1. Confirm Adviser(s)
Rules
Department of English Master's Degree Thesis Policy #4
This is the beginning stage of the thesis process. You should talk to a Department of English faculty member who specializes in your research topic about possibility to advise your thesis. A co-adviser, either from within or outside of the Department of English, may be sought if your adviser thinks it is necessary.
Change of Adviser: Please complete the Application Form for Changing Thesis Advisor and send the signed form to the department office. Change of a student's adviser requires approval from the current adviser, the new adviser, and the department chair. For special cases, the application will be discussed in a faculty meeting.
A Department of English faculty member can advise a maximum of three MA students.
Time
- Earliest: Second semester of the first year
- Latest: Before the end of the first semester of the second year
Documents
Find and secure your adviser as suggested above. Then complete the following forms and submit them to the department office to complete adviser confirmation.
- Graduate Student Thesis Advisor Agreement (.doc, .odt, .pdf) - Printed copy
- Graduate Student Thesis Co-Advising Agreement (.doc, .odt, .pdf) - Printed copy; if applicable
- Application Form for Changing Thesis Advisor (.doc, .odt, .pdf) - Printed copy; if applicable
After you confirm your adviser, it's recommended to set up a regular meeting time with your adviser. The first few meetings can be discussions of your thesis topic and the feasibility of your current research plan. To make the meetings effective, please do your research and prepare materials before coming to the meetings. It is also important to plan ahead on what you would like to talk to your adviser about in the meetings. Subsequent meetings will be mainly for your adviser to give you feedback on your thesis. Check with your adviser to find out what method of giving feedback will be best for both of you. Some advisors will prefer that you send in your updated thesis draft one or two weeks before the meeting time to allow your adviser to read through your thesis. Others prefer to workshop the draft in person. Of course, the best method for giving feedback may change as your thesis gets closer to completion.
Bear in mind that this is your thesis, and you should be the one who takes initiative in everything. Do not expect your adviser to write you regularly to check on the thesis status or schedule a meeting with you.