College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Catalog 2016

139 that the student can work independently, integrate discipline-specific information, and respond to feedback. The student must register for 18 credits of graduate coursework before taking master’s thesis courses. The student must complete 6 credits of thesis coursework (at 3 credits per semester) to meet degree requirements. If a student has not successfully defended his/her thesis after completing 6 credits of thesis coursework, the student must remain enrolled in a 3-credit thesis course for each additional semester during which he/she is working on the thesis, including the semester of defense. During this time, the student must maintain active status in the degree program. Students may complete a maximum of 12 credit hours of thesis work. The thesis may take one of the following forms: Research Thesis: Student designs, conducts, and reports findings from qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research projects. Theoretical Thesis: Student examines a well-focused question or problem through an informed context that is critical, theoretical, and/or historical. Digital Media Thesis: Student designs a piece of digital media, such as a website or app. Technical Thesis: Student produces a substantial manual, guidebook, scholarly or professional Web site, white paper, report, or grant proposal. Thesis details should be finalized with the thesis adviser. The thesis process should include the following three phases. Phase One: Selecting a Committee and Writing a Proposal Advising Committee For guidance throughout the research and writing process, students first select a thesis adviser. The thesis adviser must be a full-time NSU faculty member in the student’s discipline. Ideally, the thesis adviser will have expertise that is relevant to the student’s area of study. In consultation with the adviser, students then select an additional faculty member to be a part of the thesis committee. The thesis adviser meets regularly with the student to set goals, review drafts, and ensure progress. Committee members give feedback on the proposal and the final draft, as well as evaluate the Thesis Defense. Writing a Thesis Proposal and Submitting an Institutional Review Board (IRB) Application After selecting a committee, the student must write a short proposal describing the theoretical background, proposed methods, and timeline for the thesis project and submit it to the committee for approval. Under consultation with the committee, the proposal is reviewed to ensure feasibility, clear focus, and potential for development. When the proposal has been approved by the committee members, the student and committee members sign the Thesis Proposal Approval Form (can be obtained from the thesis adviser), and the committee authorizes the student to complete the IRB application form (if applicable). Students should initiate the thesis IRB application process as early as possible, as the process can be time consuming. The necessary requirements and forms are available at www.nova.edu/irb/manual/forms.html .