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MS Program
The Master of Science degree requires a minimum of 24 graded credit hours of course work, 6 credits of MS thesis research and satisfactory defense of a thesis. In addition to these academic requirements, certain administrative requirements must also be met.
MS Thesis Committee
Students should consult “M.S. Thesis Defense Committee” in the School of Engineering and Applied Science—Academic Rules section of the Record for rules governing thesis committees. All faculty with a primary appointment in BME are considered School of Engineering faculty for this committee. Committee chairs must have at least a 25% BME appointment OR have previously served on BME PhD committees of three students through the entirety of the degree process (qualification exam, proposal defense, and dissertation defense). The committee chair may not be the student’s advisor. One faculty member from the School of Medicine may substitute for one School of Engineering faculty. The committee must include at least one member from outside the department. Adjunct faculty are acceptable outside members if they provide an objective and diverse viewpoint. The student should form this committee within six months from starting in the program. After forming an MS Thesis Committee, the student should file a Master’s Degree Plan of Study form (within first year of matriculation). This form is available on the BME Grad Program Collab site and must be approved by the student’s MS Thesis Committee and the Graduate Program Director.
MS Thesis Document and Defense
With the approval of their MS Advisor, the student shall write an MS Thesis and submit it to his/her/their MS Thesis Committee at least one week prior to the MS Thesis Defense. The student should also notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of the date selected for the MS Thesis Defense and provide the title and a short abstract of the work, so that an announcement of the defense may be sent out one week prior. The first part of the MS Thesis Defense, which should last approximately 40 minutes, is an oral presentation of the thesis by the student and open to the public. This will be followed by a 1-2 hour oral defense before the MS Thesis Committee and any other interested faculty. Upon successful passage of this oral thesis defense, the student should file the Report on Final Exam and the Thesis Outcome Assessment. If the student fails the thesis defense, the possibility for re-examination will be determined by the MS Thesis Committee.
The student should upload their final MS Thesis to LIBRA prior to graduation and upon approval of the Exam Committee (after final exam forms have been submitted). Paper bound copies are no longer required. Students should discuss any copyright/embargo issues with their mentors and chairs prior to the upload. For more information on LIBRA and instruction of how to upload, please visit: http://pages.shanti.virginia.edu/libra/.
