Thesis

When a student is required to write a thesis or elects to write a thesis in partial fulfillment of requirements for a degree, the adviser will indicate this decision on the student’s program during the advisement session. A special supervisory committee to assist the student in planning his or her course of study and research proposal will be appointed by the department chair. The advisory committee named for educational specialist students will serve as the thesis committee.

Students must complete the Thesis Topic Approval Form (obtained from The Murphy Graduate School) prior to proceeding with their thesis. Included in the Thesis Topic Approval Form is a statement requesting approval from the Institutional Review Board. Each student conducting research on human subjects is required to attain the handbook “Guidelines for Investigators/The Review Process for Research on Human Subjects,” from 101 Buskey Building.

Students should submit their Protocol for Research Involving Human Subjects to the chair of the Institutional Review Board. After the Institutional Review Board reviews the Protocol, the student shall be notified of his/her status. After appropriate clearance, the student may proceed with his/her research.

After the research and thesis are completed, the student is to arrange a defense before his/her committee. After corrections are made, the thesis is to be reviewed by a technical screening committee. Once the draft submitted meets the approval of this committee, a final copy is to be presented to the thesis committee for final proofing and then to The Murphy Graduate School for final assessment and binding. A charge is assessed for the binding of the thesis.

The topic chosen for the thesis must be in the student’s major area of study. Specific instructions for the preparation of theses and additional requirements are available in The Murphy Graduate School. For specific policies and guidelines pertinent to the M.S. in biology program, refer to The Graduate Student Handbook, Biological Sciences.