NoCo 3MT® Competition

NoCo 3MT® is a professional development competition. It highlights the dissertation and thesis projects of doctoral and master's students at UNC.

Graduate Student Professional Development

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland, Australia.

Students completing research in any UNC doctoral or master’s program are eligible to submit a proposal. In this competition graduate students present their dissertation/thesis projects in three minutes. This is done in language that can be easily understood by a public audience. This event is sponsored by the UNC Graduate School. The winner of the NoCo 3MT will receive a monetary prize and will go on to compete in the Colorado Graduate Schools 3MT.

Why is the competition called 3MT?
The competition, which is now global, originated at the University of Queensland, Australia. In Australia, Ph.D. students write a doctoral thesis. In other countries, the words “thesis” and “dissertation” are used interchangeably. They reference the final research product of a doctoral student. The UNC competition is open to doctoral and master’s students.

Criteria, Guidelines, Process and Schedule

To be eligible to submit a proposal for NoCo 3MT, you must meet the following criteria:

  • You are a student in a UNC doctoral or master’s program.
  • You have a draft of your dissertation/thesis that includes data collection/findings and conclusions.

This competition is for graduate students who have completed their research/data collection and are completing their dissertation/thesis. If you are at an earlier stage with your research, we encourage you to participate in Graduate Research Evening. This allows the presentation of either proposed or completed research.

This event will explain more about the competition, how to participate and answer any questions that you may have.

Thursday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m. Mountain time
Register in advance for this meeting.

After the introduction workshop, if you decide to proceed, email julie.kennedy@unco.edu the following materials by the end of day on Oct. 20. She will then contact you to schedule a brief virtual meeting.

  1. Name of researcher, college, degree program and is the research a thesis or dissertation.
  2. Thesis/Dissertation Project Title and Abstract
    In 300 words or less, please describe your dissertation/thesis project for someone who is not in your field of research. In other words, avoid using discipline-specific technical terms or jargon.

Your summary:

  • Must be concise and coherent.
  • Does not include a lot of disciplinary jargon.
  • Is understandable to a general, public audience.
Competition Process Dates and Times Location
Introduction Workshop Oct. 8, 6 p.m. virtual
Submit all materials to julie.kennedy@unco.edu Oct. 20, end of day via email
Online Practice Session (required) Oct. 28, 6 p.m. virtual
Online or In-Person Final Rehearsal Nov. 4, 6 p.m. virtual or in-person
3MT® Competition Dec. 1, 7-8:30 p.m. Prosperity Room, Campus Commons

Questions?