A South Dakota State University dissertation template. It can be modified slightly for a masters thesis.
For further information see https://github.com/ryanswanstrom/South-Dakota-State-University-PhD-Dissertation.
This template was originally published on ShareLaTeX and subsequently moved to Overleaf in November 2019.
\documentclass[12pt,letterpaper,oneside]{article}
\usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
%% Package: makeidx
%% Description: Enables indexing
%% CTAN Link:
%% http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/help/Catalogue/entries/makeidx.html
%% http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Indexing
\usepackage{makeidx}
%% Package: subfiles
%% Description: Include LaTeX files
%% CTAN Link: http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/subfiles/
\usepackage{subfiles}
%% Package: graphicx
%% Description: Insert images, PostScript files, graphics, etc.
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/required/graphics/
\usepackage{graphicx}
%% Package: hyperref
%% Description: Insert hyperlinks
%% CTAN Link: http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/hyperref/
%% http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/help/Catalogue/entries/hyperref.html
\usepackage[hidelinks]{hyperref}
\usepackage{url}
%% Package: multirow
%% Description: Spans multiple rows of a table
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/multirow/
%% Example: http://andrewjpage.com/index.php?/archives/43-Multirow-and-multicolumn-spanning-with-latex-tables.html
\usepackage{multirow}
%% Package: rotating
%% Description: Rotates tables and figures
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/rotating/
\usepackage{rotating}
%% Package: geometry
%% Description: Sets margins, the easy way
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/geometry/
%% WARNING: PDFLaTeX generates INCORRECT margins! Compile with "LaTeX", then "DVI->PS"
%% and finally "PS->PDF". Also be sure to use PS files for inclusion, not PDF.
%% Use "convert" in ImageMagick library to convert files.
%% http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php
\usepackage[left=1.5in,top=1in,right=1in,bottom=1in, nofoot]{geometry}
%% Package: setspace
%% Description: Set spacing between lines
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/setspace/
\usepackage{setspace}
%% Package: ragged2e
%% Description: Set ragged right edge (not flush)
%% CTAN Link: http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/ms/
\usepackage{ragged2e}
%% Package: subfig
%% Description: Used to span a figure across multiple pages.
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/subfig/
%% NOTE: This package conflicts with package tocloft!
\usepackage{subfig}
%% Package: tocloft
%% Description: Customize the table and list of contents, list of figures
%% CTAN Link: http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/tocloft/
%% NOTE: This package conflicts with package subfig!
%% To resolve the conflict, include with \usepackage[subfigure]{tocloft}
\usepackage[subfigure]{tocloft}
%% Package: sectsty
%% Description: Customize the section styles (in the document, not ToC/LoF/LoT)
%% CTAN Link: http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/sectsty/
%\usepackage{sectsty}
%% Package: bm
%% Description: Bolds math symbols
%% CTAN Link: http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/required/tools/
%% http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/help/Catalogue/entries/bm.html
%% NOTE: "How can I get bold Greek symbols in equations?"
%% The answer is short: you should use \boldmath instead of \bf. But this may not work
%% in all cases. If it does not work, you should import the package bm and use the new
%% command \bm instead of \boldmath.
%% Link: http://www.win.tue.nl/latex/faq.html#q13
\usepackage{bm}
%% Package: listings
%% Description: Added text verbatium, no LaTeX funky business.
