THESIS, FIELD STUDY AND SCHOLARLY STUDY REQUIREMENTS

A writing project (Thesis, Field Study, or Scholarly Study) provides an opportunity for the student to obtain first-hand experience in research methods under competent direction of a faculty member. The thesis writing project must be assigned to a total of at least six hours of graduate credit on the approved program of study. The scholarly study and field study writing project may be 3-6 hours of graduate credit on the approved program of study.

At the time a student elects to write a thesis, field study, or scholarly study for either the Master's Degree or the Specialist Degree, the advisor and the Chair of the Graduate Program Committee concerned shall obtain approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research on the composition of the committee by submitting a "Proposed Supervisory Committee" form. This committee will approve a thesis problem and guide the student in the writing of the thesis, field study or scholarly study. The committee will also examine the student in the required oral examination at the completion of the project. The time and place of the examination will be determined by the Chair of the Committee.

The committee will be composed of the following graduate faculty members:

• The candidate's thesis professor who will serve as chair,
• A member representing the candidate's major discipline (generally from the degree granting institution),
• A third member representing a related field in the college in which the candidate's major field is located, and
• A fourth member selected at large from the University of Nebraska Graduate Faculty. This member may be an additional representative from the candidate's department.

Exceptions to the composition of the thesis committee must be approved by the Graduate Program Chair and The Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. The candidate, along with the major professor, may seek a review of the composition of the committee if sufficient cause is shown.

It is the responsibility of the student to follow the writing requirements set by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Thesis students shall use the "Guidelines for the Preparation of Your Master's Thesis" for their project. A .pdf version of this guide is also available on the Resources page of the Graduate Studies and Research website under THESIS Information. Students completing a Scholarly Study can obtain guidelines from their advisor in the Counseling & School Psychology Department and students completing a Field Study can request guidelines from their Educational Administration Advisor.

The student must have an oral defense of the writing project. At that time, the supervisory committee must sign the acceptance page. Approval of the writing by every member of the supervisory committee is required.

If the candidate fails to pass the oral examination, the committee shall choose one of the following options:

• Recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research that the candidate be reexamined after a specified interval. Means for improvement shall be recommended to the candidate by the committee.
• Recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research that the candidate be refused graduation.