College of Fine Arts School of Dance Undergraduate Handbook

MA/MFA Thesis Guidelines

When a faculty member agrees to serve as chair or member of an MFA or MA thesis committee, he or she accepts certain responsibilities for helping the student complete the thesis in an effective and timely manner. The following are suggested guidelines which students, thesis chairs and committee members should consider when fulfilling this obligation.

1. The chair advises the student regarding the choice of other committee members.  (On MFA design theses, at least 2 members of the committee must be design faculty members.) Students should consider not only the expertise of faculty members but also the summer and sabbatical schedules of potential committee members. Each committee must have a chair plus 2 other members; the second member serves as the second reader and the third member serves as the third reader. Students have the option to have a larger committee if they choose but should be aware that the larger the committee, the more difficult it will be to schedule meetings.

2. The chair directs the student to write a prospectus or plan for the thesis.  Although there is no official format for this document, it usually includes sections on background, purpose, significance or implications, previous research, methodology, and an outline of the proposed chapters. The prospectus will become the first chapter of the thesis.

3. After the chair has approved the prospectus, he or she should direct the student to schedule a prospectus meeting with the other members of the committee. (As a matter of professional courtesy, students should give committee members at least one week to read the prospectus before the meeting.) This meeting provides an opportunity for all the members of the committee to discuss the thesis topic, methodology and schedule for completion.  If committee members have questions about the research or project plan, they should be cleared up at this meeting. At the end of this meeting, the committee and the student should be reasonably assured that all agree about the student's plans and goals for the thesis.

If the student has not already done so, they should get the committee members' signatures on the green thesis topic form at this time. This form must be submitted to the Graduate College at least 14 days before the defense; however, there's no reason not to submit it as soon as the prospectus is approved.

4. The chair should encourage the student to establish deadlines for the completion of sections of the thesis. While regular meetings are not required, they are often helpful in motivating students to keep on schedule.

5. Generally, the student will submit chapters to the chair first for feedback and suggestions. As each chapter is revised, it is submitted to the second reader. After getting feedback from the second reader the student makes revisions. It is up to the chair's discretion whether he or she wants to see the chapters again at this stage.

After the body of the thesis is completed, the entire manuscript is given to the third reader. After this person has made comments and suggestions, the student should revise again as needed.

This procedure is flexible and can be changed at the discretion of the committee members. However, it has proven successful in insuring that committee members have sufficient time to give feedback to the student.

6. While the third reader is working on the manuscript, the student should revise the prospectus so that it constitutes a proper introduction (Chapter 1) to the thesis and complete the front matter, appendices, figures, tables and other materials. Guidelines for formatting this material are part of the Masters Thesis packet available from the Graduate College.

7.  It is the chair's responsibility to insure that the thesis is ready to be defended before the defense is scheduled. The student should ask each committee member if he or she believes the thesis is ready before scheduling the defense.

8. After the chair and the student are satisfied with the revisions, the student should schedule the thesis defense. The student should allow at least one week's time between the distribution of the final reading copy and the date of the defense. It is the student's responsibility to schedule the defense at a time that is convenient to the members of the committee.

9. The student must take the final reading copy of the thesis to the Graduate College for a final format check within 48 hours of the defense date. If the thesis contains complex figures or tables, the student should check with the Graduate College about formatting well in advance of this time. After the formatting has been checked, the student obtains a "permission for oral examination" which they must bring to the defense for committee signatures.

10. It is the student's responsibility to schedule a room for the defense and inform the committee members of the date, time and location of the defense. The chair is encouraged to take an active role in assisting the candidate with these arrangements.

11. The chair conducts the defense meeting. Usually the student will make an opening statement about the research or project. Then the floor is opened to questions and comments by the members of the committee. Thesis defense meetings are traditionally open to the public although spectators are not invited to comment or participate.

12. When the defense is completed, the student (and spectators) is dismissed from the room while the committee consults. If the majority of the committee believe the defense to be satisfactory, the student passes. (A dissenting member has the right to express his or her dissent in writing.) Each member of the committee must sign the "permission for oral examination" as well as three copies of the signature page. (These should be printed on cotton paper and brought to the defense by the student.)

13. The chair may request a final examination of the thesis to insure that changes/corrections suggested at the defense are incorporated in to the final copy.

14. The student is responsible for returning all the paperwork to the graduate school and meeting the deadline for deposit of the thesis in the library.