The M.A. Thesis Option

The M.A. Thesis Option offers graduate students the opportunity, through directed study, to prepare a major writing project for completion of the Master of Arts degree.  Students choosing the Thesis Option write on a topic of choice, implementing methodological practices and techniques that guide academic research and scholarly writing, while receiving constructive guidance from members of an Advisory/Examining Committee.  Members of the committee provide critical feedback during crucial stages of the drafting process and conduct the final examination.  Students completing a thesis do not take the M.A. Comprehensive Exams.

Degree-seeking students enrolled in The Graduate Program may register for the Thesis Option after successfully completing nine courses (27 hours) of graduate-level coursework, and upon receiving approval from the Dean of the Graduate School and the Head of the Department of English and Philosophy. Directed Reading (ENGL 590B), the first of this two-semester sequence, requires that students devise a plan of study, assemble an Advisory/Examining Committee, meet with the chair of the committee, conduct library and field research, and complete a bibliography and prospectus.  The second course, Research in M.A. Thesis (ENGL 698), requires that students compose, defend, and receive approval from the Advisory/Examining Committee on the contents of the thesis, receive the authorization of the format adviser and the Thesis/Dissertation Office, and obtain a Thesis Receipt.  In order to fulfill the requirements of the Thesis Option and the Master of Arts degree, the Thesis Receipt must be submitted to the Graduate School before the end of the first working day following the last day of classes.  It is imperative that a bound copy of the thesis also be submitted to the home department on the Calumet campus, the library, and to those who participated in its creation, the members of the thesis committee.

¤Master’s Thesis Checklist:

Forms & Procedures

Once a student has registered for the Thesis Option and English 590B, it is necessary to complete a Request for Master’s Degree Plan of Study Approval (Form GS-6), which must be submitted, along with one copy, to the Graduate School.

Research & Development

·        Previous to the start of the first semester, the student must choose one faculty member to serve as major professor (the Chair of the Advisory/Examining Committee) for the project.  Early in the semester, the student and major professor should prepare a detailed schedule for the project, one that includes various research and writing stages, deadlines, and meetings.  * The student must make certain to schedule ample time for revision, keeping in mind that although revision is an essential and continuous process, perseverance is vital to the completion of the project.

·        Throughout the first semester, the student conducts research, interviews and surveys, and completes a bibliography and prospectus.  The student must be aware that some library materials may need to be borrowed through interlibrary loan, a process that can take anywhere from several days to several weeks.  Also, the student must keep in mind that many journals and other print publications can be accessed online.  The student must check with the chair of the committee previous to using online sources, since it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between ‘scholarly’ empirical work and nonacademic commentary.

·        Copies of the bibliography and prospectus are given to the chair and members of the committee.  A student must complete and obtain approval from the major professor for the bibliography and prospectus before moving forward to English 698.  * A student may also be required to compose an Abstract at this time.  The Abstract must be included with the final copy of the thesis.

Composition & Final Examination

·        Following registration for the second semester course, ENGL 698, the student should begin composing the contents of the thesis. 

·        While it is available online, it is advisable that the student also obtain a hard copy of A Manual for the Preparation of Graduate Theses, since it will be continually referred to nearing the end of the second semester.  The student should request a copy from either the chair of the committee or the Head of the Department.

·        After members of the Advisory/Examining Committee have been selected and a final examination date has been scheduled, a Request for Appointment of Examining Committee (Form GS-8) is signed by the chair of the committee and the head of the Graduate Program, and is submitted to the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the final examination date.  Following approval by the Graduate School, a copy of the form is sent to the departmental Graduate Studies Office. The Report of Master’s Examining Committee (Form GS-7) and the Thesis Acceptance (Form GS-9) forms are sent with the approved copy of the Request for Appointment of Examining Committee.

·        When the thesis is nearing completion, the student should submit at least one full draft of the thesis to all members of the Advisory/Examining Committee, including with it a memo that contains any specific requests; the memo should also include a date by which the return of the draft is being requested.

·        Preceding final examinations, the student should schedule an appointment with Rebecca House Stankowski, Assistant Library Director for Technical Services and Thesis Format Adviser on the Calumet campus (phone: 989.2435; e-mail: rhs@calumet.purdue.edu).  The Thesis Format Adviser ensures that the document conforms to the format standards set forth by Purdue University.  For more information on format requirements, refer to A Manual for the Preparation of Graduate Theses.  Once the format of the document is approved, the Thesis Format Adviser should sign the Thesis Acceptance (Form GS-9). 

·        Final examinations must be held before the last week of classes.  Upon successful completion of the examination, the chair and members of the committee, and the head of the Graduate Program, should sign the Report of Master’s Examining Committee (Form GS-7) and the Thesis Acceptance (Form GS-9) forms. 

·         After all signatures have been secured for all forms, the completed thesis should be copied and bound.  Three bound copies of the final draft are required. The Deposit copy of the thesis, the copy for the head of the graduate program in which the student is enrolled, and the copy for the major professor must be produced using a computer laser printer or a photocopier machine.  The Deposit copy must be copied onto standard 20-pound weight, 100 percent rag content, 8 ½” x 11” white paper, and bound in a black three-hole screw-post binder with a backing strip.  * Although many local printing establishments may provide excellent service, students may also use BoilerCopyMaker, located at Purdue Memorial Union Rm. 157, 101 Grant, located on the West Lafayette campus (phone: 765.496.3888).

·        The copied and bound Deposit copy is taken to the Manager of the Graduate School Thesis/Dissertation Office, Mark Jaeger, at 170 Ernest C. Young Hall, 151 South Grant Street in West Lafayette, Indiana (phone: 765.494.2600; e-mail: markj@purdue.edu).  The Deposit copy of the thesis should be submitted to the Thesis/Dissertation Office on the West Lafayette campus before the end of the last day of classes.

·        Once the format of the Deposit copy has been approved by the Thesis/Dissertation Office, the student will be issued a Thesis Receipt.  The Thesis Receipt should be submitted to the Graduate School at 170 Young Hall in West Lafayette, Indiana, before the end of the first working day following the last day of classes.

·        Copies of the thesis should be presented to the head of the home department, the chair and members of the committee, and the Calumet library.

·        Soon after the Thesis Receipt is obtained, the student should contact the Calumet campus Graduate School to ensure that the student’s record reflects the approved completion of the thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree.