Scholarly Work

From MWSU Graduate School Policy Portal

Graduate students may be required to complete a Scholarly Work component as part of their requirements for graduation, as designated by their graduate program. The requirement may be met through one of two options as prescribed for the individual's approved program of study. The options are graduate project or thesis.

Contents 1 Graduate Project 2 Thesis 2.1 Important Deadlines 3 Exceptions 4 Thesis Forms

Graduate Project

A graduate project is a scholarly work which demonstrates synthesis of knowledge obtained from the graduate program of study. This can be in the form of a research project, research paper, scholarly writing, original artistic work/composition, or capstone project. The graduate project must be presented and defended before the student’s graduate committee. The student's advisor and committee must approve the research project and file the Final Project Approval Form with the Graduate Office. Committee acceptance of the completed Graduate Project must be filed with the Graduate Studies Office at least 10 days before the end of classes.

Thesis

A thesis is an in-depth scholarly examination of a particular topic which makes a significant original contribution to the student's academic field. In general, a thesis is based on the examination of hypothesis(es) or research objective(s) and includes the following components: an abstract, a review of literature, methods and procedures, data summary or findings from primary sources, and a discussion of the findings. The thesis requires approval of the supervising graduate research faculty member, the student’s graduate committee and the graduate dean. An oral defense of the thesis before their graduate committee is required. Acceptance by the committee of the completed thesis must be filed in the Graduate Studies Office prior to graduation. The thesis must be submitted to the graduate school for placement in the library according to the Thesis Guidelines Manual.

Important Deadlines

Note: Some programs may have deadlines that are MORE STRINGENT than these.

At least one full semester prior to graduation

• File Thesis Committee Approval Form

Before you start collecting data

• Ensure you have IRB and/or Animal Care Committee approval
• Ensure you have any necessary copyright or other permission

At least 8 weeks before graduation

• Provide copies of your thesis to your thesis committee and begin your thesis defense process

At least 20 days before the end of the semester in which you graduate

• Request a Thesis Format Waiver if needed

At least 10 days before the end of the semester in which you graduate

• A completed and approved thesis must be sent to the graduate school along with the Thesis Approval Form. This should include three copies of your thesis, and an electronic version emailed to graduate@missouriwestern.edu

Exceptions

Some programs have modified these rules for their disciplines.

Students in the Applied Integrated Media (AIM) program should see http://www.missouriwestern.edu/aim/guidelines.html

If you believe you need an exception, please complete the Request For A Thesis Format Waiver

Thesis Forms

• Thesis Guidelines Manual
• Thesis Completion Approval Form (also used for Internships and Scholarly Work)
• Request For A Bound Copy
• Thesis Committee Form
• Request For An External Committee Member
• Request For A Thesis Format Waiver