Revised Thesis Proposal
Requirements and Guidelines

POLICY

A thesis proposal must be approved by the Thesis Advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies prior to preparing a final thesis. Each Graduate School/Department/Program may have requirements that exceed those in this document; however, they must be consistent with the Graduate School’s requirements. Departmental requirements beyond the minimum stated here must be in writing and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of, and comply with, all requirements.

1. Eligibility

A student who has completed fifteen (15) credits in his/her planned program and has the permission of his/her advisor may apply for the thesis capstone experience if he/she:

1. Is a matriculated student and has received a letter of acceptance from the Dean of Graduate Studies.
2. Has a QPA of 3.0 or better for all courses taken in the planned program to date.
3. Has obtained a thesis advisor with the approval of the Graduate Program Director or Coordinator.

2. Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects

By federal law, all research involving human or animal subjects requires prior ethical review and approval by an independent review committee. At Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), the relevant committee for research involving human subjects is the Institutional Review Board (IRB). No data or recruitment of subjects may take place without IRB approval. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee has jurisdiction over research involving non-human subjects.

Before beginning a research study, the student should consult with the advisor regarding the procedure for obtaining appropriate ethical review. Copies of the necessary forms and instructions for submission can be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies.

In cases where research involving human or animal subjects is being performed at another institution, approval also must be obtained from that institution's appropriate review committee(s). Copies of such approval should be attached to Southern's forms to expedite the review process.

3. Integrity of Research and Other Scholarly Work

The School of Graduate Studies expects high standards of ethical behavior on the part of all persons involved in research and other scholarly work. Students are required to comply with the following Graduate School requirements about honesty and integrity in research, as in all scholarly activity. Students are reminded that areas of misconduct in scholarship include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Falsification of data, which ranges from sheer fabrication through selective reporting, including the omission of data.
2. Plagiarism, which involves taking and using as one's own the writing and/or ideas of another and ranges from outright stealing to inadequate attribution.
3. Violations of rules to protect patients, research subjects, and other persons and animals, which, while not fraudulent in the traditional sense, are unethical and undermine the integrity of the academic process.
4. The use of commercial organizations or paid individuals to write all or part of the thesis.

Violations of the requirement for integrity of scholarship shall result in a failing grade for the thesis and dismissal from the Graduate School.

4. Thesis Proposal

1. Introduction

   Preparing a master's thesis is a time-honored tradition in academe, yet many students who are about to undertake such a project have only the vaguest notion of what a thesis is. No single definition of a thesis exists since what constitutes an appropriate thesis varies considerably among disciplines and even among faculty members within a discipline.

   Given this lack of uniformity about what a thesis is (and the resulting anxiety it invokes in students), how can we describe a thesis? Here are four common characteristics.

   First, a thesis is an exercise in research and/or the creation of an original imaginative work. You are asked to demonstrate your skills in using the methodologies of your field to examine a topic of interest to your discipline.

   What constitutes research methodology varies widely across fields. For example, in the physical sciences, research often (but not always) involves the use of experimental procedures in a laboratory setting; in the humanities, research might involve a descriptive or interpretive analysis of some piece of literature; and in the social sciences, research may involve surveys or field studies.

   A "topic of interest to your discipline" means an area of research that is generally viewed as fruitful by other researchers in the field. Within any discipline, there are typically many sub-fields of interest. Research activities such as a thesis usually focus on a limited area, exploring some very specific issues or questions.

   A second characteristic of a thesis is that, no matter what the topic or methodology used, the intent of the research is to make a contribution to your field. A contribution is any new information that you can give to your discipline. This contribution can take many forms; a test of a new theory, a reinterpretation of a poem, or an evaluation of a curriculum are but a few examples. The list is endless, but the common element is this: an addition to the knowledge base of your field requires you to have an in-depth understanding of some particular area of your discipline. You must know the current state of the art if you are to add to it.

   In this regard, a thesis represents the capstone activity of your graduate degree program. To complete it successfully, you must demonstrate mastery over both a specific content area and the methodology of your discipline.

   Third, a thesis represents an opportunity to work closely with one or more faculty members in your field. One characteristic of good graduate education is the opportunity for faculty and students to work together in a close relationship characterized by mentoring. While much of the content of any field can be taught in traditional classes, there is always some art to any discipline. These nuances are best conveyed in the context of a close working relationship. Working on a thesis, under the tutelage of faculty, provides an opportunity for learning that is not typically found in other graduate school activities.

