Thesis Requirements

Research for the Master's thesis is to be carried out under the supervision of a faculty member of the group and must represent an original contribution to knowledge in the field. The thesis research must be conducted while the student is enrolled in the program. The thesis must be filed in a quarter in which the student is registered or on Filing Fee. The thesis is submitted to the thesis committee at least one month before the student plans to make requested revisions. All committee members must approve the thesis and sign the title page before the thesis is submitted to Graduate Studies for final approval. Should the committee determine that the thesis is unacceptable, a recommendation to disqualify the student will be made to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The group strongly recommends that at least one manuscript derived from the thesis be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal before the thesis is finally approved. Instructions on preparation of the thesis and quarterly deadlines for filing the thesis in final, signed form are available from Graduate Studies.  A student must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the M.S. degree to be awarded.

Exit Seminar

An exit seminar is required. Satisfaction of this requirement should be verified by the Thesis Committee Chair. The Exit Seminar is a formal public presentation of the student’s research before the program faculty and students. This presentation can be arranged with Erin Kent or with the staff of the student’s home department. The exit seminar can be scheduled throughout the year. Adequate scheduling of the exit seminar is the student’s responsibility.