GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK
School of Technology
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Jan 2012
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this handbook is to provide procedural guidelines for School of Technology
graduate students at Brigham Young University, and to thus inform graduate students what they
must do to maintain a satisfactory standing and thereby complete their degree in a timely fashion.
Students bear the responsibility for understanding and following the requirements set forth in this
handbook. They must also comply with the regulations outlined in the University Graduate
Catalogue.
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The School of Technology (SOT) at Brigham Young University offers a single graduate program
with four separate specializations: (1) Construction Management (CM); (2) Information Technology
(IT); (3) Manufacturing Systems (Mfg); and (4) Technology and Engineering Education (TEE).
Entrance deadlines are given in the University Graduate Catalog; the School of Technology also
follows these deadlines.
Admission and Degree Requirements
The admission and degree requirements are detailed in the University Graduate Catalog. See the
Technology section.
Other Enormously Helpful and Critically Important Information
1. There can be several serious problems if you stop working on your degree for even one
semester.
a. You will receive an unsatisfactory rating.
b. You may be required to complete the Application to Resume Graduate Study, which
must include payment of a substantial fee (>$100).
c. You will forfeit your eligibility for an SOT graduate scholarship for the next
semester.
2. The School of Technology offers scholarships to all eligible Technology-MS students.
Scholarships are often 50% of tuition or more. You will receive emails about scholarship
opportunities, or you may contact the graduate secretary or your graduate program
coordinator. Graduate students who take more than 3 years to complete the degree will not
be eligible for a scholarship after the third year.
3. You must meet the University deadlines for graduation; these are firm deadlines. For
example, if you plan to graduate in April, you need to defend no later than approximately
March 7; this means you must have your thesis approved by your chair no later than about
Feb 22. Basically, this means if you plan to graduate in April, you should be almost ready to
defend your thesis by the end of the previous semester. These dates are in the University
Graduate Catalog.
4. Every graduate student at BYU is evaluated twice a year by their committee chair or by the
program graduate coordinator. A satisfactory rating keeps a student eligible for a graduate
scholarship; a marginal or unsatisfactory rating causes a student to lose eligibility for a
graduate scholarship for the next semester. Two marginal or unsatisfactory ratings in a row
means a student will have to complete the Application to Resume Graduate Study form
discussed in 1(b) above, including the substantial fee referenced in #1.
5. Almost everything you need (by way of forms and information) is posted on one of the
following websites:
BYU Graduate Studies: http://www.byu.edu/gradstudies/
School of Technology Graduate Program: http://www.et.byu.edu/sot/gradstudies.html
Other Requirements
1. Student Study List & Advisory Committee. As soon as you can, choose your faculty advisory
chair (also known as your “major professor” or simply your “chair”). In consultation with your
chair, choose your other committee members. Once you have chosen your committee members, you
should submit the Program of Study form to the graduate secretary (Ruth Ann Lowe)
(http://www.byu.edu/gradstudies/images/forms/ADV_Form_3.pdf). This form constitutes a contract
between the student and the committee members and the university. When the Program of Study
form is completed and signed by all committee members, as well as by the graduate coordinator and
the director of the School of Technology, the information is entered on the computer by the BYU
School of Graduate Studies. This form must be completed and submitted before the second
semester of academic residence. From the Program of Study list, a computerized progress report is
generated online showing your progress toward completion of the degree requirements. The GPA
computed from the Program of Study list is used for all academic evaluations and subsequent
scholarship award determinations.
It is your responsibility to check your Progress Report through Route Y and AIM. If you see any
errors or deficiencies, contact your committee chair or the graduate secretary immediately.
To change one or more courses on your Program of Study, or to change one or more members of
your committee, simply fill out a Program of Study change form (Form 3b) and have it signed by
your current committee members. Be sure to have this approved first by your chair.
2. Thesis Prospectus. As soon as you have solidified your thesis topic with your committee chair,
you should complete and submit a properly signed thesis Prospectus (see form at the end of this
document). This will typically take place during the second semester of study.
