Montana Technological University Graduate School: Frequently Asked Questions

An emergency fund is available for financial emergencies in limited situations. This is limited to extreme circumstances and administered by the Vice Provost and Dean of Students.

Montana Tech Food Pantry is located in the SUB basement.

Policies: Students who cannot financially provide themselves with appropriate nutrition may utilize the Montana Tech Food Pantry. Students may take up to two packages of food per week. The student will record the number of packages taken and their student ID number before leaving the Food Pantry. The Montana Tech Food Pantry is managed by the ASMT Food Pantry Committee.

There are not typically tutoring services available for graduate classes. However, if refreshers are needed in undergraduate subjects that are often prerequisites for graduate students, students may contact the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) for on- campus tutoring services. Montana Tech students also have access to 2 hours of online tutoring per month through Tutor.com.

Professional relationships can be hard, and conflicts and disagreements can be a normal – yet unfortunate - part of any professional relationship. Many graduate student – advisor relationships can resemble those in the workplace, with a number of notable exceptions (e.g. a notable end point that ends in a degree!) Many of the graduate processes such as the Program form and committee form are designed to help establish clear expectations in the student-advisor relationship.

If you have made a fair effort to resolve a conflict, and you feel you need assistance in mediating an issue or even a sounding board, you may contact the graddean@mtech.edu . An additional resource for you is your thesis committee. These faculty, in agreeing to serve on your committee, have agreed to be your mentors and act as a resource. Use them for this as you feel comfortable.

The relationship between a student and advisor is a critical component of the success and professional development of both parties, and is analogous to a professional working relationship.  Like all professional relationships, it is subject to disagreements and/or misunderstandings.  Resolution of disagreements is a critical component of the educational process, and both parties should attempt to resolve any/all disagreements in a professional manner.  When/if resolution efforts are ineffective, either or both parties may request an impartial mediator from the Graduate Dean.  In extreme cases, those in which student progress towards degree becomes jeopardized, either party may request a change in thesis advisor. 

To change a thesis advisor, the student must submit a change of committee form.  The form should be signed by the new advisor and the remainder of the thesis committee.  In changing thesis advisor, the student may not transfer significant intellectual property (IP) from the old advisor, without submitting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that outlines the condition in which the IP will be utilized in the new thesis or graduate product.  Significant intellectual property includes, but is not limited to: project scope, editing and advice on technical content, recommendations for methodology, direction on relevant prior literature, and results that were enabled by external funding that supported the student’s progress.  The MOU should outline (1) what, if any, thesis work will be included in the thesis/product under the mentorship of the new advisor; (2) the role of the old advisor in the new thesis committee, if any; and (3) acknowledgments and co-authorship on the thesis/product and subsequent publications.  If the parties involve dispute the handling of IP, an outside committee will be appointed by the Graduate Dean to review supporting documentation and provide a recommendation for the MOU.  When the old advisor is unable to sign the MOU, and/or unable to complete advising responsibilities, a proxy advisor may be appointed by the Graduate Dean, in consultation with the student’s committee and department. 

The thesis committee is meant to serve as a board of experts to advise you in progress towards your thesis. In best cases, you should be able to derive slightly different skill sets from each, such that you have resources beyond a single individual with which to complete your degree.

For the interdisciplinary degrees offered at Montana, the Program Committee is the student’s surrogate department and will meet frequently with the student to assist in keeping the educational goals in order.

In both cases, the student must take responsibility for convening the committee. This committee is meant to be a resource for you, but only if you use it.

As a resource, it behooves you to form your committee as early as possible. Please inform the Graduate School of any changes in your committee or academic program using the forms found on the graduate school website.

The thesis committee is meant to serve as a board of experts to advise you in progress towards your thesis. In best cases, you should be able to derive slightly different skill sets from each, such that you have resources beyond a single individual with which to complete your degree.

For the interdisciplinary degrees offered at Montana, the Program Committee is the student’s surrogate department and will meet frequently with the student to assist in keeping the educational goals in order.

In both cases, the student must take responsibility for convening the committee. This committee is meant to be a resource for you, but only if you use it.

As a resource, it behooves you to form your committee as early as possible. Please inform the Graduate School of any changes in your committee or academic program using the forms found on the graduate school website.

Both GRAs and GTAs are employment contracts, i.e., payment (including tuition waiver) in exchange for assigned duties as tasks.

As employment, here are the formal definitions used by student employment:

Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs): (0.25 or 0.50 FTE; Stipend Grade I-III) This classification is reserved specifically for those Graduate Students who are funded on accounts allocated for research (e.g., external grants, contracts, internal accounts originating in return of indirect costs).

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs): (0.25 or 0.50 FTE; Stipend Grade I only) A GTA assists with course duties and student instruction.

Examples of GTA duties include (but are not limited to) assistance with laboratory set up, leading organized student help sessions, assistance with development of student assessments, delivery of class lectures on an occasional (~monthly) basis, and grading. GTAs are allocated to the department, selection is made by the Department Head, and the award is made through the Graduate School.

The Graduate Student Handbook states additional rules on a number of credit hours and maximum hours per week. In brief, an important point is that the maximum number of credits that can be worked on a GRA/GTA per week is 20, if you are on a 50% appointment (this assumes a 40-hour work week). GRA/GTA appointments at 25% (10 hours/week) are also available. This condition (which is based on national guidelines) is in place to emphasize that these GRA/GTA positions are reserved for students, and your job is to be a student and make progress toward your degree.

Duties on a GRA appointment are set by the funded research grant or contract. It is important to realize that GRAs are employees on a contract to the University and are part of the task force in place to ensure the University completes the expectations of the sponsor that is providing the funding.

