Three-Minute Thesis Competition
Saint Louis University will host two Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) competitions for master’s and doctoral students.
Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a competition for graduate students to hone and display their research and communication skills. The competition challenges master’s and doctoral students to effectively and concisely present their research in three minutes on one digital slide to a diverse, non-specialist audience. 3MT competitions are held at 900 universities in more than 85 countries worldwide.
2026 3MT Competition Dates
The Saint Louis University competitions will be held in Anheuser Busch Auditorium in Cook Hall beginning at 5:00pm.
- Master’s competition: 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026
- Doctoral competition: 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026
The 3MT is open to current SLU master’s and doctoral students who have successfully passed their confirmation milestones (including thesis or dissertations under submission) by the presentation date.
There will be a first, second and third place winner from both master’s and Ph.D. students.
- First place: $750 (the first-place Ph.D winner will have the opportunity to compete and represent SLU in the regional 3MT competition held during the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) conference in Kansas City in March 2026).
- Second place: $500
- Third place: $250
The 3MT application is open now and will close on February 6, 2026. No late applications will be accepted.
Visit SLU's Three Minute Thesis Sharepoint website to learn more about the competition including upcoming student resources.