The Thesis Master's degree option requires students to complete 24 credit-hours of classes and nine (9) credit-hours of research. In addition, MS thesis students must fulfill the requirements of the thesis proposal and the thesis defense processes, each described below.

The Thesis Master's degree option requires students to complete 24 credit-hours of classes and nine (9) credit-hours of research. In addition, MS thesis students must fulfill the requirements of the thesis proposal and the thesis defense processes, each described below.

Master's Thesis Proposal

Once you have settled on a research area, you should work with your advisor to select a proposal review committee and set a thesis proposal date. The following guidelines should be followed:

• Your M.S. proposal committee must consist of three committee members: the academic advisor as the committee chairperson and two others who are well qualified in the subject matter of the research. At least two members of your committee must be general faculty from School of Aerospace Engineering and hold an earned Ph.D. degree;
• Your M.S. proposal announcement has to be submitted to AE’s Academic Office no later than two weeks prior to the date of the proposal. 
• Your M.S. proposal announcement is publicly announced. You must submit your announcement in a text document that includes the your name, your proposal title, the date/place/time of your proposal, a one-paragraph abstract, and a list of your committee members. You are encouraged to use this template;
• You should expect to have your proposal critiqued as a way of sharpening the focus of your research plan;
• After submitting your proposal, you should take the following three steps
  • Carefully review the information found on the Thesis & Dissertation Forms page.  Afterwards, click on the corresponding form to send an invitation to sign.
  • On DocuSign, add your signature and send the completed document in an envelope to Georgia Tech Office of Graduate Studies.  
    (Manuals on DocuSign are elaborated here: https://esignature.gatech.edu/cfeis/docusign/) 
  • Have it certified by the thesis advisor at thesis@grad.gatech.edu and email a final copy tGeorgia Tech Office of Graduate Studies a final copy,
• There must be at least a six (6) month lag between the proposal and the defense: time for the student to implement suggested improvements and seek ongoing guidance from the advisor and/or committee.

Master's Defense

About six months after you have submitted a successful proposal, you will be expected to schedule a thesis defense. Your M.S. defense committee must consist of three committee members: the advisor (as the committee chairperson), and two others who are well qualified in the subject matter of the thesis. At least two of the committee members must be faculty in Georgia Tech's School of Aerospace Engineering.  

• Most master's defense committees are similarly composed to the proposal committee;
• The student is responsible for scheduling the defense place and date. Announcements should include your name, your thesis title, the date/place/time of your defense, a one-paragraph abstract, and a list of your committee members. You are encouraged to use this template;
• The defense committee will render a decision on the granting of the master's degree after due consideration;
• After you finish your defense, follow these steps to complete all paperwork:
  • Carefully review the information in Office of Graduate Studies' Thesis & Dissertation Form page. Afterwards, click on the corresponding form to send an invitation to sign.
  • On DocuSign, add your signature and send the completed document in an envelope to Georgia Tech Office of Graduate Studies.  
    (Manuals on DocuSign are elaborated here: https://esignature.gatech.edu/cfeis/docusign/) 
  • Have your thesis certified by your thesis advisor at thesis@grad.gatech.edu and then email a final copy to the  Georgia Tech Office of Graduate Studies.