Thesis option.

By the end of the second semester, a graduate student and his/her Thesis Committee must fill the Proposed Program of Study form (GS-1). This program of study includes a tentative plan of stud and a tentative thesis topic. This program of study is submitted to the Chairperson of the concerned Department for approval. Once approved, this document becomes part of the student’s permanent record.

Non-thesis option.

By the end of the second semester, a graduate student and his/her Academic Advisor must fill the Proposed Program of Study form (GS-1). This program of study includes a tentative plan of study. This program of study is submitted to the Chairperson of the concerned Department for approval. Once approved, this document becomes part of the student’s permanent record.

Thesis Proposal

Once the plan of study is approved the student, thereafter, must submit to the HCU GC a proposal approved by the thesis committee and the Chairperson of the department at least two weeks before the GC meets. The proposal must include:

• Thesis objectives,
• Scope of work with relevant literature review,
• Research methodology,
• Expected findings, and
• Expected date of graduation.

The Proposal Cover Page Form (GS-2) must be submitted with the proposal. The GC will render a decision on the proposal on the following dates:

• April 30 for students graduating in August,
• September 15 for students graduating in December,
• January 15 for students graduating in May.

The decision of the GC is communicated to the student through his/her Thesis Advisor.

It is the student’s responsibility to keep members of the Thesis Committee informed of the progress of his/her work and to seek their feedback.

Thesis Format

Thesis format is explained in the Thesis Manual, which is available at the Library. The thesis manual provides instructions on the preparation of thesis. Theses not conforming to the requirements of the thesis manual will not be accepted. An abstract not exceeding 350 words must be submitted.

For all matters not discussed in the manual, theses must follow the form and style described in the latest edition of K. L. Turabian, Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Thesis and Dissertations (University of Chicago Press), or any other form specified by the department or program provided this conforms to the manual.

Thesis Defense

A graduate student may not have his/her thesis defense until he/she has successfully completed at least 30 credits of the course requirements for the Master's degree and secure the permission of the Thesis Advisor.

A final draft of the thesis must be prepared in consultation with each member of the Thesis Committee. The final draft of the thesis must be submitted to each member of the Thesis Committee at least two weeks before the date of the thesis defense.

The Thesis Defense should take place at least four months after the approval of the proposal by the GC. The deadlines for the Thesis Defense for students who wish to graduate in August, December, or May are: August 15, December 15, and April 30, respectively.

The Thesis Defense will be open to the public and will be announced at least one week in advance. The total time allocated for the Thesis Defense should allow for answering all questions and should normally not exceed 90 minutes.

The results of the Thesis Defense shall be reported on a special form, form GS-3, signed by the Chairperson and members of the Thesis Committee. This form is communicated by the Chairperson of the Department to the Registrar with a copy of the plan of study form (GS-1) indicating the graduate courses completed by the student, and the attained grades. In the event that the student fails the Thesis Defense, the student may resubmit the Thesis and defend it after a period of at least three months. Failure on the second attempt results in automatic dismissal from the thesis work.

After successful defense of the thesis, the Chairperson of the Department recommends to the GC that the student be granted the Master’s Degree. A student must be registered for Thesis-II in the semester in which he/she is expected to graduate.

Submission of the Thesis to the Library

The student, after passing the thesis defense, must submit two hard and one soft copy of the thesis, complete with abstract and signatures of the members of the Thesis Committee, to the Library. The receipt of these copies is submitted by the student to the office of the Registrar before the student is awarded the degree.