Theses and master's writing projects are capstone experiences in which candidates for the M.A. in English integrate the ideas and skills developed through their courses and independent reading. They are written after all or nearly all other degree requirements have been fulfilled. Students are encouraged, however, to begin thinking about topics and goals for these experiences as they proceed through course work.

Guidelines and contract forms for theses and master's writing projects are found later in this handbook. These vary depending on a student’s area of concentration and so are included in those sections.

Procedures for Theses

The thesis is an extended research or critical document focusing on a specific issue or problem of importance to scholars. It is an option available for candidates in children’s literature, linguistics, literature, and written communication. A master's thesis prepares you for further work in your field and serves as the basis for publications and presentations. It is useful (but not essential) for students planning to continue graduate studies towards a Ph.D.

The work for the thesis must be conducted under the ongoing supervision of a thesis director and second reader. Three hours of thesis credit (ENGL 692) apply towards the master's degree.

The following are some general procedures that all students who elect to do a thesis should follow:

1. Thesis Topic and Director

Begin thinking about the thesis early in your program: whether writing a thesis will be an appropriate option given your goals and interests, and what kinds of interests and outlooks might lead to a thesis project. Discuss your interests with a faculty member. Determine which faculty members might serve as your thesis director and second reader. A larger committee may be chosen, if appropriate. The committee may include a faculty member from another department whose expertise is relevant to the project. You should discuss this option with your thesis director. It is within any faculty member's discretion whether or not to direct a thesis or serve on a thesis committee.

Students in the written communication concentration plan the thesis while enrolled in ENG 621, Research in the Practice and Theory of Writing, which generally is taken after completing at least fifteen hours of course work in the program.

2. Proposal

Once you’ve decided on a topic, and it’s been approved by your director, you’ll write a draft of your thesis proposal, which your director and reader will respond to. The proposal should include a statement of the problem, your objectives and approach, a description of methodology, and a working bibliography. Your director typically will work with you through at least a few drafts of the proposal before approving it and passing it along to the graduate coordinator—and sometimes the program coordinator as well—for final sign-offs.

3. Thesis Contract

Once your thesis director accepts your proposal for the project, you need to fill out the thesis contract form, sign it, and obtain the approval signatures of your thesis director, second reader, and the graduate coordinator (again, some programs also require the signature of the program coordinator). Once your proposal and contract are approved, the graduate coordinator will return the contract form to you, keeping a copy of the proposal and contract form on file. You will also receive a course number at this time that will allow you to register for your thesis hours. This typically is not done until everything is approved and signed off on. You also cannot register until you have this number, which one of the department secretaries will obtain for you.

4. Registering

Again, to register for thesis credits, you need to obtain a course number from one of the department secretaries. This can happen only after you have an approved contract. You can then use this number to register for ENGL 692.

5. Writing the Thesis

Writing the thesis can begin after your proposal has been accepted. You should submit drafts of each section or chapter of the thesis to your director and other reader(s) for their comments and suggestions for revision. Usually, an entire manuscript can be submitted only after individual sections have been revised and approved.

No papers written to meet the requirements of another course may be included in your thesis in the same form in which they were written, although it is perfectly acceptable if ideas for your thesis grow from your previous work in the program.

If any part of your thesis results from a collaborative effort, you must describe your contribution precisely. Any collaborative efforts must be negotiated in advance and approved by your thesis director, second reader, and graduate coordinator.

If you make a major change in your thesis or abandon it completely, you must inform the graduate coordinator. You must submit a new thesis proposal and contract to continue with the thesis option.

6. Submitting the Completed Thesis

When you complete the final draft of your thesis, you will submit it to your thesis director and second reader for review and for the eventual signing of the approval page. You are responsible for the readiness of this draft—format, documentation, grammatical conventions, editing, and proofreading—and should consult the Graduate School thesis manual (see below). The graduate coordinator—and in some cases the program coordinator—will also review the completed thesis and sign the approval page. Following approval, one unbound copy will be submitted to the Graduate School for review and final approval for binding.

The Graduate School ultimately will authorize binding and will provide you with the necessary information on binding and submitting the final thesis. In addition to the copies required by the Graduate School, one copy should be given to the graduate coordinator for the departmental collection. It is a courtesy to ask your director and second reader(s) if they would also like a copy. You are responsible for registering you thesis with University Microfilms International (application forms for this are available through the Graduate School).

7. Deadlines

Deadlines for submitting the completed thesis are:   

These deadlines exist so that any deficiencies identified by the Graduate School can be corrected and re-reviewed for final approval. Theses received by the Graduate School on or before the scheduled deadlines are guaranteed review for the designated graduation date.

8. Thesis Credit

Credit for ENGL 692 is granted after the thesis has been accepted by your thesis director, reader(s), graduate coordinator, program coordinator (in some cases), and the Graduate School. You may register only once for thesis credit, and no grade will be assigned (other than "I'') until the project is completed and approved. At that time, your thesis director will submit a change of grade request.

9. Authority

The Graduate School is the final authority for setting manuscript guidelines for theses. Accordingly, you should become familiar with the thesis manual developed by the Graduate School and follow its procedures and format specifications. Documentation should follow either the MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association) manuals. Linguistics theses follow APA guidelines as modified by the American Linguistics Society. You can find the Graduate School thesis manual at the following site:

http://www.gradord.emich.edu/downloads/grad_files/thesisdissertation/thesis/thesis_manual.pdf

Procedures for Writing Projects

Procedures for writing projects are specific to the various programs that have these as an option. Information about them is contained in those sections.