Department of English

Students who choose to write a thesis should choose one mentor in consultation with, and securing the approval of, the Director of Graduate Studies. Oral exam research often serves as a catalyst for thesis research, but your thesis mentor need not have been a member of your Oral Exam Committee. Students work independently with their mentor to complete the thesis by the English Department and Graduate School deadlines (see below). Students should carefully review the Guidelines for Thesis/Dissertation Writers, and consult with the appropriate officials in the Graduate School to ensure that all requirements are met.

The program expects thesis projects to reflect original research, analysis, and writing of considerable depth and complexity appropriate to Master's level work, and as such the thesis should fall between 55 and 85 pages of length.  Anything shorter or longer represents an extraordinary circumstance, for which students must submit an explicit rationale, with the signed approval of their thesis adviser, for approval from the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students are expected to abide by the university's honor code and should review the Graduate School's policies on Academic Integrity.


WRITING RESOURCES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

Most of the writing resources on the web are aimed at undergraduate writers, making it difficult to find information about writing a master's thesis.  Many students struggle with how to tackle such a large project, from devising a topic to managing your time.  Below are some sites that may be of help.  In general, there are more writing resources related to dissertation-level writing, but much of the advice can be amended to an MA thesis.  Also, below are helpful links to CV writing guide and other professional writings. 

• Brown University's Writing Center: Resources for graduate students ranging from dissertation and grant writing to finding a job outside of academia.
  
• UNC's Writing Center Handout:"Writing your Dissertation":This handout on dissertation writing may also be helpful for MA students beginning to write their theses. At the end there is a bibliography of books on dissertation writing as well as a long list of links to other sites which may be of interest to writers.  Several of the links do not work but the links are still worth checking out.
  
• Guide to Writing and Defending your M.A. Thesis and Ph.D. Dissertation: Written by S. Joseph Levine, Ph.D. Michigan State University, this page offers helpful guide to thinking about, preparing, writing, and defending your MA thesis or PhD dissertation.
  
• The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide: A newsletter for ABDs.  Some of the advice about time management and procrastination are applicable to thesis writers as well.

SUBMISSION OF THE THESIS

The thesis may be submitted to the Academic Coordinator only in its final, revised form. The Director of Graduate Studies cannot approve your thesis if revisions are still being made.

1. Submit the Thesis or Dissertation Proposal Form (Word or PDF) to the Graduate Studies Coordinator two weeks after passing the oral exam.


2. Once all revisions have been made and the thesis is in its final version, students must submit the thesis and Master’s Thesis Cover Sheet (Word or PDF) (printed on bond paper – see Guidelines for Thesis/Dissertation Writers) to their mentor for a signature approval. The Master’s Thesis Cover Sheet should be signed by your thesis mentor only after the thesis is in its final, revised form. There are no committee members for the thesis.


3. Students should then attach the Master’s Thesis Cover Sheet to the approved thesis, and submit both to the Academic Coordinator by the Department deadline (see below), along with the following:

Thesis Abstract Form
Graduated Student Contact Sheet
ETD Release Form


4. The Academic Coordinator will give the thesis to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval. Once the Director has approved your thesis, you will be contacted by the Academic Coordinator and asked to submit your thesis to the Graduate School before its deadline (see below).
   

Please note: The final version of the thesis must be proofread carefully in order to pass the Graduate School’s review. Neither the Director of Graduate Studies nor the thesis mentor is responsible for proofreading the thesis.


DEADLINES

English Department Deadline:

Final thesis and forms 1 and 2 (above) must be submitted to the Academic Coordinator for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies one week prior to the Graduate School deadline.

Graduate School Deadlines:

Students should determine the deadline of their thesis based on the month in which they wish to graduate. Please see the Graduate Bulletin for more information about graduation requirements.

Graduation date in July-April: Thesis should be submitted as early in the month as possible, but no later than the last working day of the month in which the student wishes to graduate.

Graduation date in May: Thesis must be submitted no later than the first working day in May.

IMPORTANT: Please see the Graduate Bulletin for May and June graduation requirements. 

The Graduate School meticulously reviews the thesis. Careful attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and margins must be paid, or the thesis will not be approved. Please review the Guidelines for Thesis/Dissertation Writers. Any questions may be addressed directly to the Graduate School, or the Academic Coordinator.