Thesis Proposal and Defense

All forms except the Thesis Defense Approval Form are available at www.ohio.edu/engineering/biomedical/forms/ and should be submitted to the BME office for the Chair of the BME Graduate Committee’s signature. The Thesis Defense Approval Form is available from the BME office.

1. Thesis Proposal.  The student will prepare a written formal research proposal.  Students must review Russ College policies on plagiarism prior to preparing their theses. The student will give an oral presentation of his or her proposal to the thesis committee.  The length of the written proposal is expected to be 10 to 20 double-spaced typewritten pages.  The oral presentation should take approximately 20 minutes and should include the use of visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint slides).  A copy of the written proposal must be in the hands of the thesis committee members no later than 14 days prior to the oral presentation.  The members of the thesis committee must be informed of the date, place, and time of the oral presentation no later than 14 days prior to the oral presentation.  Students  must  pass the thesis proposal no later than the end of the third quarter.  Students should take the Final M.S. Course of Study and Proposal Approval Form to the oral presentation. If they pass, they should obtain all signatures at that time and submit the form along with a copy of the proposal to the BME office for the Chair of the BME Graduate Committee’s signature.  Note that changes to the program of study may be made by obtaining the Revised MS Course of Study Form. Once all signatures are obtained, submit the form to the BME office for the Chair of the BME Graduate Committee’s signature. No changes in the program of study will be approved for the addition or deletion of a course for which a grade has already been received.
   
   
2. Thesis Defense.  A written thesis must be prepared describing the student’s completed research work.  The thesis must be defended orally before the thesis committee.  An electronic thesis prepared according to the university guidelines is required.  Students must again review Russ College policies on plagiarism prior to preparing their theses.

1. At least four weeks prior to the date of the thesis defense, submit the Russ College of Engineering and Technology Arrangements for Oral Examination Form and the Statement of Originality to the BME office, which will rout the forms to the Russ College Dean’s office.
   
   
2. At least two weeks prior to the date of the examination:
   
   (a) submit a copy of the thesis to each member of the thesis committee;
   
   (b) submit an electronic copy of the thesis in PDF format to the administrative associate in the Dean’s office.
   
   (c) advise the thesis committee of the place, date, and time of the defense at least two weeks prior to the defense.
   
   
3. Thesis Defense Approval Form. The student should obtain five copies of the Thesis Defense Approval Form from the BME office and take them to the thesis defense. Upon passing the thesis defense, the student should obtain signatures from the committee members on all five forms and submit four of the signed forms to the BME office. Retain one copy  for your records.
   
   
4. Submission of Final Thesis.  When you are ready to submit your final copy (at least one week before the electronic thesis submission deadline for your graduation quarter), ask your advisor to pull THREE copies of the signed “Defense” form from your file.  Take them to the administrative associate in the Dean’s office along with the ETD-ready electronic version of your thesis.  (The Dean’s office will initiate screening of your final copy for plagiarism and then will submit your thesis to the electronic thesis office on your behalf for the initial format check.) From this point, you should follow the Guidelines for Submission of Electronic Theses and Dissertations, available at Ohio University Thesis and Dissertation Services, to complete final submission of your thesis.  (Final submission must be complete by the deadline for the quarter in which you graduate.)