Master’s Thesis in Lieu of Comps
Whether the master's thesis is to be completed as an additional program requirement or as a project in lieu of the written comprehensive examination, a thesis committee of at least two graduate faculty members is required. If the thesis is in lieu of the written comprehensive examination, school procedures for determining comprehensive examination eligibility are to be used prior to conducting the thesis research and at least two signatures from graduate faculty members must be obtained to indicate the successful completion of the thesis.
If the master's thesis is required in addition to the comprehensive examination, the student needs only to submit the thesis signed by two graduate faculty members to the Graduate School upon completion. The Graduate Dean will be the final approval signature on the thesis.
If the student plans to complete a thesis, whether in lieu of the comprehensive examination or in addition, the student must register for a minimum of six (6) semester hours of 699-Thesis. No more than six hours of thesis may be applied to the minimum credit requirements of a student's program.
Written Comprehensive Examinations
Each master's degree and specialist degree student must pass a written comprehensive examination or otherwise show competency in the discipline by successfully completing a specified equivalent that has been approved by the Graduate Council (thesis or project in lieu of comprehensive examinations). Defense of a project or thesis in lieu of comprehensive examinations is equivalent to administering the comprehensive examination.
The major school is responsible for determining the student's eligibility for taking the examination as well as scheduling the time, date, and place of the examination. This examination or its approved equivalent may not be taken until the student has:
- been granted regular admission to the program
- completed school-specified course requirements
- maintained a GPA of at least 3.0 in their program
- received approval from the program advisor.
Application. The student will apply in the academic school office for the written comprehensive examination or to defend the thesis before the thesis committee. The comprehensive examination permit is valid only for the semester that it is issued. The program advisor must be consulted for information regarding examination format, procedures, time, date, and place.
Students should not wait until they have been notified of comprehensive examination results before applying for graduation. If the student plans to graduate at the end of the semester in which he/she takes the comprehensive examination or completes the approved equivalent, the student must apply for graduation within the published deadlines.
Once the comprehensive examination session begins, it is considered a take of the examination. If the student leaves the examination session and does not return, the examination will be considered taken and the exam will be evaluated accordingly and reported to the Graduate School.
Results. Once the examination has been evaluated or the project/thesis has been defended (project for Specialist students), the program advisor must return the signed report form to the Graduate School indicating a pass or failure of the examination. If the student plans to graduate, this must be done on or before the published deadline to submit the results of the written comprehensive examination for that semester.
A retake may not be scheduled during the same semester that the original examination was completed. Failure of the retake of the examination or its equivalent will result in the termination of the student's degree program.
Results must be reported to the Graduate School within one semester or be retaken.
Filing the Thesis (Master’s). All students must follow the program and Graduate School guidelines for writing the master’s thesis, found on our website at http://www.unco.edu/grad/.
After committee members sign off on the thesis, an electronic copy of the thesis and four (4) original signature pages should be submitted to the Graduate School for an editorial review and dean’s approval at least 4 weeks, (28 calendar days) prior to the requested graduation date. The Graduate School shall give the student all changes and corrections that must be made before the student turns in the final thesis. The Graduate School will confer the student’s degree once we have received the final version and the specific forms for binding and billing, mailing and publication (optional). More detail about the final submission procedures can be found on the Graduate School website (http://www.unco.edu/grad/)