Capstone Option B (Thesis)
Master of Arts in Education

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The steps involved in completing a thesis include: committee selection, proposal submission, proposal approval, research and analysis of findings, preliminary draft submission to committee, changes and corrections, final draft submission and approval by committee, project presentation, submission of two original error-free copies to the college, and payment of the research thesis binding fee.

Thesis Committee
During ED 510 Inquiry Methodology, the student will be given the name(s) of faculty who have expertise in the area of the student's thesis. The student is responsible for contacting these persons. A student and/or the thesis advisor may suggest the faculty member who is appointed as the second faculty member to serve on a thesis committee. The Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Education Program must approve the committee membership as well as the thesis topic, timeline, and methods for the study.

Approval of Thesis Topic
The topic should arise out of the student's professional need to research an area of concern or interest. The formal petition for approval of the topic must clearly set forth the problem, the intended organization, and the methods of data collection and analysis. The latest date that the committee and the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Education Program will approve the topic is one semester before the student expects to graduate. The results from the thesis should generalize to a larger context than the project and add to the knowledge base of the field or serve as a basis for professional policy or change.

Thesis Drafts and Abstract
A preliminary draft of the completed thesis should be submitted to the thesis committee by the time a student files the application for graduation. The final draft of the manuscript should be re-submitted to the committee and the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Education Program sufficiently prior to the date set for the final presentation to allow for necessary revisions and changes to be made. The Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Education Program should be consulted for this deadline. The final manuscript must conform to APA standards and the master's handbook. The manuscript is bound and placed in the Pilgrim Library. A research thesis binding fee is charged at the time of enrollment in ED 599 Master's Thesis.

Project Final Presentation
Each candidate for the degree makes a formal oral presentation of the thesis and responds to questions from the advisor/committee and/or audience. These presentations are scheduled at the end of spring semester and just prior to the beginning of classes in August and in early December (if needed).