Master’s Thesis Guidelines

The MLA program culminates in the Master’s Thesis. Students may do either (A) a traditional Thesis (approximately 50-100 pages or more in length and including a separate Bibliography), or (B) a creative Thesis/Project which includes a critical essay. Whichever option a student chooses, a thesis may evolve out of a class, paper or project a student has pursued during his or her MLA studies (typically after a student has completed about 20-22 credits in the MLA Program). Students are asked to form an MLA Thesis committee, with one MLA faculty agreeing to be the Thesis director (see Committee Process and Guidelines below).

During the process of writing the thesis or creative project, students and their thesis director should communicate regularly and meet in a timely fashion with their committee to get constructive feedback, critiques, motivation, and advice about completing a successful Thesis.

THESIS TITLES OF RECENT MLA GRADUATES

"Blossoms on a Tree": The Nature of Sisters' Relationships In The Novels of Jane Smiley, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, and Bharati Mukherjee.   Star Lee Zetocha, 2005.

In the Best Interests of the Child? by Lyn Laverty Gunkel, 2004.

A Search For Self: A Fictional Representation of the Journey Towards Individuation, by Paula Lovgren, 2003. [Creative Thesis].

Home Away From Home? Staging Home Connection in John Irving’s The Cider house Rules And A Prayer For Owen Meany, by Jennifer Roos, 2001.

The Sublime In Music, Painting and Literature, by Marjorie Schlossman, 2003.

In Search of Better Lives: Three Women in nineteenth-century Fourierist Communities, by Mary Linda Svarvari Swanson, 2004.

Enhancing Integrity: Typology and Ethical Cooperate Management Styles by Bruce Squires, 2001.

Proverbs, Idioms And Expressions: A Guide For Interpreters And Translators, by Leonor Valderrama De Sillers, 2003

The Performing Arts In Crisis, by Laurie J. Wigtil, 2002.

THESIS OPTIONS AND GUIDELINES: See the Sample Student Prospectuses link for models of both Thesis proposal options.

Please Note: Any Thesis project that involves Human Subjects must be approved by the IRB (Institutional Review Board). Please see guidelines and forms at: http://www.mnstate.edu/irb/info.cfm

Option A: The Traditional Thesis: This option consists of:

• A focused, developed, documented research paper.
• 75-100 page paper (with abstract and bibliography

Prior to doing a rough draft of the Thesis, students will complete:

• A Prospectus with a preliminary bibliography outlining the Thesis idea and its development.

Students are urged to choose, communicate &/or meet with their Thesis advisor and form their Thesis committee one semester prior to their graduation target date. Students may choose a topic they become interested in during the course of their MLA Program of study. After several classes, students often find a topic they want to pursue.

Likewise, as students construct their Portfolios, they may notice a pattern of interest in their studies, and develop a Thesis topic from this. In consultation with an MLA faculty member (who may become their Thesis Director), students learn to focus their Thesis or project idea. They are urged to consistently communicate with their Thesis advisor who helps assist in developing the Thesis Prospectus (a Thesis Proposal). This is strongly encouraged before students have a first meeting with their Thesis committee.

After the student’s committee has met once to approve the Thesis topic, the student generates a rough draft, circulates it among committee members for feedback, and works with their Thesis advisor to shape and polish the paper. During this process the student should meet at least once with the entire committee. After the committee has approved the draft, the student makes any final changes or incorporates final suggestions. The student and committee then meet a final time for the Oral Defense (check deadline dates on the Graduate Studies webpage).

If a student wants to see samples of completed traditional and creative Theses, they are located in the Library behind the Periodicals check-out desk. To examine a specific Thesis, students need to know the title. See recent MLA Thesis titles above.

Option B: The Creative Thesis:

An MLA creative thesis must have two components:

• The creative work itself which may consist of one or a combination of: a web page, PowerPoint, video, DVD, a play, a musical score, a public performance or show, an audio recording, or slide show of original compositions--for example, a concerto, or a series of paintings or photographs.
• A 10-15 page analytical or scholarly essay (with bibliography) commenting on the creative work or process. This essay should show evidence of substantial research into the discipline that is pursued in the creative work, show awareness of aesthetic positions in that medium, and demonstrate the ability to synthesize the research into an informed and illuminating discussion of such matters as the influences upon and technical aspects of the creative work.

This essay should clearly establish the interdisciplinary connections in his/her creative endeavor. Also note that a student pursuing a creative thesis must have at least one faculty member from the relevant discipline (e.g. Art, Theater. Music) on his/her thesis committee.

MLA Committee Process & Guidelines

1. MLA students are strongly encouraged to form a thesis committee at least one semester prior to graduation.
    
2. MLA Thesis committees consist of one MLA faculty as Chair or Thesis Director, two additional faculty (who teach in the MLA Program), and one “outside” faculty. Either the student or his or her committee Chair may ask faculty if they wish to serve on the committee.
    
3. Committee Chairs work closely with the student and faculty to coordinate meetings and get all appropriate forms and signatures to the Graduate Office by official deadlines (see Graduate Studies webpage: http://www.mnstate.edu/graduate/)
    
4. It is strongly recommended that an MLA Committees meet three times.

   • The first meeting should be to discuss and give feedback for the student’s Thesis Proposal.
   • The second meeting should be to discuss and give feedback for the Thesis rough draft.
   • The third and final meeting should be the Oral Discourse/Defense for the final draft of the Thesis.Please Prior to the first face-to-face meeting of the committee members with the student, the student will prepare their detailed prospectus and bibliography and provide a draft to all committee members with copies of this prospectus and bibliography. This should be at least two or more weeks before the first committee meeting so members can review the materials thoroughly and give the student feedback.
    

5. After that initial meeting and all other meetings, it is the student’s responsibility to work closely with their Thesis director to incorporate the committee’s suggestions and advice into the successive rough drafts that the student will write. Should the student choose not to do so, he/she should be aware that it is within the committee’s rights to reject a thesis that has not been revised satisfactorily. Likewise, a committee may accept the final draft and suggest minor revisions.
    
6. Students and committee members should have a minimum of three face-to-face meetings (see #4 above). Given the difficulties of scheduling, committee members should feel free to communicate individually with the student in a variety of ways via phone conferences or e-mail, to provide verbal & written feedback that helps the student shape their Thesis project. ALL committee members, not simply the chair, should feel free to discuss the student’s thesis with the student in detail. It is acceptable for committee members to provide advice via email, but to avoid duplicated effort, this should be copied to the entire thesis committee.
    
7. In any cases in which two or more committee members disagree in their direction and/or evaluation of a student’s thesis, the chair shall mediate between them to resolve their differences.

THESIS BINDING GUIDELINES

• Binding Color: All theses are bound in RED with white lettering
   
• Paper Quality and Margins: All theses and projects should be duplicated on cotton/rag fiber paper at least 25% , WHITE, one-sided copy. Appendices may be on colored paper and two-sided. It is essential that all pages (including appendix) have a left margin no less than 1” for binding. Standard required margins for the body of the paper are: 1” top, right and bottom, 1.5” left.
   
• Minimum Number of Copies to Deliver to Library Thesis: three copies: Library, Program Director, Student
   
• Cost for Binding: Current cost of binding is $10.00 per copy. The library will bind as many copies as the individual student needs, they are not limited to having only three copies bound (i.e., extra copies are often needed for school districts, employers, advisors, gifts, etc.)
   
• Signatures required on Form 4 on “Deposited in Library/Department” Line:
  Theses: Library signs this line when copies are deposited and paid for.