%% CTAN Link: http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/listings/
\usepackage{listings}
%% for online website citations
\usepackage[backend=bibtex8,sorting=nyt,style=ieee,sortcase=false]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib} %Imports bibliography file
\renewbibmacro*{bbx:savehash}{}
%% Add for indenting description lists
\usepackage{enumitem}
\setlist[description]{leftmargin=1cm,labelindent=1cm}
%% ~~~~~~~
\newif\ifblackandwhite
% \blackandwhitetrue
\usepackage{etoolbox}
\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage{tabu}
\usepackage{pdflscape}
\usepackage[svgnames]{xcolor}
\usepackage{colortbl}%
\newcommand{\myrowcolour}{\rowcolor[gray]{0.925}}
\usepackage{booktabs}
% for clever references
\usepackage{cleveref}
\usepackage[ampersand]{easylist}
%For the abbreviations page
\usepackage{nomencl}
\makenomenclature
\renewcommand{\nomname}{ABBREVIATIONS}%
%% Used for Positioning on the title page
\usepackage[absolute]{textpos}
\setlength{\TPHorizModule}{1in} % sets our horizontal unit of measuring
\setlength{\TPVertModule}{1in} % sets our vertical unit of measuring
\textblockorigin{0in}{0in} % and we start measuring in the top left corner
% to center column headings
\usepackage[up,tiny,center,uppercase]{titlesec}
% set the section numbering depth
\setcounter{secnumdepth}{3}
\ifblackandwhite
\newcommand{\cheading}[2]{\textbf{#1\hfill #2}}
\newcommand{\highest}[1]{\textbf{#1}}% == highest score for question
\else
\newcommand{\cheading}[2]{\textcolor{Maroon}{\textbf{#1\hfill #2}}}
\newcommand{\highest}[1]{\textcolor{Maroon}{\textbf{#1}}}%
\fi
%% add dots in the table of contents
\renewcommand{\cftsecleader}{\cftdotfill{\cftdotsep}}
\renewcommand{\contentsname}{CONTENTS \hfill}
%% tocloft already has the correct figure and table names
\renewcommand{\listfigurename}{LIST OF FIGURES}
\renewcommand{\listtablename}{LIST OF TABLES}
% Sets plain style for ToC and centers the title
\renewcommand{\cfttoctitlefont}{\hfill}
\renewcommand{\cftaftertoctitle}{\hfill}
% Sets plain style for LoF and centers the title
\renewcommand{\cftloftitlefont}{\hfill}
\renewcommand{\cftafterloftitle}{\hfill}
% Sets plain style for LoT and centers the title
\renewcommand{\cftlottitlefont}{\hfill}
\renewcommand{\cftafterlottitle}{\hfill}
% set plain style for sections
\renewcommand{\cftsecfont}{}
% set plain style for page numbers
\renewcommand{\cftsecpagefont}{}
% style for sections titles
%\allsectionsfont{\usefont{OT1}{cmr}{m}{n}\normalsize\selectfont\MakeUppercase}
%% sets page numbers in upper right hand corner and empty header/footers
\pagestyle{myheadings}
%% set page style for ToC, LoF, LoT via the tocloft package
\tocloftpagestyle{myheadings}
%% Scientific notation
%% The following will look like: 5.621x10^-3
%% Link: http://www.tapdancinggoats.com/easy-scientific-notation-in-latex.htm
%\providecommand{\e}[1]{\ensuremath{\times 10^{#1}}}
%% Sets listings to use a monospaced (typewriter) font
%% http://stackoverflow.com/questions/432349/how-do-you-display-straight-quotes-instead-of-curly-quotes-when-using-latexs-li
\lstset{basicstyle=\ttfamily}
%% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%% AUTHOR MUST MODIFY
\def\yourtitle{SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY PHD TEMPLATE}
\def\yourname{YOUR NAME}
\def\yourmajor{Your Major}
\def\youradvisor{Your Advisor, Ph.D.}
\def\departmenthead{Department Head, Ph.D.}
%% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
\begin{document}
\raggedright
\doublespacing
\fontfamily{ptm}\selectfont %% set font to Times
%% Title page
\subfile{titlepage}
%% End title page
\setlength{\parindent}{0.5in}
\pagenumbering{roman}
\setcounter{page}{2}
%% Approval/signature page
\subfile{signature}
%% dedication (optional)
\subfile{dedication}
%% Acknowledgements page
\subfile{acknowledgements}
%% Table of contents
\newpage
\tableofcontents
%% Abbreviations, this is optional
\newpage
\printnomenclature[1.0in]
\addcontentsline{toc}{section}{ABBREVIATIONS}
%% List of figures
\newpage
\listoffigures
\addcontentsline{toc}{section}{LIST OF FIGURES}
%% List of tables
\newpage
\listoftables
\addcontentsline{toc}{section}{LIST OF TABLES}
%% Abstract
\subfile{abstract}
%% Change the page numbering for the remainder of the dissertation
\newpage
\pagenumbering{arabic}
%% set the depth of the Table of Contents
\setcounter{tocdepth}{2}
%% The rest of the paper, use as many as you need
\subfile{section1}
\subfile{section2}
\subfile{section3}
%% To add more sections
%% just add another file named section4.tex
%% and uncomment the next line
%\subfile{section4}
%% appendices
\subfile{appendices}
%% bibliography
\subfile{bibliography}
\end{document}