MS thesis presentation guidelines

Preparing and delivering the thesis brief

A few high-level, general notes on preparing and delivering your master’s thesis brief.

Audience and objective

Your audience is the NPS faculty and your Program Officer, so you can assume general technical knowledge and an understanding of Naval priorities.

Your objective is to communicate a succinct description of your research contributions and substantiate those contributions with evidence.

Tip

A thought experiment. The Department Chair attends your presentation along with three others. Afterward they go to Starbucks and run into the GSEAS Dean, who asks, “You just came from LT X’s thesis presentation, true? What was their research about?” The Chair should be able to summarize, from memory, what you have worked on for the last 12–18 months.

Highlight your contributions

Early in the presentation, include a Contributions slide that lays them out clearly in bullet points.

It won’t all fit

You cannot fit your entire thesis into a 15-minute brief.

  • Start with your contributions, and include the findings, conclusions, and results you feel are most important, compelling, or interesting.
  • Focus on the results more than the process that led to them — but be prepared to defend both the process and the evidence.
  • Significant parts of your thesis will have to be left out. Two strategies help:
    • It is fine to allude to detail that lives in the document: “the derivation of this expression is in the thesis, but I’m not going to cover it here.”
    • Include backup slides for aspects likely to come up in questions.

Timing

Plan for a 15-minute brief, with 5 minutes for questions and transition.

Preparation

  1. Start with an outline to decide what to include and what to leave out. Reviewing the outline with your advisor before building slides is suggested, though not required.
  2. Practice alone first, for timing. Practice like you play — stand up, speak out loud, and use a stopwatch.
  3. Then practice with an audience of your advisor(s) and peers. Schedule this at least two days before your brief so you have time to revise.