Thesis/Independent Study/Scholarly Project or Dissertation

Thesis

The student must submit a thesis to the School of Graduate Studies as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. Credit will be given for the writing of the thesis and for the research completed and incorporated into the thesis. The amount of credit may vary from four to nine credits and will be determined by the major department. The thesis, prepared under the guidance of the student’s faculty advisor, must show sound method and demonstrate scholarship. The School of Graduate Studies provides a style manual that may be used, but the faculty advisory committee may select any appropriate style guide or manual to follow.

The topic for a thesis must be approved by the student’s Faculty Advisory Committee. Approval is effected by the student completing the appropriate form, then submitting the proposal to the Advisory Committee and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for their approval. The approved proposal is then filed in the School of Graduate Studies to become part of the student's record. The proposal must be approved no later than the semester prior to the semester in which the student expects to graduate, and must be filed in the School of Graduate Studies before a student is advanced to candidacy for a master’s degree.

A preliminary draft of the thesis must be presented to the Advisory Committee sufficiently in advance of the preliminary approval deadline so that the Advisory Committee may thoroughly evaluate the thesis. After the necessary corrections and changes have been made, the student should secure the committee members’ signatures on the appropriate form available on the School of Graduate Studies’ website, and file this form in the School of Graduate Studies. The Preliminary Approval, which indicates to the student that no major changes will be required in the final copy of the thesis, must be in the School of Graduate Studies no later than the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar, or the student will not be permitted to graduate that semester.

Copies of the thesis in its final form must be prepared and presented to the student’s Faculty Advisory Committee in time that they may thoroughly read the thesis prior to the final examination. When the final version of the thesis has been approved by the Committee, it must be submitted electronically to ProQuest for publication and receive the signed approval of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies by the deadline announced in the Academic Calendar (usually two weeks prior to commencement).

The final copy of the thesis will be printed and bound by ProQuest and cataloged in the University Library. The student may be required to submit additional copies to the department or faculty committee members.

Independent Study or Scholarly Project

The independent study or scholarly project is designed to require the student independently to investigate a topic related to the major field of study. The study need not be an original contribution to knowledge but may be a presentation, analysis, and discussion of information and ideas already in the literature of the field. The requirement is to ensure that a student can investigate a topic and organize a scholarly report on the investigation. Independent studies are single author works; scholarly projects may be team projects.

The topic for an independent study or scholarly project must be approved by the student’s advisor. Approval is effected by the student completing the appropriate form available from the School of Graduate Studies and on the School of Graduate Studies website, then submitting the proposal to the advisor for approval. The proposal, must be approved no later than the semester or prior to the one in which the student expects to graduate, and must be filed in the School of Graduate Studies to become part of the record before a student is advanced to candidacy for a master’s degree.

Students must prepare and secure the advisor’s approval of an independent study or scholarly project report. Copies must be accepted by the advisor who will certify completion by submission of the Final Report on Candidate to the School of Graduate Studies by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar and submit a grade for 997-Independent Study or 995-Scholarly Project to the Office of the Registrar. The number of copies required will be specified by the department.

Dissertation

Each candidate for the Doctoral degree must submit a dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. The dissertation is prepared with the guidance and advice of the student’s faculty advisor. The School of Graduate Studies provides a style manual that may be used, but the faculty advisory committee may select any appropriate style guide or manual to follow.

The topic for the dissertation must be approved in advance by the student’s Faculty Advisory Committee. Approval is effected by the student completing the appropriate form available on the School of Graduate Studies website, then submitting the proposal to the committee and to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for approval. The approved proposal must be filed in the School of Graduate Studies for approval. The proposal should be approved no later than the semester before the degree is expected, but it must be completed before advancement to candidacy.

The draft of the dissertation should be presented to the Faculty Advisory Committee sufficiently in advance of the Preliminary Approval deadline that a thorough evaluation may be effected by the entire committee. The committee must be able to read the draft, suggest corrections and changes, and the student must be able to make the corrections, all in time for the committee to indicate its approval of the draft by signing the appropriate form. The student must deposit the approval form in the School of Graduate Studies by the deadline specified in the academic calendar. The Preliminary Approval assures the student that no major changes will be required in the final copy of the dissertation. Copies of the dissertation in its final form must be presented to the Faculty Advisory Committee in time that they may thoroughly read the dissertation prior to the final examination.

When the final version of the dissertation has been approved by the Committee, it must be submitted electronically to ProQuest for publication in time to receive the approval of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar (usually two weeks prior to commencement). The final copy of the dissertation will be printed and bound by ProQuest and cataloged in the University Library. The student may be required to submit additional copies to the department or faculty committee members.

Thesis/Dissertation Defense

The student’s academic advisor must complete the appropriate form and secure the necessary signatures. This Notice of Defense along with the Preliminary Approval must be received at the School of Graduate Studies no later than two weeks in advance of your defense. The candidate and committee members must be physically present at the defense unless the program has developed clear guidelines and instructions by which the candidate or committee members may participate at a distance using real-time synchronous technology. Any technology used to facilitate distance participation by the candidate or committee members must be supported by UND, capable of real-time audio and video, compatible with "presentation" software, such as PowerPoint, and must be open and accessible to the candidate, committee and non-committee members.

What is included in the defense varies from department to department. Some departments have students present their dissertation research in a presentation with a question/answer period following. Your advisor should be able to help you prepare. Your examination will be conducted by your Faculty Advisory Committee. It is also open to the other members of the Graduate Faculty and the academic community.