Masters of Arts in English Education Program
Thesis
Guidelines
Preparing to Write a Thesis: | 1. | Decide what type of thesis you will write | | | | | | Scholarly Thesis:
Students who intend to write a scholarly thesis in literature or literary theory, writing/rhetoric, and/or linguistics should explore possible topics with faculty members most knowledgeable about those topics and should do preliminary reading to gain some sense of the "scholarly terrain" relating to the topics. If students need help in identifying such faculty, they should consult the Graduate Coordinator. Usually students will choose faculty members with whom they have already taken courses. | | | | | | Teacher Research Study:
Students who intend to investigate some aspect of their teaching should explore possible topic areas with faculty members most knowledgeable about the topic and should do preliminary reading to gain some sense of the scholarship and research on the topic. Before beginning the investigation, students should seek IRB (Human Subjects Research) approval. |
| 2. | Choose a thesis committee | | | | | | When a student feels ready to discuss a tentative topic for a thesis, he/she should discuss that topic with a graduate faculty member with expertise in the area. The student, in consultation with this faculty members should identity two other graduate faculty members (at least one member of the entire committee being from English and one from Education) and one person from the schools to serve on the thesis committee. | | | | | | The purpose of the thesis committee is to guide the student; to serve as resource persons; to supervise the student's progress; to "test" the student's contentions, and a statements of them, for accuracy and comprehension; and to evaluate the final product and assign a grade for the six-hour thesis course. It is the responsibility of the chair of the thesis committee to record the grade for the thesis and to inform the Graduate Coordinator of the successful completion of the thesis. |
| 3. | Submit a thesis proposal and register for class credit | | | | | |
After having secured
permission of the three faculty members, the student should submit
to them and to the Graduate Coordinator a written proposal for the
thesis, containing the proposed topic, an initial review of the
related literature, the methodology for the study, a tentative
schedule, a preliminary bibliography. The Thesis Chair, should
schedule a proposal review session with the entire committee and the
student, informing the Graduate Coordinator of the time and place of
the review session. Only after the Graduate Coordinator, the
proposed committee, and the student have all agreed on the proposal
and the proposal has been defended and scored using the College of
Education’s Master’s Project Proposal Rubric will the Graduate
Coordinator officially appoint the committee and approve the
student's registration for thesis credit.. |
| 4. | Prepare the final manuscript | | | | | |
Both the student and the committee
are responsible for seeing that the "UNC Charlotte Guidelines
for Theses," available in the Graduate School and in the English
Department or MDSK, are
followed. In addition to adhering to these guidelines, the
student should also follow the MLA Handbook, second edition, or
APA style, depending on the kind of study undertaken. Three
copies of the unbound approved thesis must be submitted to the
Graduate School not later than one week before the beginning of
the final exam period for the semester or summer session at the
end of which the degree is to be awarded. Specific dates should
be verified with the Department or the Graduate School. The
Graduate School checks to see if the thesis conforms to the
guidelines and will not accept the thesis if these guidelines
have not been followed. The Graduate
School is willing to conduct a preliminary check of the thesis
before the student prepares the three copies. | | | |
If you have any additional questions or require further information,
please contact:
|
MDSK Homepage
