Registration for Master’s Thesis II
Gallatin will send an email to your adviser to confirm their approval of your plans to register for Master’s Thesis II and your plan for the semester’s work. Once we receive adviser approval, Gallatin Student Services will send you the codes that you need to register. Please note that it is your responsibility to follow up with your adviser about approving your registration.
MA Thesis II combines independent work on the thesis (supervised by the adviser), a mandatory, one-time only information session in the first week of the semester, and optional participation in a series of workshops/retreats organized by the Gallatin graduate writings specialists to help support the process.
Course Goals and Format
In Master’s Thesis II, you will continue the writing of the thesis with the goal of defending the thesis at the end of the semester. The course will entail independent work and mandatory participation in a one-time only information session during the first week of classes. During the semester when you are enrolled in Master’s Thesis II, you will:
- attend the mandatory information session at the start of the semester (held on Zoom)
- meet with your adviser at least four times to consult about progress on the thesis and receive feedback on drafts;
- be encouraged to attend the writing workshops and retreats led by Gallatin MA program writing staff;
- complete the final draft of the thesis under the supervision of your faculty adviser; and
- defend the thesis by an established deadline later in the semester.
Please make note of the dates, times, and location for the mandatory information session (located in the Course Description on Albert). You should also contact your adviser to arrange a meeting schedule for the semester.
Master’s Thesis II is graded pass/fail. To pass this course, you must successfully defend the thesis. If you do not defend the thesis by the deadline, you will receive an incomplete grade, which will be changed to a passing grade after you defend the thesis. Students who need additional time to complete the thesis must register for Thesis Advisement in subsequent semesters.
Thesis Defense
In order to meet the thesis submission and defense deadlines, you must submit the thesis to your adviser no fewer than six weeks before the anticipated defense date. This gives your adviser time to review the thesis and suggest final revisions before you submit the thesis to Gallatin and to the other members of the committee, no fewer than four weeks before the defense deadline. The schedule of work for Master’s Thesis II is designed with these deadlines in mind.
Master’s Thesis II Plan for Work/Syllabus
Students are expected to work with their advisor on a schedule for the semester. Please fill out the proposed schedule in the table below with four dates during the semester and with what you will produce or accomplish for each internal deadline. Dates of the four meetings can be approximate and should be spread out throughout the semester. Once you submit this schedule through this form, it will be sent to your adviser for their review. We will also talk more about making a manageable work plan in the mandatory information session before the semester begins.
Master’s Thesis II is graded pass/fail. To pass this course, you must successfully defend the thesis. If you do not defend the thesis by the deadline, you will receive an incomplete grade, which will be changed to a passing grade after you defend the thesis. Students who need additional time to complete the thesis must register for Thesis Advisement in subsequent semesters.