   The fourth and final characteristic of a thesis is more personal in nature. A thesis is an exercise in self-discipline. Completing a thesis requires sustained initiative and focus. Unlike classes, there are no fixed times that you must meet; there may not be specific deadlines imposed by the instructor or your department. YOU provide the structure. The choice of topic and faculty advisor(s) is largely yours, within any guidelines that may have been developed by your department. Indeed, faculty will generally look to you to be the initiator of your thesis work.

   To recap, a thesis is a well-written document that describes an independent research activity undertaken to explore some problem or topic of interest to the field or that gives formal expression to a creative project. The goal of this activity is to add new knowledge to the discipline and to demonstrate that you are competent and worthy of having an advanced degree in the field.

2. Pre-Proposal

   The information in this section represents only Graduate School requirements. Each candidate must check with his or her department for any additional requirements that may have been established by the department or school. The pre-proposal procedures are as follows:

   1. Obtain a thesis advisor through the procedures that are in effect in your department. It is the candidate's responsibility to find a member of the graduate faculty who is willing to serve as thesis advisor. The thesis advisor must have experience in the field. It is important at this stage to have a clear understanding with your thesis advisor about how much time he/she is willing to give to your thesis, and how and when contact and/or communication will be made.

   2. After obtaining a thesis advisor and reaching agreement on a topic as well as the general approach to your thesis, the candidate should register for the department's thesis course.

5. Types of Thesis Proposal

Before beginning work on the thesis itself, each student must prepare a thesis proposal that is approved by the thesis advisor and/or the department's thesis committee, the department chairperson, and then by the Dean of Graduate Studies. For acceptance by the School of Graduate Studies, a thesis proposal must include at least the elements described in the following paragraphs.

A thesis proposal is, essentially, a written action plan of what you intend to do (your topic) and how you intend to do it (your methodology). There are five types of proposals that may be completed: (1) investigative or experimental, (2) historical or descriptive, (3) interpretive, analytical or critical, (4) creative, and (5) qualitative. Outlines of each type are provided at the end of this document.

All studies begin with a statement of the title of the proposed research followed by a description of purpose: What are the specific hypotheses or research questions that your work will examine? Next, you must address the question of need (pertinence): How is your proposed study a contribution to the field? This question is often best answered by first providing a selective review of the related literature/research and then showing how your work will fill a gap or, in other ways, clarify, extend or apply the work of others.

For an investigative or experimental thesis, the next section of your proposal describes the methodology you will use. It is important to provide enough detail of your research design and procedures so that your thesis advisor and/or members of your committee will have a clear picture of exactly how you plan to conduct your study. A major purpose of this section of the proposal is to encourage you to think through your study; the feedback you receive from your advisor or committee about your methods will likely make your thesis more focused and, ultimately, make the time you invest in it more productive. The next section of your proposal will describe how you intend to analyze or evaluate your findings in terms of the research questions you posed initially. This section is followed by a listing of references mentioned in your proposal.

For a descriptive or historical thesis, once its scope and purpose are defined, the next step, the bulk of your research, involves collecting, reading and analyzing your source materials. The reading should be both wide-ranging and intensive, and your critical judgment should be constantly required in the process. All through this stage of research, you should try to maintain your focus lest you be led astray by the massive amount of material you encounter. The way to maintain focus is to remind yourself frequently of the purpose of your study and the questions that you seek to answer. Your references can be in the form of either footnotes at the bottom of each page or of endnotes at the end of the thesis. Your bibliography should include all the works referenced in your thesis and any works not cited in your thesis but important to the subject of your study.

For an interpretive, analytical, or critical thesis, the specific format to be used will be determined by the academic department and the thesis advisor. However, it must include the following elements:

1. A specific description of the problem or topic being studied and a summary of the argument and its supporting elements, including any necessary definitions.
2. A statement of the significance of the problem or topic, including any limitations.
3. A review of the scholarly literature on the topic.
4. An explanation of the design, methodology and theoretical approach of the study describing what information will be required, how it will be secured, how it will be refined, integrated and applied to the topic of study, and why the stated design, methodology and theoretical approach were chosen.
5. A list of works cited and consulted that provides complete information for each reference mentioned in the literature review and also any relevant references not cited in the review but which will be of value in the course of the project.

For a creative thesis, such as original poetry, fiction, and/or other works, the format will be determined by the respective department and the thesis advisor. However, for acceptance by the Graduate School, a creative project thesis proposal must include at least the following elements:

1. A clear description of the nature, scope, and substance of the final creative product. For example, a collection of ten to fifteen original poems written in …with the theme of … running through them. The length of the poems will range from … to …
2. A brief discussion of the major elements of the craft that will be used and how they will be used to achieve certain aims or effects.
3. An explanation of why a creative thesis was chosen and why the specific form and genre were selected.
4. A bibliography of all references used in the development of the creative thesis.

