1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »Three Minute Thesis competition comes to K-State

K-State Today

December 9, 2015

Three Minute Thesis competition comes to K-State

Submitted by Kelsey Peterson

3MT logo

An 80,000-word thesis would take nine hours to present. Your time limit: three minutes.

The Graduate School will host its inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition Feb. 16-17, 2016.

The 3MT, first conducted at The University of Queensland in 2008, is an academic competition that challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their thesis/dissertation topic and its significance in just three minutes using just one PowerPoint slide. 3MT celebrates the discoveries made by research students and develops their academic, presentation and research communication skills. The competition focuses on the students' ability to communicate the importance of their research to the broader community.

Registration for the K-State competition is now open. Currently enrolled Kansas State University thesis master's degree and doctoral students in any discipline are invited to participate. The subject of a 3MT presentation must be on the student's thesis/dissertation research. Students must receive approval from their major professor prior to registering for the competition. Register your participation by 8 a.m. Jan. 25, 2016.

If approximately 20 or more students register, participants will be divided into two or more smaller groups, or heats, and will compete within their heat on Feb. 16. Top presenters from each heat will be selected by judges to move forward and compete in the final competition on the afternoon of Feb. 17. The top three presenters from the final round will receive awards, and the first place presenter will represent K-State at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, or MAGS, inaugural 3MT competition, April 6-8 in Chicago.

Visit the Graduate School's 3MT website for more information, including the participant registration form and resources for preparing a successful 3MT presentation.