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Proposal Meeting for Thesis or Professional Project
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| Six hours credit may be earned for the Thesis under MC599 or Professional Project under MC 598. Before beginning work, each student should be familiar with Guidelines for the Preparation of Thesis or Project, issued by the Graduate School. |
Thesis:
The preparation of a thesis proposal involves the following steps:
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| Step 1: |
Before beginning a proposal, students should discuss their topic area with the chairperson of their graduate committee in order to determine if the topic is appropriate, and to get helpful research advice. |
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| Step 2: |
Students should prepare a complete proposal and set up a proposal meeting with their committee. Thesis proposals normally include Sections I, II, and III of "A Brief Guide for the Preparation of A Research Study" (Appendix D of Mass Communications Graduate Handbook). The chairperson of the graduate committee will then schedule a committee meeting to approve or disapprove the proposal. Students must register thesis and project titles with the Graduate School as soon as the proposal is approved. |
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Please note that the Graduate School requires that a title be registered two semesters prior to a student’s anticipated graduation. |
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| Step 3: |
Once the proposal has been accepted by the committee, students may complete their Thesis with the help and advice of their graduate advisors. |
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NOTE: Each Thesis must relate to the theories of mass communication taught in MC500 and use, as appropriate, the research methods taught in MC501. |
Professional Project
Six hours of credit may be earned for the project under MC598. The preparation of a project involves the following steps:
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| Step 1: |
Before beginning a thesis proposal, students should discuss their topic area with the chairperson of their graduate committee in order to determine if the topic is appropriate, and to get helpful research advice. |
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| Step 2: |
A student should prepare a project proposal that includes: (1) An overview of the project; (2) A summary of relevant theory and research; (3) Overview of methodology to be used, and (4) A statement of the significance of the project. |
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| Step 3: |
Once the proposal is accepted, a student may complete his/her project with the help and advice of the graduate committee. |
The finish project includes three sections:
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| Step 1. |
Overview of the project including review of relevant research and statement of the significance of the project (essentially a more elaborate and revised version of the proposal, Step 2). |
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| Step 2. |
A lengthy statement describing how the communication theories studied in MC500 will guide the completion of the project, and how methodologies learned in MC 501 were applied. |
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| Step 3. |
The project itself. |
It is the student’s responsibility to provide a complete copy of the project for the department’s permanent records.
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| NOTE: Each Professional Project must relate to the theories of mass communication taught in MC500 and use, as appropriate, the research methods taught in MC501. |
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