M.S. Thesis Guidelines

The Masters Thesis constitutes the "final report" of your thesis research.  It should be a professionally written and illustrated, fully referenced,  description of your research. Your thesis should include:

• A clear description of the scientific question being considered, including any relevant background material.
• Complete descriptions of the hypotheses being tested by your research.
• A complete discussion of any relevant background material such that the non-specialist geoscientist can understand your work.
• A complete description of the data you collected during the course of your research, including a description of the methods you used to collect them.
• A complete analysis of the data and how it supports or refutes your hypotheses.
• A description of the relevance of your new data and/or new interpretations to the broader geoscience community.
• A complete list of references cited, typed in the appropriate form for your specialty.

In collaboration with your Faculty Advisor and Thesis Committee, you need to decide on the format your thesis will take.  You may choose a "traditional" format that includes a multi-chapter document that is typically 40 to <100 long.  Many students now prefer to prepare their thesis as a publication-ready document that follows the format of an appropriate peer-reviewed scientific journal. This choice makes it simple to submit your thesis for publication.  In either case, your thesis must conform to the published University Guidelines as laid out in the Thesis Manual available from the Office of Graduate Studies located in McCarthy Hall 103.  For general guidelines for the M.S. Thesis, visit  https://www.fullerton.edu/graduate/academics/thesis.php .