Degree Programs

Master's Degree Thesis

The student pursuing the master's degree must select a thesis research topic and develop it in consultation with his or her supervisory committee chair and committee. The research project should be designed for completion, together with other program requirements, within a two- to three-year period. The thesis should provide evidence of the student's ability to carry out independent investigations and to present the results in a clear and systematic form.

Master's Degree Thesis Proposal

A student is expected to submit a thesis proposal to their supervisory committee before the end of the 5th quarter of study and before beginning substantive thesis research. The thesis proposal provides evidence to the supervisory committee of the student’s readiness to carry out the research, and also clarifies the expectations of both parties (the student and committee) as to the final content of the thesis.

The objective of a master's thesis proposal is to ensure a definite plan for the work to be done. Once approved by the supervisory committee, it becomes an informal contract between the student and the committee. In addition, a thesis proposal serves as:

• a basis for discussions between student and committee regarding experimental design, data analysis, and focus of the coursework
  
  
• a clear statement of the amount of effort anticipated to produce an acceptable thesis.

While the thesis proposal serves as an agreement between student and committee, both parties also must recognize that flexibility is needed to include later changes as experiments may fail and new opportunities may arise.

Master's Degree Thesis Proposal Format

A typical master's thesis proposal format is as follows

• Introduction: General background, importance of the subject area.
  
  
• Objective(s): A concise statement of the purpose(s) or objective(s) of the project; this should flow logically from the introduction and be short and specific.
  
  
• Methods: General plan, specific methods, sampling or experimental design, duration, and projected procedure for data analysis; these methods should be appropriate for directly addressing the purpose(s) or objective(s).
  
  
• Interpretation: How will the results be interpreted? There should be explicitly stated inferences that would be drawn from all outcomes; outcomes that cannot be interpreted imply imprecise objectives or inappropriate methods.
  
  
• Significance: Why is this investigation justified? What is the scientific or practical contribution?

The length of the written thesis proposal should be the minimum needed to adequately address these topics; 8-10 pages including references would be appropriate. The intent is to write the proposal early in the degree program. If written too late, it will begin to resemble the thesis in size and scope, and its primary purpose will be lost.

Completion of the Master's Degree Thesis

The near-to-final draft of the thesis is reviewed and approved by the supervisory committee chair and a decision on a final examination date is identified in consultation with the chair. The draft is then circulated to committee members with adequate time to review the thesis prior to the final examination (approximately four weeks).

The final draft of the thesis takes place after the public presentation of the research, incorporating changes suggested by the supervisory committee. For preparation instructions and samples of appropriate formats, citations, graphics, etc., refer to the Graduate School's “Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations”.

Application to Request Master's Degree

Students must submit an Online Master's Degree Request from the 1st day of the quarter they expect to graduate until the Sunday (midnight Pacific Time) of the 7th* week of the quarter they expect to graduate. If students miss the deadline, they may submit a request until the Sunday (midnight Pacific Time) of the 9th* week of the quarter they expect to graduate if they pay a $250 graduate degree late fee. If degree requirements are not met in the requested quarter and/or students neglect to pay the late fee, they must submit another degree request for the quarter in which they expect to complete requirements. If degree requirements are not completed in the requested quarter, another online Master's Degree Request must be submitted for the quarter in which requirements will be completed.

When completing the Master's Degree Request, the program will automatically run a degree audit to inform the student of any unsatisfied Graduate School requirements. The student will receive an email confirming receipt of their Master's Degree Request and the QERM program is notified through MyGradProgram - Department View that a request has been submitted.

The QERM Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) will enter any program contingencies into MyGradProgram and can elect to send an e-mail to the student to notify them of the program contingencies. The QERM GPA will print the Master's Degree warrant and the student will present the warrant and program file to the master's committee at the time of their thesis defense.

By signing the Master's Degree warrant, the student's committee certifies that the student has met all program requirements for the degree (except the final version of the thesis) and the warrant must be placed in the student's program file.

Once the warrant has been signed, the QERM program will recommend whether or not the student is to graduate that quarter and this recommendations is conveyed to the Graduate School through MyGradProgram by the Sunday (midnight Pacific Time) following the end of the quarter. E-mails are sent to the student notifying him/her that the program has made a recommendation on their request.

Once the Graduate School receives the degree request recommendation, a final transcript audit and a review to determine if all Graduate School and QERM program contingencies are met, will be completed by Graduate School staff.

The Graduate School enters the final graduation decision into MyGradProgram, e-mail notification issent to the student informing him/her of their graduation status.

Completion of the Master's Degree

After finalizing the date and location of the final examination, the student notifies the QERM Graduate Program Assistant (GPA), who will publicize the time and location of the presentation. It is recommended that students schedule this presentation at least 3 weeks in advance of the date, but no less than two and a half weeks before the end of the quarter.

A minimum of two committee members must be present at the public presentation and examination, although all members of the supervisory committee must certify the results By signing the Master's Degree warrant, the students' committee certifies that the student has met all program requirements for the degree (except the thesis) and the form must be placed in the students' program file. If the examination is not satisfactory, the committee may recommend that the student be allowed to take another examination after an interval of study.

Graduate Degree Late Fee

The Graduate Degree Late Fee is an option in lieu of registration for a given quarter for eligible students who did not: 1) file a timely Master's Degree Request during the current quarter or, 2) submit the thesis that was successfully defended by the end of the previous quarter, i.e. only formatting the thesis to Graduate School requirements remains to be completed .

NOTE: International students must consult an advisor in the International Services Office to determine eligibility for this policy.

Students who successfully defended the previous quarter and met all other requirements with the exception of submitting the thesis to the Graduate School may pay the graduate degree late fee in lieu of registration if:

• they were registered the quarter immediately prior to paying the fee and,
  
  
• successfully defended the thesis, completed all course requirements, and Graduate School and QERM degree requirements (with the exception of the thesis submission) the quarter immediately prior to paying the fee and,
  
  
• thesis was submitted and accepted by the Graduate School no later than the 4th Friday of the quarter they paid the fee and,
  
  
• filed an online Master's Degree Request by the 4th Sunday of the quarter they pay the fee and,
  
  
• paid the fee prior to the 4th Friday of the degree request quarter.
  

Students graduate the quarter that they pay the fee if they have met the applicable fee eligibility requirements, their program recommends graduation to the Graduate School, and the Graduate School approves graduation.