MSTC Thesis Details

Students may choose to start their master’s thesis any time after they have completed 15 hours of coursework (and are maintaining a 3.0 GPA). Before submitting a proposal for a thesis, students should talk with the Director of the MSTC program about their plans. In addition, they should discuss their ideas with professors who they think would be most suited to direct the thesis.

TCOM 6390 – Directed Research Semester

After communicating with the Director and other relevant professors, students will enroll in TCOM 6390 - Directed Research.

Students will then put together a thesis proposal form and email it to the Program director by the fourth Monday of the semester in which they enroll in TCOM 6390. The Program Director will share the proposal with the Graduate Advisory Council (GAC) for review.

The GAC has a rotating membership of four faculty members in the MSTC program. They will review the proposal and respond within 2 weeks in one of three ways:

1. Approve the proposal
2. Ask student to revise and resubmit the proposal
3. Reject the proposal with the recommendation that students find another project or consider a different final experience option

If the proposal is approved, students will spend the rest of the semester working on the thesis.

If the proposal is not approved, students will meet with the Director to discuss other options.

TCOM 6391 - Thesis Semester
During this semester, students will work on the thesis with a goal of defending their work in front of their committee before the end of the semester. Students are expected to keep the committee members informed about their progress throughout the semester. Prior to their defense, the Director of the program will assign a third committee member who acts as an “outside reader." The third member will not see the earlier drafts of the thesis.

In order to arrange for the defense of their work students are responsible for completing a defense request form (PDF). Students are also responsible for providing a complete and final draft of their thesis to all of their committee members at least two weeks before the defense.

Students should make sure to follow the university formatting guidelines (PDF).

Once their final draft is approved and they have the signature page filled out, students should complete the binding request form (PDF).

The following information provides details about the deliverables and deadlines:

If Taken in the Fall Semester:

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If Taken in the Spring Semester: