.
  Simply considering grad school as a job
  significantly devalues a once-in-a-lifetime
  opportunity.

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Top 10 Lies from Grad. Students - 1

• 1. No really, Ill be out of here in only 2 more
  years

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Most Hated Question of Graduate School

• Hows your thesis coming?

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Best Quote After M.S. Defense

• That was kind of fun.
• -G. Hall,
• M.S. 1999