3. Minimum Registration Requirement. Graduate students are required to register for at least 2
credit hours during any semester or term in which they use any university facilities, consult with
faculty, or take comprehensive or oral examinations. To retain active status and to qualify for
subsequent registration, graduate students must register for at least 6 semester hours each school
year and receive acceptable grades (no D, E, W, UW, NS, or I grades are allowed, nor audits or
correspondence courses). Failure to meet this registration requirement will result in being dropped
from your graduate program, and you will then need to reapply.
4. University Graduate Catalog (see http://www.byu.edu/gradstudies/forms/catalog.php); see
especially the School of Technology); Graduation Deadlines for Graduate Students (see
http://www.byu.edu/gradstudies/images/forms/ADV_Form_8_0809.pdf); and the FAQ Menu.
5. Master’s Thesis. This major part of your MS degree is well defined both in terms of content and
format. The rubric at the end of this document spells out the expectations for each of the five
chapters. The preliminary pages format example is ADV Form 11b on the Forms and Resources tab
of the BYU Graduate Studies homepage. A Student Thesis Submission Checklist (for both paper
and ETD – Electronic Thesis & Dissertation) is ADV Form 12a (same website). Another important
Thesis & Dissertation Checklist is at http://www.et.byu.edu/thesis-dissertation_guidelines.htm,
along with Formatting Guidelines and even an MS Word Template.
A few more guidelines in this area are appropriate. Your major professor (also known as your
committee chair or just your chair) has a very significant role in your MS experience. Your chair
acts as an advisor for choosing your other committee members, for choosing your thesis topic, for
properly scoping your thesis, for getting your Prospectus approved, for approving your Program of
Study, and for any technical or procedural questions you may have. Your chair is also primarily
responsible for ensuring that your written thesis is technically correct (though YOU are ultimately
the one responsible for writing, revising, and correcting all aspects of the thesis); and it is your chair
that determines when your thesis is ready for your oral defense. You should meet with, talk with, or
email your chair at least MONTHLY throughout your MS experience, and even more often when
you are actively working on your thesis.
You must have at least three members on your committee, and at least two (your chair and one
other) must be from your area of emphasis (CM, Mfg, IT or TEE). The other committee member(s)
may be from any area you and your chair feel is appropriate to your thesis. Off-campus or adjunct
members must be 4th or 5th members, and are non-voting members of your committee.
The members of your committee other than your chair do not need to be actively involved in
your thesis work; their primary responsibility with respect to your thesis is to read it through
carefully (with your chair’s approval) and to participate in your oral thesis defense.
6. Graduation Clearance Forms.
Form 8a - Application for Graduation must be submitted during the first month of the semester
or term in which you plan to graduate (obtain current deadlines from your department). Students
who fail to meet the published deadlines for any graduation will be considered as candidates for the
next graduation. Graduation can only be postponed once. After that, the student will be returned to a
"continuing students" status and will have to submit a new application to be considered a candidate
for graduation. Before applying for graduation, the student should have completed all of the course
work on the approved study list OR be currently registered for the remaining classes. During the
final semester, the student must either register or pay an equivalent minimum registration fee for at
least two semester hours of credit.
Form 8c - Scheduling of Final Oral Exam (Thesis Defense). Please work closely with the
graduate secretary at this point. At least two weeks in advance of the oral exam, when the final draft
of the completed thesis meets the satisfaction of your committee chair, the student requests that a
date be set for the oral. The oral examination committee is the same as your thesis committee. The
student also completes Form 8c. At this same time, three copies of the thesis must be delivered by
the student to the graduate coordinator for distribution to the oral committee.
The oral defense can only be scheduled during periods when the University is in session (that is,
when regular classes are being held). After the oral examination has taken place and all corrections
have been made to the thesis or project, and it is in its final form, a Form 8d (Approval for
Submission of Thesis) must be completed. This, plus a minimum of three copies of the thesis, must
be taken to the Library Cashier's Office for binding (fee for binding is $15.00/copy).