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St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University

Mass Communications
Graduate Program

graduate program

thesis policy

Graduate Program Policy on Master’s Thesis and Starred Paper

The thesis is oriented toward primary research and original data gathering and quantitative or qualitative data analysis (e.g., survey, focus group, experimental study, in-depth interviews, etc.). The starred paper is oriented toward secondary research that utilizes existing data/literature.

A graduate student who intends to begin the master's thesis or starred paper process, must follow the following procedures.

  1. The student must have a graduate GPA of 3.0 or better and the Plan of Study must have been approved by the graduate dean.
  2. The student will submit a preliminary proposal to the graduate director (see attached form). This proposal will outline the research topic, the methodology, and the desired committee structure. A master's thesis or a starred paper is completed under the supervision of a committee consisting of two graduate faculty members from the mass communication department and a third graduate faculty member from a related department. The advisor or chair of the committee must hold a Ph.D. degree and must have relevant training in the methodological area. The graduate director will convene a meeting of the graduate committee to review the preliminary proposal and to approve the final structure of the thesis/starred paper committee.
  3. After the thesis/starred paper committee has been finalized, the student will develop a formal and detailed proposal (in consultation with the adviser) and will submit one copy to the graduate director and four copies to the Graduate Studies Office two weeks prior to the time requested for a preliminary conference of the thesis/starred paper committee.  The student should then request the Graduate Studies Office to schedule the preliminary conference.  At the preliminary conference, the thesis/starred paper committee will review the proposal and will either approve it or suggest revisions.  The preliminary conference must be held at least one semester prior to the final oral defense of the thesis or starred paper. If you are planning to graduate in the spring semester, for example, you should start your thesis or starred paper in the fall semester and submit it for oral defense in the following semester.
  4. After the proposal is approved, the student will work with the adviser to develop his/her thesis or starred paper.
  5. The student will register for an arranged course (COMM 699 for Thesis, 6 Cr. or COMM 689 for Starred Paper, 3 Cr.). To register, the student will have to have an arranged course form signed by the adviser prior to completing the registration process at the Records and Registration Office at AS 117. The credits for Thesis may be spread over two or more semesters if so desired.
  6. In consultation with the adviser, the student will complete a draft of the thesis/starred paper. Upon approval of the adviser, the thesis or starred paper should be distributed to the committee. Within two weeks, the adviser will schedule a meeting to determine if the thesis/starred paper is ready for defense or if it will require minor revisions. Out of the three members, two mass communications graduate faculty members must agree that the thesis/starred paper meets the minimum standard for defense. If agreement cannot be reached, the matter should be referred to the mass communications graduate committee. Upon reading of the thesis/starred paper, the graduate committee will take a majority vote on the matter.
  7. When the thesis/starred paper is approved for defense, the student will request the Graduate Studies Office to schedule a meeting with the committee for the defense.
  8. Revisions made following the defense should be reviewed and voted upon by all committee members, unless they decide to defer the responsibility of supervising the final revisions to the adviser.
  9. When the committee has approved the thesis/starred paper in its final form, the student should submit three copies (four copies if the student wants a personal copy) to the Graduate Studies Office for binding. Each copy of the thesis/starred paper should contain an abstract. The copies of the thesis/starred paper should be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office no later than seven weeks before the completion of work for the master's degree and no later than three weeks prior to the end of the semester. The student will pay the binding fee to the Graduate Studies Office at the time the final copies are submitted.
  10. The student will also submit two additional copies of the abstract of no more than 400 words to the Graduate Studies Office. The abstract will include the signature of the adviser.
  11. The thesis/starred paper must follow the format, style, and standards outlined in A Manual for the Preparation of Field Studies, Thesis, Creative Works, or Starred Paper(s) and in any approved style manual specified by the department. When a conflict exists in standards, format or style, the manual published by the Graduate Studies Office takes precedence over any other manual approved for department use.