Thesis

The thesis or dissertation is typically the most significant part of a graduate student's program – both in time and intellectual investment. Graduate students need to make substantial progress planning their thesis during the first year of their program. A thesis proposal combined with a draft coursework program is often reviewed by the SAC in a student's second semester – and always before data collection begins. When embarking on developing a thesis proposal, be sure to meet periodically with your advisor to consider your ideas. Be sure to set realistic goals, develop an appropriate time line or schedule, and read other examples of completed theses (especially those that were published in academic or professional journals). The University of Minnesota library owns a copy of every thesis and dissertation completed here- so there is no shortage of available examples! Be sure your thesis research is focused, is organized around a set of questions, and uses appropriate methods. Rely on your committee to give you advice on research approaches – but remember it is your project and you will need to generate ideas and proposals for them to react to. Be sure to select committee members whose expertise will be relevant to your thesis research and who will give you valuable critique. As you develop your thesis proposal, think about how your work fits into the rest of what is going on in conservation biology worldwide and how your proposed research fits in and contributes to advancing the field.

PhD Thesis Proposal Form

At the time of submission of the doctoral program, or not later than the first semester after passing the preliminary oral examination, students must file the thesis proposal form with the Graduate School, 316 Johnston Hall. The form must include the proposed thesis title and a thesis proposal, about 250 words in length, describing the research to be undertaken and the methods to be employed in carrying it out. Changes in the wording of the thesis title may be made without special approval, but changes cannot be made after the final thesis copy is submitted to the Graduate School . If substantive changes are made in the nature of the thesis research itself, the student must submit a revised thesis proposal immediately. A thesis proposal approved by the Graduate School must be on file before the reviewers report form can be issued to the student.

Thesis Reviewers

All members of the final oral examining committee read the thesis. For Master's theses, the entire committee must be unanimous in certifying that the thesis is ready for defense, as indicated by their signatures on the thesis reviewers report form. For PhD dissertations, only those designated as thesis reviewers sign the report form certifying that the thesis is ready for defense. The designated reviewers for PhD dissertations consist of the adviser and at least two other members of the final oral examining committee. Part of this group of reviewers should come from outside of the graduate program's thesis advisory committee. To permit faculty sufficient time to read the thesis and decide whether it is ready for defense, all members of the examining committee must have at least two weeks to read the thesis. We should indicate the role of the non-readers.

Use of Published Work

The thesis or dissertation may include materials that students have published while a graduate student at University of Minnesota provided the research, was carried out under the direction of the graduate faculty and approved by the advisor for incorporation into the thesis. Such publication is welcomed as the best demonstration of quality in a student's research. Instructions for the preparation of the thesis should be obtained from the Graduate School , 316 Johnston Hall, or online at www.grad.umn.edu/forms.