Each graduate student in the Gallatin School completes a final thesis as the culminating project of the work toward a Master of Arts degree. The thesis may take one of three forms: a research thesis, an artistic thesis, or a project thesis. In each case, the thesis represents a synthesis of the student's accumulated knowledge and skill and an opportunity to display the ideas, practices, and/or artistic skills learned through the program. While the master's thesis, unlike the doctoral dissertation, does not have to create new knowledge or break new ground, it does display the student's ability to go beyond the mere collection of information into synthesis, analysis, judgment and interpretation. It should demonstrate the student's familiarity with a substantial body of thought and literature, and illustrate mastery of some self-chosen field of study.
Types of Theses
- Research Thesis
- Artistic Thesis
- Project Thesis
The thesis may take one of three forms: the research thesis, artistic thesis, or project thesis. Students should discuss with their advisers which format is appropriate for the kind of work they want to do. For details about each type of thesis, please see the sections that follow in this booklet.
Research Thesis
The first type of thesis you may choose to write is essentially an extended research paper, approximately 50–125 pages in length. The research thesis consists of a systematic inquiry into some phenomenon, problem, or question that you will attempt to address or solve through research. This process will entail the collection and analysis of original material as well as already-published (secondary) sources using appropriate scholarly methods.
Artistic Thesis
This thesis is appropriate for those students who wish to display the creative process in the performing, visual, or literary arts. The thesis consists of four parts: an artistic creation (the student might make a film or video, choreograph an evening of dance, act in a play, mount an exhibit of paintings, or write a screenplay or novel, among other options); a research study bearing some relation to the creative work; an essay about the artistic aims of the work, and another describing the technical elements of the production. The artistic thesis represents the culmination of a Gallatin arts concentration in which the student has studied the genre under consideration.
Project Thesis
The final thesis option is to write a paper about a project: a professional activity designed and executed primarily by the student as a way of solving a problem. This thesis is especially appropriate for students in such fields as business, education, social work or public administration. The project thesis might appeal to those students who are active in their professions and who take responsibility for the creation of some kind of program or practice.
