The Three Minute Thesis
The 3MT competition will teach you how to communicate effectively to specialists and non-specialists alike, preparing you to present your research at scholarly conferences and to take part in both academic and professional job markets.
The competition also promotes the value of doctoral research to a wider community and strengthens scholarly engagement and collaboration across the disciplines.
Eligible students must be active School of Graduate Studies Ph.D. candidates who have successfully passed their qualifying exams by the date of their first 3MT presentation.
Interested students are strongly encouraged to attend a 3MT information session as well as the 3MT preparation workshops*. If you are unable to attend the information session, you can view the recording. Students will need to register for the competition online and participate in the preliminary round.
Registration for the 2025 competition is open! Interested student can register through the Submittable platform between January 27th and February 10th.
The top eight candidates from the preliminary rounds will advance to the final round of competition, which will take place in March 2025.
Top presenters will receive cash prizes:
- $500 for first place
- $250 for the runner-up
- $250 for the audience choice
The first place winner will be invited to compete in a regional 3MT competition hosted by the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS).
*Please note that 3MT Preparation workshops are not mandatory for interested participants. However, it is strongly recommended that students attend one of our workshops. Students that are not interested in 3MT but would like to further develop their scholarly presentation skills are welcome to attend either workshop.
Contact Assistant Dean Erica Reed to determine eligibility.
If you’re planning to participate in this year's 3MT competition, we encourage you to check out these videos for helpful information.
See the most common mistakes video
Rules
Student presenters are permitted a single, static power point slide to enhance their presentation, and the slide cannot contain any sound or video files.
Presenters are strictly limited to three minutes of presentation time. No props of any kind are permitted, and notes cannot be used during the presentation.
Presentations must be spoken word and must commence from the stage. Presentations are considered to have commenced when the speaker starts the presentation through movement or speech.
The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
Judging Criteria
A panel of non-specialist judges will evaluate all student presentations.
Presentations will be evaluated based on comprehension, content, engagement, and communication.
2025 3MT Competition
Registration for the 2025 3 Minute Thesis Competition is open! Interested students can register through the Submittable platform. The competition will be comprised of two rounds, a Preliminary Round and a Final Round. All registered students will participate in one Preliminary Round, based on availability, and the top participants will move on to participate in the Final Round.
The top three presenters in the Final Round will receive the following prizes:
- $500 for first place
- $250 for the runner-up
- $250 for the audience choice
Student registration will close on Monday, February 10th. Registered students will be notified of their Preliminary Round presentation date by Wednesday, February 12th.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
3MT is a valuable experience for student participants. Past SGS students described their experiences stating:"This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to express the complete research work in limited time to layman audience which otherwise I would have never thought of doing!"
"The condensed format really made me think carefully about what parts of my project are the most important. Putting together my presentation helped me refine my "elevator pitch" for conferences and interviews and it also helped me become a more concise speaker as I got a lot of practice editing out unnecessary phrases from my 3MT drafts."
"It helped me to organize my thoughts in a concise and logical manner, which was important for writing my full length thesis."
"It was both a unique experience and a challenging quest that uninhibited me to share my passion for all my work and my efforts."
Additional resources
If you need more information, use the resources below:
Erica Reed at the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus
Doreen Badheka at the Newark campus
Find out more on the 3MT website
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
3MT is a valuable experience for student participants. Past SGS students described their experiences stating