Module 1 – Thesis in a Netshell

This module covers what you need to know about the MS thesis

Study Guide

Overview

This module covers "what's student needs to know about the Master's thesis

To Do List

Read the list of the documents regarding the MS thesis.
Quiz 1 - Test your understanding of the MS thesis - must be completed by the deadline specified in D2L course calendar.

Learning Outcomes

This module directly contributes to the following highlighted course outcomes.

acquire an in-depth level of knowledge in the thesis domain area
compose, present and defend a scientific inquiry in the IT field in the form of a master’s thesis

After this module, student will be able to:

Describe what's MS thesis and reasons of doing MS thesis
Describe the general process of MS thesis and its quality and format requirement
Describe the policies related to MS thesis

What’s Master’s Thesis

Quick facts about the Master's thesis.

A thesis student will conduct original and in-depth research in a subject area of IT under guidance of a faulty advisor and a thesis committee
A master's thesis is generally 50-100 pages and will be published in KSU library. Actual length is determined by the thesis student and his/her committee
A student who writes thesis will do so over two semesters
Thesis credits count toward MIST elective requirement

Why Doing a Master’s Thesis

Writing a Master's thesis can help a student to accomplish the following goals:

Provide an opportunity for a student to work on a research project with a graduate project domain expert faculty and a committee of subject-matter experts.
Contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of information technology.
Acquire an in-depth level of knowledge in the thesis domain area and receive credits towards the fulfillment of a MSIT program

Although it takes a certain level of maturity and possibly more effort, there are numerous advantages to completing a Master's thesis.

Demonstrates your level of expertise and sophistication in your field.
Demonstrates your level of maturity and readiness to move into positions that require robust ability to solve complex problems.
Demonstrate your readiness for further education, such as the doctoral program.
Serves as a basis for publications of articles and further contributions to your field.

Am I Qualified for MS Thesis

To qualify for MS thesis, you need to satisfy following pre-requisites besides a big heart for doing research work.

Graduate GPA must be 3.0 or above
Completed all your transition courses (if any) and have completed (or expect to have completed) at least 12 credit hours of graduate courses in your major program by the end of the semester in which the student is seeking approval
Have graduate faculty willing to serve as thesis advisor

Master’s Thesis General Process

Stage	Description
Topic Approval (Term before signing up for thesis)	Understand the requirement of master’s thesis Research idea for thesis about topics that interest you. Speak with various faculty about their interest in a) serving as the thesis advisor, or b) serving as a committee member (you will share your research concept with the faculty). Your thesis advisor can help with forming the thesis committee. Get the Master’s thesis Topic approved.
First Term of Thesis	Register for first term of thesis (3 credit hours). Meet with thesis advisor at the beginning of semester to lay out plan for the term. Work with thesis committee and make progress on the thesis work Write the first one or two two chapters of the thesis
Second Term of Thesis	Register for second term of thesis (3 credit hours). Meet with thesis advisor at the beginning of semester to lay out plan for the term. Work with thesis committee and complete the thesis work Write the remaining chapters of the thesis and final version submitted to KSU library Submit a conference paper (optional)

Master’s Thesis Quality Expectations

A master's thesis must meet the following "quality" requirements, as judged by your thesis advisor and the committee members.

The research leading to your thesis must be of sufficient quality and depth to effectively address the research questions.
Your thesis must make a professional contribution to the field of information technology or related areas.
Your research may lead to a publication in the regional conference, international conference, or journal publication; however, you must prepare a paper based on your thesis and submit it to a conference or a journal for external publication.
The thesis must conform to the style guidelines prescribed by the current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style manual).
The final draft of the thesis must be thoroughly copyedited and proofread.

Master’s Thesis Format Requirement

The final version of thesis need to be electronically submitted to DigitalCommons hosted by KSU library. There is no specific format requirement from DigitalCommons. Below is a list of formatting recommendation for a MS thesis.

Font: size 12, classic font.
Spacing: one-sided and double space
Pagination: The initial page of the thesis text is not numbered. All subsequent pages are numbered using Arabic numerals placed on the right-bottom corner of the page.
Headings: proper headings and subheadings should be used throughout the text.

MS Thesis Policy

Below are general policy related to MS thesis.

A student can register for 3 credits for thesis each term.
A student will only be allowed to register for thesis in a given term if the thesis topic has been approved before the first day of classes of that term.
A student will need to be registered continuously for thesis from the term after their topic is approved until the term in which the thesis is defended. The summer semester may be skipped, but skipping a regular semester will require the approval of both the thesis advisor and the department chairperson.
A student may only use up to 6 hours of credit for thesis courses and have that applied towards the completion of a Master's degree. They may register for 3 more credit hours and an additional semester to complete their thesis, but the additional 3 credits will not count towards the completion of the Master's degree.
A student who is making satisfactory progress towards their thesis (as deemed by their advisor) but has not yet defended it will receive a grade of "IP" for that term. Upon successful defending of the thesis the graduate coordinator will change those grades to "S."
If a student who has been registered for a thesis does not wish to continue, he/she will notify his/her advisor and the graduate coordinator, normally before the official drop date for that semester; and it is allowed after official drop date only for very special unforeseen circumstance with the permission of the thesis advisor and the graduate coordinator. The student will get a grade of "W" for that semester.
If for some reason the student cannot or does not wish to continue with the thesis after earning an "IP" grade for a semester, the student will inform his/her thesis advisor and the graduate coordinator. The previous "IP" grade, different from an "I" grade, will not be changed and remain on the transcript as 'IP."
If an advisor considers that a student is not doing satisfactory progress he or she may request that the thesis be cancelled; in this case the student's grade will be changed to a grade of "U" (subject to the normal grade appeal process).

Module 2 - Research Methods Part 1

Notes

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