THESIS
Deadlines
Deadlines by which letter-perfect thesis must be received in the Office of the Vice Provost:
December Graduation: November 1
May Graduation: April 1
September Graduation: August 1
[Dates for 2008/09-please check graduate office site for updated info each year]
Thesis Length
Here are some theses word-count/page guidelines for the MFA genres, based on common MFA program requirements and:
Minimum: 34,000 words or 140 pages for Fiction/Creative Nonfiction
Minimum: 60 pages for poetry
Procedures
STEP 1: Make appointment to meet with your prospective thesis advisor, also known as a first reader. The first reader should be someone you have worked with before in the genre of your thesis. Keep in mind that the vast majority of comments will come from this first reader, so you want to ask the instructor you believe is 1) the best reader of your work; 2) someone who understands what you’re attempting to do; and 3) someone who can offer timely, substantial feedback while you invent and revise.
The details of this collaboration are negotiable: At the time you choose your advisor, ask about their expectations: How much lead time do they require for turning your manuscript around? Do they want to see small chunks of manuscript as you produce them (60-80 pages?), or do they prefer to wait for the manuscript as a whole? What are their expectations in terms of length and quality? Above all, talk about your timetable for completion and graduation.
STEP 2
__Submit the name of your thesis advisor to the director of creative writing.
__Soon after, make arrangements for a second reader. Second readers are not required to give you significant feedback, although some will. Summary comments are preferred. Ask your second reader about his/her expectations for how you will work together. How much lead time will they need to turn your manuscript around? SECOND READERS ONLY WORK WITH WRITER IN LAST THESIS SEMESTER. THEY DO NO WORK WITH WRITERS IN THE SUMMER.
__Submit the name of your second reader to the director of creative writing. ALL INQUIRIES ABOUT OUTSIDE THESIS READERS (MEANING WRITERS WHO DO NOT REGULARLY TEACH AT ROOSEVELT) MUST GO THROUGH DIRECTOR AND MUST BE MADE BEFORE SEMESTER IN QUESTION BEGINS. THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE AT WHAT POINT OUTSIDE THESIS READER WILL BE INVOLVED. IN GENERAL, THE MANUSCRIPT MUST BE NEARLY COMPLETE (110 PAGE MINIMUM F/CNF and 40 Poetry) FOR YOU TO REQUEST AN OUTSIDE THESIS READER.
__LIST OF 1st and 2nd READERS IN-HOUSE
Kyle Beachy, Scott Blackwood, Peggy Shinner, Gina Buccola, Frank Rogaczewski, Janet Wondra, Lisa Stolley, Gale Walden
__LIST OF 2nd OUTSIDE THESIS READERS AS OF 10/6/2010 (only in LAST semester with revised manuscripts 110 pg minimum F/CNF or 40pg poetry)
Janet Burroway (Fiction, Creative Nonfiction), Debra Monroe (Fiction, Creative Nonfiction), Timothy Donnelly (Poetry), Amy England (Poetry), Allen Wier (Fiction), Adam Levin (Fiction)
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUMMER: Do not expect your readers to work on your thesis during the summer since this is the time faculty members are expected by the university to be working on their own projects. Some instructors don’t mind continuing the thesis work during the summer, but it is their choice.
STEP 3: Start a paper trail for yourself, your readers, and the director. For instance, after your initial meeting(s) with your readers, put what you have agreed to in an email and submit to your readers and cc the director of creative writing. Keep a copy for yourself and use these expectations to plan your timeline. Remember to keep copies of all the forms you are about to fill out, just in case. This will help you avoid any disagreements about timetables or other expectations.
STEP 4
__Prepare your thesis proposal. Write a one to two-page proposal for the project you would like to do as your thesis. Your project should be a natural capstone to your progress through the program and reflect the focus of your studies. The proposal should cover three main areas
-The specifics: One paragraph. What will you do? (Short stories or essays? How many? A novel? How long?) What’s your idea for a working title? Who will be your first and second readers? When do you propose to finish the project? When do you hope to graduate
-Artistic goals and scope: One to two paragraphs. What will your project accomplish artistically? Which other writers have influenced this project? Provide some defining details, even if you have to revise your project as you go along. Generally, books have an organizing principle. Around what themes might you collect your stories, essays, or poems? Are their recurring characters or images that might serve as organizing principles? Who is the audience
-Craft: One paragraph. How will the completion of this project make you a more accomplished writer? How will you use certain aspects of craft to challenge yourself? If you know your personal limitations, how might you use this project as a way to expand your skills in this area? What might be your most difficult craft obstacle to overcome with this project and how might you overcome it?