For a qualitative thesis, the specific format to be used will be determined by the academic department and the thesis advisor. However, it must include a statement of purpose, a review of relevant research, a description of the research methodology, and a bibliography.

In addition to substance, a thesis will be evaluated on writing style and fluency, which includes correct grammar, proper spelling, and consistency of chapter headings, subheadings, footnotes, endnotes, references and bibliography. Attention to such details as writing the proposal in the future tense is imperative.

Different disciplines use different formats or styles for their professional writing. The Office of Graduate Studies recommends the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. However, you should check with your department to determine if it requires a different style and follow it in writing your proposal. It is important to note that the SCSU Thesis Guidelines supercede those of individual style manuals.

6. Submission of Thesis Proposal to the Graduate Dean

1. Cover Sheet
   After approval of the thesis proposal by the thesis advisor and the department chairperson, the candidate must obtain a Thesis Proposal Signature Sheet from the Graduate Office.

2. Graduate Office Submission
   One copy of your thesis proposal, with the completed Thesis Proposal Signature Sheet, must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

3. Graduate Office Review
   The Dean of Graduate Studies will review the proposal, and notify the candidate and the thesis advisor in writing of acceptance, or return the proposal for reasons specified. A copy of the SCSU Thesis Guidelines will be forwarded with the approval letter.

7. Completing the Thesis

Upon receipt of approval of the proposal, the candidate should work closely with the thesis advisor to complete the thesis. It is necessary to follow the SCSU Thesis Guidelines in preparing the final thesis. The student also must select a recognized academic style manual that will be used in writing the thesis manuscript. The style manual selected must be identified at the time of submission of the thesis proposal. Any thesis that does not follow a recognized academic style manual as well as the SCSU Thesis Guidelines will be returned for correction.

It is the responsibility of the thesis adviser and the department to insure that the thesis meets the standards of the academic discipline, the academic department, and the School of Graduate Studies. The review by the School of Graduate Studies will look to see that the thesis does what the candidate and the thesis advisor agreed it would do in the thesis proposal.Particular emphasis will be placed on writing style, proper format, and consistency between the thesis proposal and the final thesis. The School of Graduate Studies also examines each thesis to see that the requirements of style specified in theSCSU Thesis Guidelines have been met.

 

 

 

 

EXAMPLE 1

AN OUTLINE OF AN INVESTIGATIVE OR EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

1. Title of proposed thesis

2. Statement of purpose(s)

3. Relationship of study to related research and analysis of pertinent research (literature review)

4. Statement of need or relevance of the study

5. Investigatory or experimental procedures to be followed:
   1. Experimental design
   2. Subjects to be used
   3. Measures used (surveys/interviews/psychological instruments, etc.)
   4. Plan for the analysis of data

6. Bibliography

 

 

EXAMPLE 2

AN OUTLINE OF A DESCRIPTIVE OR HISTORICAL STUDY

1. Title of proposed thesis

2. Statement of purpose(s)

3. Relationship of study to related research and analysis of pertinent research (literature review)

4. Research plan

5. Proposed chapter development with discussion of major subheadings

6. Bibliography

 

 

EXAMPLE 3

AN OUTLINE OF AN INTERPRETIVE, ANALYTICAL OR CRITICAL STUDY

1. Title of proposed thesis

2. Summary of the argument and its significance as a contribution to knowledge

3. Review of the criticism and scholarly literature on the subject

4. Description of the analytical/critical/interpretative methods and the theoretical approaches that will be used

5. List of works cited and consulted

 

 

EXAMPLE 4

AN OUTLINE OF A CREATIVE STUDY

1. Title of proposed thesis

2. Statement of purpose(s), e.g., a clear description of the nature and themes of the final creative product.

3. A brief discussion of the major elements of the craft that will be used and how they will be used to achieve certain aims or effects.

4. An explanation of why a creative thesis was chosen and why the specific form and genre were selected.

5. Bibliography

 

 

EXAMPLE 5

AN OUTLINE OF A QUALITATIVE STUDY*

1. Title of proposed thesis

2. Statement of purpose/description of phenomenon to be studied
   1. Significance to field of study
   2. Research questions

3. Review of relevant research as appropriate to methodology used (include researcher's perspective)
   1. Sample selection
   2. Data gathering technique
   3. Data analysis methods
   4. Limitations
   5. Ethical considerations

4. References

*Examples of research using qualitative methods: phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded theory, philosophical investigations