STUDENT INFORMATION:
Important Details for all New Students
Please Read Very Carefully.
You are responsible for adhering to the requirements of your degree program.
Required Courses
Master of Social Science:
There are 3 required courses:
S SC 5020-3 Elements of Social Thought (Fall)
Must be taken during your first year in the program.
S SC 5013-3 Philosophical Problems in the Social Sciences and Humanities (Spring)
Must be taken during your first year in the program.
S SC 5023-3 Research Perspectives (Spring)
Guides you through the proposal process and prepares you for writing a
thesis or project. Take this course after you have completed 27-30 credit
hours.
Master of Humanities:
Students admitted to the program before Summer 2006 have 2 required courses: HUM 5025-3 Methods and Texts, and a Mid-Program Seminar. Those admitted beginning Summer 2006 must take three required courses: HUM 5025-3 Methods and Texts, and a Mid-Program Seminar, and HUM 5924 Directed Research and Reading in Interdisciplinary Humanities. Descriptions are listed below.
HUM 5025-3 Methods and Texts of the Humanities (Fall)
Must be taken during your first year in the program. Students entering
the program in the Spring or Summer semesters must take a course
during their first semester that is explicitly recommended by the Program
Director or Assistant Director, and register for Methods and Texts the
first Fall semester following acceptance to the program.
Mid-Program Seminar: A number of courses may qualify. Appropriate courses are included on the List of Recommended Courses each semester. These are interdisciplinary seminars that center on a topic or theme. You should take a Mid-Program Seminar after you have completed Methods & Texts, but not necessarily immediately after.
HUM 5924 Directed Research and Reading in Interdisciplinary Humanities (Spring)
Must be taken in preparation for the thesis, project, or comprehensive orals (in the case of Track II students). Course provides background reading, theory, and research approaches to assist students in developing a thesis, project, or individualized theme for the oral exam based on their interdisciplinary focus.
PLEASE NOTE: MH students may take MSS requirements as electives, and vice-versa.
Advising
When you enter the program either the Director or Assistant Director serves as advisor for you. You may suggest that a specific faculty member in your area of interest take over advising for you with the approval of the Director or Assistant Director. To pursue this option, please click on the Advising link in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
The role of your advisor is to help you design a course of studies consistent with your intellectual interests. It is your responsibility to initiate contact with your advisor as soon as one is assigned to you and to make regular contact with him or her—at least once each semester—after that. You may request a change in advisors at any time while you are in the program. In this case, students should download a copy of the "Change of Advisor Document" below and follow its directions.
Change of Advisor Document (pdf)
Thesis / Project
After completing at least 27 credit hours, all MSS and MH students who intend to write a Thesis (6 credit hours) or a Project (3 credit hours) are required to:
- Ask three faculty members to serve on their Thesis or Project Committee;
- Present their Thesis or Project Proposal to the committee for approval. The project or
thesis proposal should be 10-15 pages in length and should meet the following criteria:
- It contains a well-formulated thesis (claim) that explains the subject of the thesis or project;
- It summarizes the thesis or project; and
- It includes a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.
- Once your proposal has been accepted by ALL members of your committee, you can Register for Thesis or Project hours and begin writing your thesis or project.
Definitions:
Thesis: A rigorous scholarly paper, typically 60-100 pages in length, a thesis is subject to Graduate School guidelines and review.
Project: If it consists of a paper alone, it is typically about 25-50 pages in length. If a project includes a literary or artistic creation, an educational curriculum, a report or analysis of an internship, etc., it must be accompanied by a scholarly paper of at least 20 pages. A project is subject to review at the program level.
Oral Examination
ALL STUDENTS are required to sit for an oral examination administered by three faculty members, one of whom must serve as chair. It is your responsibility to initiate contact with prospective faculty for the committee, arrange a date, and reserve a room for the exam. Please see Graduate School Deadlines for all dates. Track II students, those who elect a non-thesis and non-project option, proceed with the above guidelines for their Comprehensive Oral Exam. Please follow Track II Oral Exam Instructions (pdf) on the Humanities forms and Guidelines page of this web site.
For thesis or project students, this is the same committee that will review your project or thesis as outlined above.
MH Track II non-thesis and non-project students should review the MH/MSS publication,
“MH Track II Non-Thesis and Non Project Students: Oral Exam Instructions.”
Preparing to Graduate
Once you have completed all required credit hours, it will be time to prepare for graduation. During the semester you expect to defend your thesis or project, arrange your oral exam, and graduate, you must:
- Contact the Director or Assistant Director to obtain the necessary forms no later than the first week of the semester you wish to graduate.
- Fill out the forms.
- Obtain the signature of the Program Director on each of the forms.
- Deliver the forms to Jill Hutchinson in the Graduate Office located in the CLAS Dean’s
office by the deadline.
To avoid delaying your graduation an extra semester:
You may obtain the required forms prior to the semester you wish to graduate. It is your responsibility to be aware of the deadlines and procedures
established for graduation.