__STEP 5
IMPORTANT: Ready your manuscript. It’s helpful if you arrange the narratives or poems in a sequence that produces some overall effect. Think this through. Provide a table of contents. Also, DO NOT turn in partial narratives or poems to your thesis advisor or second reader. Your job is to turn in complete works, even if they are revised later. The whole point of thesis work is to refine the work, not have your thesis advisor intuit what comes next. A reasonable beginning of thesis would be 60-80 pages of revised work. A reasonable second semester would be 100-110 pages of revised work.
Register for your thesis hours. First, get a “green sheet” registration form (this sheet might not literally be green but is commonly referred to as such) from the Department of Literature and Languages. Fill it out.
Also print and complete the thesis proposal approval form. You can find the form by following this link and clicking on the format (either Word or pdf) that you prefer.
Sign the green form yourself, then take both completed forms to your first reader for approval and signature. You must also get the signature of the chair of the Department of Literature and Languages. It is not necessary to get the dean’s signature on the green form.
Once these steps are completed, make copies of the forms for your own files, for your thesis advisor, and for your academic advisor to add to your file. Take the forms to the registrar in AUD 124 and register for English 490. You must register for this course in person; you cannot do so online.
STEP 6
__Get thesis preparation guidelines. Review the guidelines found here:
(Review carefully the document “Master’s Thesis Transmittal Form” found at the bottom of the page.)
These guidelines must be followed to the letter. Note the deadline by which the vice provost must receive the letter-perfect copy of the thesis. Share this deadline with your first reader and adjust your timetable as necessary. Remember that you are responsible for all deadlines and procedures mandated by the Graduate School, so it’s a good idea to keep in frequent touch with the Graduate School, your advisor, and your first reader.
STEP 7
__When you’re ready for your second set of thesis hours: With the approval of your academic advisor, fill out another green registration form and follow previous instructions for acquiring signatures and registering in person. You are required to take a total of 6 hours of thesis credit (English 490). Most students do this by registering for thesis hours during two different semesters, the semesters in which they are actually completing the work.
__Apply for graduation, if applicable. Look at your remaining requirements and remember to apply for graduation in the appropriate semester. Deadlines occur early. Check at this site to find your deadline for graduation application.
Directions for applying for graduation online are on this same web site.
In the semester you are applying for graduation, also remember to discuss your graduate reading with the director of the program. The director will match you with another graduating writer and suggest dates for the reading. You will be expected to read twenty minutes from your thesis to your fellow students and other visitors. You will need to supply a 4”x5” photo (if digital, the file must be 300 dpi or as large as possible) and a four- or five-sentence biography.
__Finishing thesis. If you don’t complete the thesis during the semester that you’re registered for your second set of thesis hours—i.e., if you continue working on the thesis into a third or fourth semester, which is not uncommon—you must register for English 490Y, Thesis Continuation, for every regular semester (not summer) during which you continue work. You must register for English 490Y in person, not online, and the registration fee is $100. You must confer with your advisor, fill out another green registration form with required signatures, and follow the procedures for registration in person for each continuation.
At the beginning of the semester in which your thesis if done, remember to apply for graduation and to discuss your graduation reading with the director of the program. See notes above.
STEP 8
CHECKLIST thesis completion. Full details of the following checklist are within the “Master’s Thesis Transmittal Procedures” found at the bottom of this page.
Read the full requirements for what to turn in; for instance, you will need to write an abstract for your project to submit along with the final draft and transmittal form.
Briefly, the checklist is:
__Submit your completed thesis to your readers.
__Make corrections and edits suggested by your readers.
__Edit your document carefully for grammar, punctuation, writing conventions, and style.
__Resubmit your thesis to your thesis advisor, who will submit it to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Make sure your thesis advisor has your abstract and the proper Master’s Thesis Transmittal Form. It can be found at the bottom of this page.
__The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies will review your thesis. Your document will be approved as it is, approved with changes, or not approved.
__Your document will be returned to your thesis advisor, who will review any requested changes with you.
__If changes are required, make the changes to your document, and resubmit your revised document to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.
__When your document has received final approval, submit one finished copy to the Office of Graduate Studies for the Roosevelt University Archives.
__Follow the instructions for submission to UMI/ProQuest. After final approval of theses by the Office of Graduate Studies, students will be provided with information about submitting their documents to UMI/ProQuest electronically. There is a fee for this service, but this service replaces the requirement to pay for multiple bound copies. Once your thesis has been submitted, students will be able to purchase bound copies of their papers directly from UMI/ProQuest.
Order bound copies of your thesis. You must order one copy of your thesis for the creative writing program. Of course, you might like a copy for yourself, and you might consider a copy as a thank you gift to your thesis advisor. Have the bound copy for the program sent upon completion to the program director, AUD 724.
Take pride your accomplishments and keep in touch. You have successfully written a book-length creative project. Congratulations!
One last request: As you graduate, please ensure that the department has active phone numbers and mailing and email addresses for you so that you may remain a part of department activities in the future. Also, keep the department posted on your successes—jobs, marriages, family, publications—so that we can celebrate them with you.
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