Preamble

Master's Thesis Course

The Graduate Program in Theology offers one Three-Credits Thesis Direction Course in the fall semester.

Master's Thesis Colloquium

In addition to completing the thesis, the student is required to participate in, and contribute to, a Thesis Colloquium, to be held in the spring semester following enrollment in the Thesis Direction Course. In other words, participation in, and contribution to, the Thesis Colloquium are graduation requirements for students enrolled in the Thesis Direction Course.

Forms, Style Guidelines, and Important Links

●    Master's Thesis Proposal Form
●    Thesis Submission and Formatting Guidelines (prepared by the Office of Graduate Studies)
●    Chicago Manual of Style Online
●    Graduate Calendar
●    Withdrawal from Course (Office of Graduate Studies Policy)
●    Extensions for Incomplete Grades (Office of Graduate Studies Policy)
●    Extension for Incomplete Grades Form (prepared by the Office of Graduate Studies)

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General Observations

Goals of a Master's Thesis

In our department, the primary goals of a Master's Thesis in Theology are:

    1.    prepare students for doctoral studies; and
    2.    permit students with a terminal master's degree to develop a research topic for professional advancement.

Completing a master's thesis requires skills, competence, and confidence. The thesis is a piece of original, independent, and scholarly research conducted under the supervision of a member of the department. Whereas a thesis may convey an original and significant contribution to knowledge, it must, at a minimum, expand on knowledge by advancing a known position in a new direction or applying a known method to a new matter of inquiry.

The thesis provides evidence of the student's skills in

    1.    identifying and defining a problem and formulating a research question;
    2.    using adequate sources and pertinent specialist literature to contextualize the problem within the contemporary academic discussion;
    3.    developing an effective method to solve the problem;
    4.     applying the method;
    5.     reporting effectively on the research results; and
    6.    describing the relation of the results to the problem initially identified.

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Master's Thesis Structure

A generic Master's Thesis structure has the following components (adapted from Barbara E. Lovitts, “How to Grade a Dissertation: Table 2: Some Dimensions of the Different Components of the Generic Dissertation,” Academe Online 91/6, 2005):

Component 1: Introduction
The introduction	Includes a problem statement Clarifies the research question Describes the context in which the question arises Describes the motivation for the study Summarizes the thesis' findings Discusses the importance of the findings Provides a roadmap for readers
Component 2: Literature Review
The review	Is comprehensive and up to date Shows a command of the literature Contextualizes the problem Includes a discussion of the literature that is selective, synthetic, analytical, and thematic
Component 3: Theory
The theory that is applied or developed	Is appropriate Is logically interpreted Is well understood Aligns with the question at hand
In addition, the author shows comprehension of the theory's	Strengths Limitations
Component 4: Methods
The methods applied or developed are	Appropriate Described in detail In alignment with the question addressed and the theory used
In addition, the author demonstrates	An understanding of the methods' advantages and disadvantages How to use the methods
Component 5: Results or Analysis
The analysis	Is appropriate Aligns with the question and hypotheses raised Shows sophistication Is iterative
In addition, the amount and quality of data or information is	Sufficient Well presented Intelligently interpreted
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Departmental Protocol

Master's Thesis Requirements

A thesis submitted to the thesis director and second reader in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Theology

    1.    is 45-50 pages long;
    2.    is written grammatically correct; and
    3.    complies formally with the standards prescribed in the Chicago Manual of Style Online.

For examples of Chicago-style citation conventions, please refer to this page.

The Chicago Manual of Style (Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, University of Chicago Press) is also available in Falvey Library at the Reference-Information Desk (Call Number: LB2369.T8 2007).

Students should also familiarize themselves with the thesis submission and formatting guidelines prepared by the Office of Graduate Studies for submission of final copies to the Office. These guidelines differ partially from departmental submission and formatting requirements.

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Master's Thesis Proposal

The Master's Thesis Proposal demonstrates the student's ability to organize the research project into a concise, coherent statement. In essence, it

    1.    defines and restricts the research project;
    2.    clarifies the most important goals of the thesis;
    3.    explains the methods of study; and
    4.    lists resource requirements.

The Proposal is to be submitted for approval, together with the signed Master's Thesis Proposal Form , to the Graduate Program Director on or before April 15 during the spring semester preceding enrollment in the Thesis Direction course. The proposal follows the specific faculty guidelines developed in the Thesis Direction course syllabus but, at a minimum, consists of the following components:

    1.    substantive proposal narrative;
    2.    preliminary bibliography; and
    3.    thesis direction course syllabus.

