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~ M.A. Thesis and
Research Project ~
MA Thesis in Philosophy The master’s thesis is a final requirement for the American philosophy concentration; for the bioethics concentration a thesis equivalent research project may take the place of a thesis (see below). Depending on a range of factors–your non-academic time commitments, the amount of relevant research that you have done in your course work and internship, and so forth–your thesis should take from six months to a year to complete. You will work under the supervision of a Thesis Committee; the committee chair will serve as your Thesis Advisor. While our program offers a great deal of flexibility, there are two important constraints on your choice of a thesis topic: 1. You must choose a topic that a member of the Philosophy department’s graduate faculty is qualified to direct. No graduate program can offer its students unlimited choice of courses and thesis topics; part of the commitment you make when you enter a program is to recognize the parameters of what it can offer. Your thesis advisor should be the faculty member best qualified to direct your thesis. After consulting with you, your advisor will form a thesis committee consisting of at least two other faculty members, which may include members from other departments or schools at IUPUI. 2. You must choose a topic that grows out of and reflects the rest of your work in the MA program. The thesis is your opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge that you have acquired in the course of your graduate studies by engaging in an extended research project; it is what you are working toward in the rest of the program. With the assistance of your thesis committee—and if appropriate, your Graduate Student Advisor—you will first narrow your general area of interest to a specific thesis topic; in this stage, you may want to do preliminary research on two or more possible topics before making a final decision. Once you have chosen a specific topic and have done sufficient research to determine that it will allow you to make an original contribution to the scholarly and/or professional dialogue in the field, you will submit a thesis proposal. The proposal consists of a cover form, to be signed by you and all the members of your thesis committee, a narrative description of the thesis project, a timetable for completion, and an annotated bibliography. (A more detailed description of the thesis proposal and the proposal cover sheet are included in this guide.) After your committee has approved the proposal, you will be authorized to register for thesis hours (P803). Please see the most recent "Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations," published by the IUPUI Graduate Office. You will save yourself a lot of time knowing in advance what are the specific formatting requirements for the thesis. No precise guidelines can be given for the length of a thesis other than that it should include a clear development of the issue that is being discussed, a thorough survey of the relevant literature, and a clear account of how the conclusions are reached. Though the great majority of the theses written at IUPUI fall between 80 and 130 pages, there is nonetheless a great variety in thesis length. For instance, over the 2003–04 period thesis length at IUPUI varied from 37 to 621 pages. Be aware, though, that brevity is not a sure sign of brilliance, nor length a sure indicator of thoroughness. Upon completion of the thesis, you and your thesis committee will set a date for your defense. The Graduate School’s deadline for completion of degree requirements and submission of bound copies of the thesis is the 10th of the month in which a student intends to graduate. Therefore, the Philosophy department requires that the defense takes place before the 10th of the preceding month, and that the thesis be submitted to the committee members at least four weeks before the defense date. Your thesis, then, should be completed at least two months prior to the 10th of the month in which you intend to graduate: If you intend to graduate in May, your defense should be scheduled for April 10th at the latest, and the thesis submitted to your committee by early March. As you work on your thesis, you should be aware of the Graduate School’s deadlines for completion of degree requirements and submission of the bound copies of the thesis. For the latter, see “A Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations” for details. You should also note that you must submit an “Application for Advanced Degree” to the IUPUI Graduate Office at least 60 days prior to the 10th of the month in which you intend to graduate. Your thesis advisor will submit a “Recommendation for Advanced Degree” 30 days prior to the 10th of the month in which you intend to graduate. The IUPUI Graduate Office has additional deadlines for notifying them if you intend to participate in the May commencement ceremonies, please visit their web-site (http://www.iupui.edu/%7Eresgrad/grad/grad_menu.htm) or contact them for further details. Depending on your concentration, you are required to submit one bound copy of your thesis to either the M. H. Fisch Library of the Institute for American Thought or to the library of the IU Center for Bioethics, in addition to the two copies required by the graduate school. All three copies must be on 100 percent cotton rag bond paper, bound in a regular, sewn library binding. It is conventional to give your thesis director a bound copy as well.