Lesser appointments receive a proportional stipend. The minimum GRA stipend level is equal to the GTA stipend. GRA stipends may be higher, depending on the responsibilities of the appointment, the level of the student, and the budget available in the funding source. (typically, a research grant).

(The answer below considers only the 20 hours/50% case. If you are a 10 hour/25% case, the answer still applies, just substitute 10 for 20 in the answer below.)

It should be clear that the 20-hour maximum (for a 50% appointment) is the condition of your GRA/GTA, not your condition of being a student. 20 hours per week should also be considered an ‘average’. You may have some hours you work more, some less. For example, you may find that as a GTA you will hold extra office hours the week before the exam or have extra grading duties the week after the exam. If you find that you are spending way more than 20 hours per week, please discuss with your advisor ways in which you may be more efficient. There may, for example, be things you are doing that are not expected by your supervisor.

It is not a condition of being a student that you only spend 20 hours per week on a GTA and 20 hours per week on classes. After you complete the hours required by your GRA/GTA, the additional time is yours as a student. For GRAs, in many cases (and if you are lucky!) the duties assigned to you as a GRA will directly overlap with work that will be included in your thesis. This is not always the case and is not the condition of having a GRA. As the GRA is made possible by a sponsored contract, it is the responsibility of your advisor to make sure the expectations of the sponsor are being satisfied. This is critical to make sure contractual obligations are met, and funding continues. (The latter will generally help to support additional students). As in the GTA example noted above, there may be some weeks as a GRA you work more than 20 hours and some you work less than 20; the average should be 20 hours per week. GRAs are meant to be professional positions – and are certainly preparation for such – and it is generally expected that you will work the hours needed to complete the task.

Any time you spend above/beyond your 20 hours (on average) is your time as a student. Think of this like studying for a test. In this analogy, the test is both the oral and written components of your thesis. No one is ever going to dictate to you how many hours to study for that test. That is yours alone to decide. However, in this case, the hours you spend studying for your test will determine whether you pass/fail, what you are able to get out of that examination. In this case, the “course” is self-paced, and the time you spend “studying” will ultimately determine the time in which you complete the course.

As noted above, GRA duties and what goes into your thesis are aligned in the best-case scenario, but this is not always the case. That being said, if you feel that your GRA/GTA duties are conflicting with your ability to complete your degree, you should first discuss this with your advisor, and as needed, with the Dean of the Graduate School. Your first and foremost responsibility as a GRA/GTA at Montana Tech is to make progress towards your degree, as a student.

If you have an unforeseen discontinuity in funding, please contact your advisor, department chair, and/or the Dean of the Graduate School. When/if you must contact the Dean, she is likely to check your academic progress and discuss the issue with your advisor. The Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship was also founded with the intent to accommodate a limited number of cases in which there is a discontinuity in funding. As they are limited, prior to using a CDF, the Graduate Dean is likely to explore other GRA/GTA funding opportunities with your department or program chair.

Talk to your advisor and/or the Graduate School Dean about your concerns. After hearing your concerns, they can help you chart a path forward.

In situations where the Graduate Committee membership must change, due to changes in the thesis/dissertation, interests/goals of the student, the non-availability of members, or an irreconcilable difference, the appointment and approval of new committee requires the same form and the same approvals as the appointment of the original committee. Direct any questions about the Graduate Committee to your Advisor or to the Graduate School. You are encouraged to request and establish your Graduate Committee as early as possible, as this committee provides important advice and guidance and can help you complete your degree program efficiently (Graduate Student Handbook pg. 11). 

Please contact your advisor or program chair about this opportunity, as well as his/her expectations for presenting work at a conference. Presenting your work at a conference can be an important aspect of professional development, but funding is often limited. Whereas funding for graduate student travel has been made available in the past, this is currently being handled by disbursement by the graduate school to program chairs, as it allows for a more thorough analysis of need/opportunity. Thus, in some cases, your graduate program chair may have funds available. Opportunities for funding from the graduate school for student travel will typically be announced to all students, with stated prioritization of how the funding will be distributed.

The Graduate School requires all graduate student projects including non-thesis projects, reports, and publishable papers be submitted to the graduate school for publication in Montana Technological University’s Digital Commons as a part of graduation requirements. Handbook pg. 23 Your advisor may have additional expectations for publication in peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings. You are strongly encouraged to discuss this issue with your advisor and include this in your degree plan.

For specific timelines and steps, please reference the topic, “Finalizing your Required Graduate Product”, on the Graduate School Home Page , as well as the Published Timeline established by the Graduate Council.

As to when you are “ready to defend” or “ready to start writing” this is a conversation you should have with your advisor as you develop your degree plan. It is reasonable to discuss benchmarks and/or milestones that are expected to be completed before you defend or write. Expectations and benchmarks should be adjusted for whether you are completing an MS or Ph.D.

Human subject research requires approval from the IRB. IRB approval is approved by the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. 

Please contact your advisor or the Dean of the Graduate School for additional information.

• IRB Guidelines and Procedures

Graduate School Programs offered at Montana Tech can be found here.

You should be given the name of your advisor in your acceptance letter. Generally, this is based on matchmaking between advisor expertise and student interest during the admission process. Advisors often recruit students that are aligned with either their own professional interests and/or funded projects.

The Graduate Student Advisory Board provides a mechanism to distribute travel funding for graduate students. This is done to ensure transparency and equity in distribution of a limited amount of funds, to all graduate students that have a demonstrated professional motivation and financial need. 

Please fill out the information listed here and submit to the graduate school for consideration for travel asssitance, no later than six (6) weeks before intended travel.

The Travel Assistance Procedure is as follows:

1. Student Submission
   Students complete the required documents and submit them to the Graduate School.
2. Graduate Student Advisory Board and Graduate School Review
3. Reimbursement Processing
   The Graduate School will forward approved requests to the Research Office for final reimbursement processing.