Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies

The Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition in which graduate students explain their research or scholarly/creative projects in jargon-free language to a general "lay" audience in three minutes with the help of only one static PowerPoint slide. It was started at the University of Queensland (Australia) and has since been adopted at universities worldwide. The first-place winner in App State's local competition will represent the University at the regional competition held at the annual Conference of Southern Graduate Schools.

Competition Details

2024-2025 Competition: January 24, 2025   1:00 pm - 4:00 pm 

Heats 1 and 2 begin at 1pm in the Plemmons Student Union.  The Final Competition begins at roughly 2:30pm in the Linville Falls Room (PSU 226).

The work presented does not have to be a traditional thesis and is open to GRAM research, capstones, and other academic projects. The competition is open to all graduate students including Boone campus, Hickory campus, and online. During the competition on January 24, you must present in person. If you are a graduate student meeting the eligibility criteria described below, we encourage you to register.

Registration link.  Deadline to register is Friday, December 6, 2024 at 11:59 pm.

Preparation

In order to help participants best prepare for this event we will schedule two Presentation Strategies workshops and send out notifications.  For 2024-2025 they will be:

• 3MT Prep Workshop (FAQs & Slide Info) - Monday, November 11, 2024, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Zoom  Register here
• 3MT Prep Workshop (Practice Presentations) - Thursday, January 16, 2025, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Plemmons Student Union 169  Register here

We strongly encourage each participant to sign up for the workshops.

Eligibility

1. Must be a currently enrolled graduate student in good standing at App State.
2. The topic must come from a research or scholarly/creative project of significant scope (thesis, dissertation, capstone research, product of learning).  
3. The topic must be interesting enough to hold the attention of a nonspecialist; think Smithsonian magazine, Discovery Channel, National Geographic.

Rules

• One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted - no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description.  
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound or video) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, instruments, equipment) are permitted.
• Competitors exceeding the 3 minute limit will be disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no songs), in English.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced as soon as a presenter starts the presentation through movement or speech.
• Presentations must be aimed at the educated non-specialist; no disciplinary jargon or specialized vocabulary can be used unless the explanation is part of the 3 minutes.  See these award winning presentations for examples.
• All presentations must reflect research in progress or completed research; literature reviews alone are not acceptable, but work can be in progress.

Judging

The competition will be judged by a panel of faculty, community, industry, and alumni representatives. Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide. Follow this link for tips on 3MT best practices.

Awards

• First Place: $600 award*
• Second Place: $400 award*
• People’s Choice: $250 award*

* Award funds will be deposited directly into student accounts.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact Ross Gosky at goskyrm@appstate.edu or Maureen Cathey at catheyme@appstate.edu.

Past Winners