MA Thesis Proposal Guidelines An MA thesis in Philosophy makes an original contribution to the field. The thesis proposal should therefore include the following: 1. A narrative description of the project including: a. a brief statement of the topic of the thesis b. a statement of the project’s originality c. a narrative outlining the project’s methodology and/or the major issues involved. The narrative should include a survey of the relevant professional literature, identifying the major trends in the development and current state of professional thought on the proposal’s main issues with direct references to entries in the annotated bibliography (see below). Because the contextual description provides the support of your claim of originality, this context is necessary no matter what the project. 2. A contextual survey of the relevant literature, both in narrative form and in an expanded annotated bibliography. The bibliography entries should be written in complete sentences. They should not only summarize the writer’s main points of view but also explain the relevance of the source to the thesis. There is no “sufficient number” of sources for the annotated bibliography. One should make certain not to miss landmark books and articles by using the bibliographic reference tools appropriate to the field (such as, but not limited to, the Philosopher’s Index). If the number of sources is too overwhelming, this is an indication that you may need to narrow your topic. 3. A timeline for completing the stages of the project, with proper attention to when theses must be filed for particular graduation dates.
Guidelines for Research Projects in the Bioethics Concentration Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the bioethics concentration, and particularly for students in the combined-degrees programs (JD/MA and MD/MA), a research project may be a more appropriate capstone for the MA than a traditional thesis. The following guidelines apply to the completion of research projects: 1. Though distinct in format, the research project must be equivalent to a thesis. As with a thesis, the research project must make an original contribution to the field, include a clear development of the issue that is being discussed, a thorough survey of the relevant literature, and a clear account of how the conclusions are reached. 2. Research projects are subject to all the same restrictions, guidelines, and deadlines given above for theses. 3. If the research project involves animal or human subjects, students must receive approval or exemption from one of IUPUI’s Institutional Review Boards prior to beginning that portion of the project. A copy of your application for IRB approval or exemption must be submitted with your project proposal. Information on institutional research compliance can be found at: http://www.iupui.edu/%7Eresgrad/spon/rescompcontent2.htm
MA Research Project Proposal Guidelines The MA research project makes an original contribution to the field. The project proposal should therefore include the following: 1. A narrative description of the project including: a. a brief statement of the topic of the project b. a statement of the project’s originality c. a narrative outlining the project’s methodology and the major issues involved d. an explanation of why the thesis format is not well-suited for the proposed research. The narrative should include a survey of the relevant professional literature, identifying the major trends in the development and current state of professional thought on the proposal’s main issues with direct references to entries in the annotated bibliography (see below). Because the contextual description provides the support of your claim of originality, this context is necessary no matter what the project. 2. A contextual survey of the relevant literature, both in narrative form and in an expanded annotated bibliography. The bibliography entries should be written in complete sentences. They should not only summarize the writer’s main points of view but also explain the relevance of the source to the project. There is no “sufficient number” of sources for the annotated bibliography. One should make certain not to miss landmark books and articles by using the bibliographic reference tools appropriate to the field (such as, but not limited to, the Philosopher’s Index). If the number of sources is too overwhelming, this is an indication that you may need to narrow your topic. 4. If there are multiple researchers on the project, the student’s degree of contribution must be explained in the proposal and shown to be equivalent to a thesis. If the research project is conducted in collaboration with one or more IU faculty members, at least one but no more than two of them should serve on the student’s committee. 5. If the project involves research with animal or human subjects, the proposal should note whether IRB approval or exemption has been secured or is pending. An application for IRB approval or exemption must be filed prior to the proposal’s submission and a copy included with the proposal. 6. A timeline for completing the stages of the project, with proper attention to when project must be filed for particular graduation dates.
MA Thesis Proposal Cover Sheet (pdf) Research Project Proposal Cover Sheet (pdf)
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