Three Minute Thesis Competition

Overview

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland. Graduate students have just three minutes to present a compelling oration on their research and its significance to a non-specialist audience. 3MT® represents an invaluable opportunity for students to sharpen their research focus, improve their presentation skills, and perfect their elevator pitch for prospective employers and anyone else interested in learning about their research.    

3MT at Texas A&M University

Since participation in the 3MT competition provides a valuable high-impact practice in developing students' research communication skills, 3MT is part of the Graduate Resources and Development for Aggies (GRAD Aggies) professional development program. The Graduate and Professional School hosts several development sessions to give students opportunities to practice their presentations and get feedback. After working and development sessions, a preliminary competition is held to determine who will advance as finalists in the Texas A&M 3MT competition. To further support the professional development aspects of 3MT, judges in the preliminary round provide feedback to students regarding their presentation and communication skills. Once students are selected to advance to the final competition, they will participate in another working session to further fine tune their presentations. The winner of the Texas A&M 3MT Final Competition advances to the regional competition held each spring at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Annual Meeting.  

Earning Credit for the GRAD Aggies Professional Development Certificate

Students who participate in any of the development session are eligible to earn 1 PDU towards a GRAD Aggies Professional Development Certificate upon completing the event reflections for the development session.