Requirements
A thesis must be the student’s own work and must demonstrate a capacity for research and independent thought.
Forming a Thesis Committee
When a thesis is required for a master’s degree, the student must submit a Request for Thesis Committee form (M2) or a Request for Dual Master’s Thesis Committees form (DM2) for approval by the program’s director of graduate studies and the Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester.
Learn MoreEnrolling
Students expecting to present a thesis, manuscript, project, portfolio, dissertation or take comps must be enrolled in the term when that activity occurs.
Learn MorePreparing the Thesis
If a thesis is required, it must be the student’s own work and must demonstrate a capacity for research and independent thought.
A student writing a thesis should refer to the dissertation and thesis guidelines and a copy of academic program requirements from the director of graduate studies.
Consult the academic deadlines for master’s students to see the thesis deadline for the current year.
Thesis Acceptance
The thesis is approved by the major advisor, a second reader from the academic program. The third reader may be an outside reader who is a member of the graduate faculty from a different MU graduate program or another member of the graduate faculty from the academic program.
Students must supply committee members with copies for review and evaluation.
For the thesis to be successfully defended, the student’s committee must vote to pass the student on the defense with no more than one dissenting or abstaining vote. In addition, the committee must approve the written dissertation by signing the approval page (an unsigned copy of the approval page is included in the submitted thesis). Both the oral and written defense must be completed successfully to complete the degree.
After successfully defending the thesis, the student makes any needed adjustments in format and corrections or clarifications based on input from the committee. If a student is unable to make adjustments and have them approved by the committee prior to the thesis deadline, they have one additional semester to complete them. They will be unable to graduate until the M3, written thesis, and approval page are submitted.
The thesis is submitted as pdf file, which is uploaded to CANVAS by the deadline established by the Graduate School.
Learn MoreReporting Requirements
After the successful defense of the thesis, the members of the student’s committee must sign the Report of the Master’s Examining Committee form (M3), which is then forwarded through the academic program’s director of graduate studies to the Graduate School.
Submission
- The preferred method of submission is via CANVAS. The Graduate School will also accept submissions on CD or DVD if necessary.
- The thesis must be a portable document format (pdf) file, with the appropriate margins and formatting.
- Additional electronic materials may also be included, providing they are of the appropriate file type.
Supplemental Documents that Accompany the Electronic Submission
Several supplemental documents must accompany your submission including a signed approval page indicating the committee’s approval of your written work, electronic release form, and processing fee. These items can be printed, completed, scanned, and submitted through canvas.
View Thesis & Dissertation Guidelines for More Information