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Overview

Make sure you check out the MS Degree Requirements and become familiar with them. Most students are admitted into the non-thesis option by default. If you want to pursue a thesis, you should follow the instructions below and make sure you follow the MS requirements for students who are pursuing a thesis. Otherwise, you should follow the MS requirements for a non-thesis. 

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• You should view the Graduate College Thesis Requirements for templates and sample pages to make sure your thesis is following the correct formatting.  
• At least 2 weeks prior to thesis deposit deadline – email the ISE Graduate Programs Office (ise-grad@illinois.edu) with a copy of the following:
  1. Completed Masters Thesis Deposit Approval Form with your information and the name of your advisor and co-advisor (if applicable). All signatures will be obtained by the Graduate Programs Office – do not obtain those. We will submit the Masters Thesis Approval Form to the Graduate College after your thesis review is complete (in the next step).
  2. A PDF version of your thesis via email to ise-grad@illinois.edu via attachment or Box link. Once your thesis is format reviewed, you will receive suggestions/approval via email. 
• Once the steps above are complete, you can submit your thesis to the Graduate College. Please make sure you list Lauren Redman, lredman@illinoisRS Sreenivas, rsree@illinois.edu, as the thesis format reviewer when submitting your thesis.
• It is not uncommon for the Graduate College to require some corrective revisions/editing. Make sure you complete these right away! 
• All of your 599/thesis grades will be updated from "DFR" once your thesis has been approved/accepted by the Graduate College. 

The Graduate College also requires several workshops that may be helpful leading up to your thesis deposit. 

Continuing for a PhD in ISE

MS students who plan to continue into the PhD program should complete the following steps in order:

1. Find a PhD faculty member in ISE who is willing to serve as your thesis advisor. An advisor agreement must be on file with your advisor before you can proceed. 
2. Complete the Qualifying Exams (written & oral) 
3. Complete a Graduate College application. We will waive the cost of the application – Indicate you are eligible for an application fee waiver and check the box for "ISE MS to PhD Applicant." Please note that all required materials must be submitted as listed on the ISE Admissions Pages (Domestic Applicants or International Applicants). The only exception is that you only need to submit one (1) letter of recommendation, rather than 3. This letter should be from the ISE faculty member who will be your advisor in the PhD program. If you are completing your application after the deadline for that term, please reach out to ise-grad@illinois.edu. You may still begin an application, but the ISE Grad Programs Office must manually submit it.