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Miscellaneous

Withdrawal from Thesis Direction Course

The Graduate Program in Theology follows the Office of Graduate Studies policy concerning course withdrawals.

If a student foresees, before the deadline for withdrawal from courses (see Graduate Calendar), that he or she will not be able to complete the work for the Thesis Direction course on time (that is, by the official deadline date listed in Graduate Calendar for completing an incomplete [N grade], usually at the end of January), he or she should withdraw from the course without penalty (see Withdrawal from Course) by the deadline date listed in the Graduate Calendar (usually by the middle of November). If a student is given permission to withdraw from a course, he or she is still responsible for the tuition costs as per the University's refund policy.

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Incomplete (N) Grade

The Graduate Program in Theology follows the Office of Graduate Studies policy concerning assigning an incomplete grade (Change of Grade/Incomplete Grade), but modifies the policy concerning Extensions for Incomplete Grades as follows.

If a student, for non-academic reasons, is not able to complete the work for the Thesis Direction course by the official deadline date listed in the Graduate Calendar for completing an incomplete (N) grade, the student may complete an Extension for Incomplete Grades form. The student fills out the form and passes it on to the thesis director. The director approves or disapproves, signs and forwards the form to the Chair or Graduate Program Director for comments and approval. After the form has been completed, specifying an expected date for the completion of the work, it will be forwarded to the Dean's office for final approval. The Dean's office will notify the Registrar and the student's grade will reflect an "N" until the approved deadline date.

If a student, by the official deadline date listed in the Graduate Catalog for completing an incomplete (N grade), is not able to complete the work for the Thesis Direction course for any other reason, the student will not pass the course. Specifically, the grade originally assigned to the student (“N”) will convert to an "NF" grade. The "NF" grade will be calculated in the student's grade point average as an "F" grade.

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Timeline

1.    Choose the thesis director and meet with her or him to develop the Master's Thesis Proposal during the spring semester preceding enrollment in the Thesis Direction course.
2.    Choose the second reader and discusses with her or him the Master's Thesis Proposal.
3.    Submit the Master's Thesis Proposal Form , with the required attachments, to the Graduate Program Director on or before April 15 during the spring semester preceding enrollment in the Thesis Direction course.
4.    Submit the thesis to the director and second reader on the last day of graduate fall semester classes (see Graduate Calendar).
5.    Submits the revised thesis (final copy) to the director and second reader one week before the official deadline date listed in the Graduate Calendar for completing an incomplete (N) grade, usually at the end of January.
6.    Present the research results at the Thesis Colloquium during the spring semester following enrollment in the Thesis Direction course.
7.    Submit the thesis in its final form to the Office of Graduate Studies on the deadline date published in the Graduate Calendar.

Each graduate student should work closely with her or his director to determine additional or alternative dates appropriate to the thesis project. However, the dates marked in this color in the table are final.

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Steps Toward Completing Thesis	Spring	Fall	Spring
Student meets with thesis director to (1) negotiate a topic, (2) construct the Mas­ter's Thesis Proposal, and (3) discuss the Thesis Direction Course Syllabus.
Student discusses Master's Thesis Proposal with second reader and obtains his or her approval (signature on Master's Thesis Proposal Form ).
Student obtains approval of thesis director (signature on Master's Thesis Proposal Form ).
Student submits Master's Thesis Proposal and Master's Thesis Proposal Form to Graduate Program Director.	April 15
Student writes thesis and heeds the timeline as outlined in the Thesis Direction course syllabus.
Graduate Program Director consults with thesis director concerning the state of the thesis, the general quality of the student's work, and the ability of the candidate to complete the research on time.		1 week before deadline date for course withdrawals listed in Graduate Calendar
Student submits completed thesis – written grammatically correct and complying formally with the standards prescribed in the Chicago Manual of Style – to director and second reader.		last day of graduate fall semester classes
Graduate Program Director consults with thesis director concerning the quality of the student's work and, upon recom­mendation of thesis director, submits N grade for Thesis Direction course.		see Graduate Calendar for grade submission due date
Thesis director returns thesis to student with suggestions for revision.			Friday of first week of spring semester classes
Student submits revised thesis (final copy) to thesis director and second reader.			1 week before official deadline date listed in Graduate Calendar for N grade completion
Thesis director collects second readers' evaluation and submits the thesis grade to Graduate Program Director.
Graduate Program Director submits Grade Change Form.			on official deadline date listed in Graduate Calendar for N grade completion
Student presents research results at the Thesis Colloquium.			March; see Graduate Program announcement
Student submits thesis in final form to the Office of Graduate Studies.			Early April; see Graduate Calendar

 

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