Frequently Asked Questions about the Three-Minute Thesis Competition

3MT® is a competition founded by the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008. It asks students to “cultivate [their] academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience” (http://threeminutethesis.org/).

Graduate students have exactly three minutes to succinctly and accurately describe their thesis/dissertation/research project to a group of judges who are not familiar with their research topics, utilizing only one static, non-animated PowerPoint slide to assist them as a visual aid. The top competitors from the preliminary round will advance to a final competition to determine the overall winner.

Yes, you can visit the official Three Minute Thesis site to view videos from past competition winners at other universities.

If you would like to take part in this competition, sign up using the InfoReady application by this year's deadline.

Check your email regularly after you declare your intent to participate. You will receive a Qualtrics survey to schedule your competition time window on March 2. We will have morning and afternoon time slots available. You will also receive an email with instructions and deadlines for sending your PowerPoint slide for the competition.

The slide should include legible text and images, if desired. Competitors may present just one, static, non-animated slide without video or audio.

Yes. Two prizes are available: the top-ranked judges award and the peer choice award.

Any currently enrolled graduate student at IUP whose degree ends in a thesis, dissertation, or culminating project can participate in the competition.

You do not need to have your thesis, dissertation, or culminating research project completed in order to participate in this event. As long as you have your topic for your project, you are invited to take part in this competition.

Yes, you may still participate in this event. You can choose to present your culminating research project for this competition instead of a thesis or dissertation

We have a limited number of videoconference spots available exclusively to students enrolled at the Pittsburgh East or Dixon University Center campuses, or in an online-only or summers-only program.

Yes, you can present a poster or oral presentation at the Scholars Forum and still also compete in the Three Minute Thesis event. In fact, it is our hope that graduate students will participate in both the Scholars Forum and the Three Minute Thesis.

The presentation should cover research that you are currently working on only, not something you have done in the past.

The research presented should be your own original research for your thesis, dissertation, or culminating project, not research conducted for a faculty member.