|
| GUIDELINE
FOR THESES AND DISSERTATIONS |
| 1. |
Students
who intend to write a thesis or
dissertation should consult early in
their programs with the department
chair or program
director/coordinator for a list of
Members of the Graduate Faculty from
which to select an advisor to
supervise and direct their research. |
| 2. |
If
the Member of the Graduate Faculty
selected by the student consents to
serve as an advisor, then the
advisor and student initiate a
recommendation for a
thesis/dissertation committee using
GS Form 4 (8/04). |
| 3. |
Ph.D.
dissertation committees must include
at least one Full Member of the
Graduate Faculty who is the
committee chair and normally the
student’s advisor/major professor.
A Master’s thesis committee must
have a minimum of three members and
a dissertation committee must
include at least four members of the
Graduate Faculty. Both thesis and
dissertation committees must have at
least one member from outside the
student’s department or program. Two-thirds
of the committee must be USA
faculty. |
| 4. |
The
Dean of the Graduate School is the
appointing authority for thesis and
dissertation committees. Once the
Graduate Dean has appointed the
committee, the student prepares a
thesis or dissertation prospectus
under the direction of the
committee. |
| 5. |
"A
Guide for Preparing Theses and
Dissertations", accessed at http://www.southalabama.edu/graduateprograms/ThesisDissertationGuide.pdf,
is the guide for preparation of the
prospectus and the thesis or
dissertation. |
| 6. |
Once
a thesis or dissertation committee
is appointed by the Dean of the
Graduate School, the student may
then enroll for 599 Thesis or 799
Dissertation credit with permission
of the thesis/ dissertation
committee chair (advisor or major
professor). |
| 7. |
To
be considered for approval by the
Dean of the Graduate School, an
acceptable thesis or dissertation
must be submitted to the Graduate
School office by
the first submission deadline
announced in the University
Calendar. |
|
| |
| STANDARDS
FOR THESES AND DISSERTATIONS |
| 1. |
A
thesis/dissertation should
demonstrate that the student has the
capacity for original research,
facility in the use of the English
language, the ability to review
appropriate background material,
formulate and address (a)
significant question(s), obtain,
collate, and analyze appropriate
data and draw logical conclusions
therefrom, and integrate in a
meaningful way the new knowledge
into the greater body of existing
knowledge and state its
significance. The final
thesis/dissertation must be
acceptable to the major professor, a
majority of the thesis/dissertation
committee, the chair of the
student’s department, the college/
school director of graduate studies
and the Dean of the graduate school. |
| 2. |
The
thesis or dissertation must be an
original research and/or creative
project. This document will
demonstrate the student’s ability
to: |
| |
A. |
Select
a topic and delineate a problem that
can be studied in terms of time,
equipment needs and experimental
population available to the faculty
sponsor. |
| |
B. |
Search
the literature for relevant studies
on the topic of choice. |
| |
C. |
Organize
and analyze the information that is
available, using logical and/or
statistical analysis appropriate for
the project. |
| |
D. |
Present
the results orally and in a written
form to the satisfaction of the
thesis/dissertation committee and
the Graduate Faculty. |
| |
E. |
Present
a final document as the Thesis or
Dissertation to the Graduate School
Office in an acceptable form and by
the procedures outlined in the Guide
for Preparing Theses and
Dissertations, University of South
Alabama. |
|
| |
| APPLICATION
FOR DEGREE |
| Each
candidate for the Master’s, Educational
Specialist’s, Doctor of Audiology, Doctor
of Physical Therapy, or Doctor of Philosophy
degree must make application for the degree
during the semester preceding the semester
of graduation, in the Registrar’s Office.
The dates are specified in the University
Calendar. |
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