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Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®)

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition challenging graduate students at UM to present their thesis topic and significance in just three minutes. Learn more about this exciting opportunity below.

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3MT® 2025 Winner Purnima Narayan,

The Three Minute Thesis: Communicate, Compete, Succeed

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, November 5th for the First Round.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. The exercise challenges higher degree students to present a compelling oration on their research thesis topic and its significance in just three minutes and allows them to use one static Power Point slide. 

  • 3MT® develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of research students’ capacity to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
  • These skills are critical for all graduate students across all academic disciplines.

The competition will be open to all graduate students, including masters, specialist, and doctoral students.

  • Several masters/specialist-level and doctoral winners will be selected, as well as a grand prize winner.
  • The grand prize winner from the University of Mississippi will receive a paid trip to the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) final 3MT® competition in Baton Rouge, LA, February 18-20, 2026.

A team of qualified judges will determine the winners.

Why Participate in the Three Minute Thesis Competition?

3MT® is part of an effort to provide graduate students with an opportunity to develop their oral communication and presentation skills.

Skills Training for Graduate Students

The exercise develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, while developing research students’ ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Building Research Culture Across the University

3MT® provides a valuable opportunity for graduate students to come together, get to know one another and talk about their research. It also provides a supportive environment for presentation skills training.

Awards and Networking Opportunities 

The overall winner could be a master’s or doctoral student.

  • There will also be awards given for the best master’s and the best doctoral categories.

The Graduate School covers the costs for the overall winner to represent The University of Mississippi and compete in the regional 3MT competition held as part of the Council of Southern Graduate Schools’ Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, February 18-20, 2026.

3MT® Slide Examples

Check out the small sampling of slides from the 2024 final round.
David Henen slide

D. Henen Slide

P. Narayan Slide

P. Narayan Slide

M. Chowdhury Slide

M. Chowdhury Slide

S. Ligon slide

S. Ligon Slide

Get to Know the 3MT® Competition

Learn more about the 3MT® competition, including information on requirements, awards, and submission guidelines.

Mark your calendars for the following dates:

  • 3MT informational session, Wednesday, October 15th, from 5:15-6:15pm in the Turner Center Auditorium
  • Public Speaking for 3MT professional development session, Wednesday, October 29th, from noon-1pm in the J.D. Williams Library Room 106D.  Ms. Amy Schumacher-Rutherford, Instructor in Speech in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, is the presenter.
  • Friday, October 31st at 5pm.  REGISTRATION FOR 3MT CLOSES.
  • First Round of the 3MT, Wednesday, November 5th, from 9am-6pm in the Student Union 326.  The three sessions are from 9-11am; 1-3pm; and 4-6pm.
  • Final Round of the 3MT, Thursday, November 13th, from 6pm-8pm in the Jackson Avenue Center, Auditorium B.

There are several awards, beginning with the overall award winner.  

First and second place awards

  • 1st place masters and 1st place doctoral will win $100
  • 2nd place masters and 2nd place doctoral will win $50

Awards will be paid through the Office of Financial Aid

3MT presentations are incredibly simple. Students must submit a single static PowerPoint slide. The slide should have no transitions, animations, or ‘movement’ of any description. The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.

Keep in mind that:

  • No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted.
  • No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, rap, or songs).
  • Presentations are to commence from the stage.
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.

Our qualified judges will rate your 3MT presentation with the following criteria.

  • Communication style: Was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience?
  • Comprehension: Did the presentation help the audience understand the research?
  • Engagement: Did the presentation make the audience want to know more?

If you want to learn more about the 3MT® competition, you can browse our resources:

Don't Miss Out on a Great Opportunity

The Three Minute Thesis Comeptition is a great opportunity to practice new skills and show off your research. Don't pass up on your chance!