Bus Terminal Thesis

[Maureen Quartaro]

TheThesis MS degree program is a 2-year program, in which a student will take 24 graduate credit hours of coursework and write a thesis. The program is well suited to students considering or planning on applying to Ph.D. degree programs in EEB and related areas. The program is also useful for students planning to enter more advanced professional degree programs (e.g., law, public health, medicine, veterinary medicine, natural resources management). It can be useful for students interested in seeking employment with environmental agencies of federal, state, and municipal government; non-governmental organizations; education; and in private industry, including environmental consulting firms.

Independent Study. At least 2 courses (6 credit hours total) must be Independent Study. Students should speak with the graduate studies committee if they want to take more than 6 credit hours in a single semester.

Masters Research Credits. Students must enroll in 3 credits of Masters Research over two successive semesters (6 credits total). Typically, students do this is the 3rd and 4th semesters. The student may register for more Masters Research credits if desired in previous semesters; however, these credits do not count toward the 24 course credits necessary for the degree. Masters Research credits are an additional and different type of credit, and they bring the total credits up to 24+6=30. Note that if all other credit requirements are met, the student can enroll in ONLY 3 hrs of Masters Research to maintain enrollment, i.e. this maintains full time enrollment (because course credits are costly this can save money).

In order to earn this degree, students must have been admitted to the EEB graduate program through the regular Tulane University admissions process. Students admitted to the program must have completed the requirements for a baccalaureate degree in any discipline that includes course work in Chemistry (General Chemistry, and either Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry) and Biology (Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution). Additional coursework may be required to make up deficiencies. Students will meet with the graduate advisor prior to the beginning of his/her first semester to discuss appropriate course work for this degree.

All students seeking this degree must complete 30 credit hours of approved, graduate level coursework in EEB or other relevant departments. A maximum of 6 credits at the graduate level may be transferred to this degree program, at the discretion of the Chair of the Department.

You should choose a thesis if you plan to pursue doctoral study. A thesis requires original research to address questions about mass media and society. A review of relevant literature, mastery and use of an appropriate research method, and analysis of findings typically are involved. A thesis presents original research that contributes to the scholarly literature of journalism and communication studies. This is a viable option if you plan to work as a media consultant or manager.

A project is an option if you plan to be a working journalist or media professional. A project involves the completion of a professional creative product; examples are listed below. Applied research to address practical questions (such as how to carry out an advertising campaign) may be involved. A project contributes to the communications professions via applied research and/or creative accomplishment. The project is the culmination of your studies here and should reflect what you have learned in the program. A project is much more than a class assignment and requires as much research as a thesis. Final projects have included magazine or newspaper article series, video productions, practical guides for working journalists or media professionals and applied research projects.

A project may take many forms, though all projects must be noteworthy for substance and artistic or professional quality. Projects completed by students in other options have included: documentary films and videos, slide programs, photo essays, feature or investigative article series, handbooks for professionals (e.g., the result of synthesizing and translating scholarly research), or magazine design & layout projects.

The project could be a well conceptualized magazine article series (for example, three 2,500-word stories) targeted to a specific publication. Such projects must show both greater depth and breadth (conceptually, stylistically and in terms of quality of research) than any single assignment completed in a graduate level class.

More examples: Those who come to the program to jump-start a career in magazine editing or publishing could follow the guidelines pertaining to an article series, or choose a project more directly related to editing or publishing, such as an editorial make-over of an existing publication or a business plan for a start-up magazine. One student prepared a guidebook for a nationwide audience of people who wish to self-publish magazines addressed to gay and lesbian audiences. Another drew upon his experience as an editor-in-chief to prepare a manual for environmental and other activist groups who wish to start their own magazines.

Reminder: Project students sign up for a minimum of six credits in J609. Thesis students sign up for a minimum of nine credits in J503. Students usually sign up with their advisers for project or thesis credits.

Generally, you will include what you want to study or the problem to be addressed, how you plan to approach it, and why it should be studied. State your hypothesis and/or goals, review relevant literature and contextual information, explain methodologies or procedures to be followed, and describe what the final product will look like.

The Graduate School has guidelines pertaining to style, margins, footnotes, etc. You may find a copy of these guidelines, called the Style Manual for Theses and Dissertations, on-line from the Graduate School home page. It is very important that your finished work adheres to these guidelines; otherwise it will not be accepted by the Graduate School and you will not graduate on time.

Typically, a thesis proposal includes a number of sections, described below. Of course, the content and subheads under each section will vary depending on the problem you are researching, your theoretical framework and the methodology you envision.

I. Introduction

This should consist of a brief summary of the problem you are proposing to investigate, what question(s)/hypothesis(es) you intend to address, and how you envision doing it. While this section is the first presented, it is best to write this after you have completed the rest of the proposal.

IV. Outline of completed thesis

Outline the chapters you anticipate will comprise your completed thesis with a sentence or two describing each chapter. Typical chapters in a qualitative thesis are: Introduction; Review of Literature; Methodology; Results; Discussion; Conclusions. Often a chapter on Historical (or other) Context of the Problem also is included and precedes (or sometimes follows) the Review of the Literature. In a qualitative thesis the organization is often similar up through the methods chapter. Presentation and discussion of results should be organized in consultation with the committee.

I. Introduction

A brief summary of what problem, topic(s) or issues you intend to address, and how you envision doing it. A couple paragraphs to a page should be sufficient. Even though this section is the first presented, it is best to write this after you have completed the rest of the proposal.

III. Methodology or Procedures

Describe the procedural decisions and plans that will enable you to carry out the project. Obviously, different types of projects will require very different kinds of procedures. A student doing applied research (e.g., for an advertising or public relations campaign) may use essentially the same methods as a student carrying out a social scientific thesis. Creative projects will involve completely different types of procedures and methodologies, depending on the project. The methodological decisions involved in planning and writing a work of literary nonfiction, for instance, will be very different than for making a video documentary or a press kit.

When you arrive at the SOJC, you will be assigned an adviser by the Doctoral Program Director, based on your expressed research, professional, or academic interests. Your adviser is a tenure-line faculty member. You should meet with him or her soon after beginning the program, and he or she will help you get started. Throughout your studies, your adviser helps develop your academic schedule, gives advice about when you should take certain classes and about classes outside the SOJC that might be relevant to your program, and provides support for your decisions concerning course choices. See your adviser at least once per term.

Changing advisers: Within two terms (or three at the most), you should decide whether to stick with your original adviser through completion of your thesis or project, or to change advisers. You might have found someone more compatible, or whose research interests more closely parallel your own, or perhaps your own research interests may have evolved. You are free to change your adviser at any time. Be sure that the faculty member you choose to work with agrees to be your new adviser, and that the original adviser is notified of any changes.

Your adviser is the chair of your thesis/project committee and will help guide your proposal and see you through completion of your work. Select someone with whom you have a mutually respectful relationship, someone who is interested in your area of study and can contribute to your work. Your adviser does not have to be experienced in every aspect of your work; other committee members can contribute experience in some areas.

The thesis/project committee is student-chosen and based on faculty expertise. Members should be selected for their ability to contribute to your work. You should also make sure committee members will be available to serve on your committee during the terms you intend to do your work; be sure to ask potential committee members about future plans (fellowships, sabbaticals, Fulbrights, etc.). This is especially important if you plan to graduate during the summer quarter, as many faculty hold a nine-month appointment and are not available summer term. Because of this, the Graduate School does not guarantee graduation summer term.

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