2013-2014GraduateStudentHandbook
A ConciseGuidetoAcademicPoliciesProcedures
Revised:July 26,2013
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Preface3
Graduate ProgramPhilosophy3
AcademicAdvisementPlanning4
GraduateAdvisorsand AdvisoryCommittees4
DegreeAudit5
The ThesisOption6
CourseRequirements6
Registrationof Thesis Work7
TheThesisProposal7
ThesisDeadlines7
Thesis Format8
ThesisDuplication9
TheOralDefense/ThesisAcceptance9
Electronic Submission of Thesis10
ContinuousRegistrationRequirement11
The 39-HourOption(withRevised Paper/Project)11
CourseRequirements11
TheRevised Paper/Project11
GeneralAcademicPolicies12
Academic Load12
TimeLimits12
CourseRegistration12
Schedule ofSeminars12
Required Course13
300-level CourseLimits13
Completing Coursesin OtherDepartments13
Transfer Credit13
Grading System14
IncompleteGrades14
IndependentStudy14
Graduate Assistantships at Illinois State University15
Maintaining the Assistantship16
AcademicProbation16
GraduateInternships/ProfessionalPractice17
M.A. vs.M.S. DegreeRequirements17
Applying forDegreeCompletion18
Commencement18
AcademicIntegrity18
PREFACE
Thishandbookisintendedtoserveasa concisereferenceguidefor graduatestudentsand graduate facultyintheSchoolofCommunication.Thecontentsrepresentan abridged sampling ofkeyISU and SchoolofCommunication academicpoliciesand procedures. Manyof the passagesin this documentare excerpted directlyfromISU’sGraduateCatalog. Sincethehandbookisnotcomprehensive,you are urged toconsult other authoritativesourcesof information asneeded.TheGraduateSchool’swebsite ( offersawealthof up-to-dateinformation and resources. Hereyouwill
find importantforms,datesand deadlines,and linkstohelpful documentssuch asthecurrentGraduate Catalog and theGuideforWritersofMaster’sTheses(under theThesisAssistancetab).TheGraduate StudentOrientation pageon this siteis particularlyhelpful. In addition,graduateassistantsshould consulttheISU GraduateAssistant Handbook( Linkstomanyoftheformsand documentsyouwill need can alsobefound underthe Master’s Program tab attheSchoolofCommunication’sweb site(
Thisdocumentisnotintended asa substitutefor interaction between studentsand their advisors. Studentsare urged toalwaysbring questionstotheattentionoftheir advisorsortheSchool’sDirector of GraduateStudies.
Thepoliciescontained in thisguidearesubjecttochangewithoutnoticeatthediscretion oftheSchool of Communication and IllinoisStateUniversity.
GRADUATEPROGRAMPHILOSOPHY
Thegraduate programof Illinois StateUniversity'sSchoolofCommunication providesa distinctive academicexperiencethateducatesstudentsin convergentdisciplinaryknowledge,diversetheoretical frameworks,and researchmethodsappropriatetotheadvanced studyof communication. Ourmaster’s degreepreparesgraduatesforcareersin academiaaswell asbusinessand non-profitorganizations.In addition,our programseekstoinstill in studentsapassion for intellectual andtheoretical discoverythat transcendscareerobjectivesand courseexpectations.
A master'sdegreerepresentsa differentexperiencethan an undergraduatecourse ofstudy.Weoffer a general degreein communicationwith nospecializations,sequences,"majors"orspecifictracksof study. Whileitmaybe possibletotakeseveral coursesin a particulararea ofcommunicationstudy
(e.g., masscommunication,publicrelations,or interpersonal communication),studentscannot complete ourmaster’sdegreebytaking allor evenmostoftheir coursesinoneareaof the discipline. Specialization istheproperprovinceof aPh.D. program.
Our master'sdegree programemphasizespractical applicationof scholarlyknowledge. Wegenerallydo notoffertraining in technical skills. Rather,our focusispreparing students tousetheoryand research toevaluateand solvesocial problemsin avarietyof contexts.
TheSchoolof Communication offerstwoalternate pathwaystothe master’sdegree:(a)the32-hour thesisoption,or(b)the39-hour withrevised project option. Thesearedescribedin subsequent sectionsof thisdocument.
ACADEMICADVISEMENTANDPLANNING Graduate Advisorsand AdvisoryCommittees
Studentsadmittedtothemaster’sdegreeprogramreceiveacademicadvisementfromtheSchool’s DirectorofGraduateStudies. Studentsare urged tomeetwith the directortodiscussa programof study,degreerequirements,and appropriatecoursesin which toenroll. Untila studentformallyselects a graduateadvisor(described below),studentsmust obtain permission fromtheDirectorofGraduate Studiestoenroll in specificgraduateclasses.
Oncestudentsaccumulate18graduatecredithours,theyarerequiredtoselectagraduateadvisor(and if pursuing thethesisoption,a graduateadvisorycommittee).Studentsmayselecta graduateadvisor sooner thanthis if theyarecomfortabledoing so. The graduateadvisormustbea full memberof the graduatefacultyin the SchoolofCommunication. The Directorof GraduateStudiesand theGraduate Schoolmustformallyapproveany exceptionstothisrequirement. Thegraduateadvisorplaysan integral rolein thestudent'sacademiccareer.Theadvisorshould beconsulted regarding thesequence of courses,theselection ofappropriateelectives,andthe optionofthesisor39-hour degree. The advisorisalsoresponsiblefor assisting in completionof theDegreeAudit,evaluating courseworkthat may betransferredtotheprogramfromanotherinstitution,recommending courseworktobetakenin anotheracademicdepartmentatIllinoisStateUniversity,and assisting studentsin thecompletion of culminating projectsfor their degrees,suchasthe master’sthesis.Once astudent completes18hours, he or she musthave theconsentof hisorhergraduate advisorto receive course overrides. Until such timeasagraduateadvisorisselected and approved,studentsareexpected to meetregularlywith the DirectorofGraduateStudiesfor academicadvisementand forpermissiontoenroll in classes.
Studentscompleting a thesisdosounderthedirection of agraduateadvisor,withtheadviceoftwo(or more)other graduatefacultymembers.Thethreegraduatefacultymemberscomprisethestudent's graduateadvisorycommittee(alsoknownasthethesiscommittee).Thiscommitteeisresponsiblefor guiding thethesisproject,recommending thestudentfor admission tocandidacyfor thedegree,and conducting thefinal thesisexamination(i.e.,oral defense ofthecompleted thesis). Aminimumof two of the graduateadvisorycommitteemembersmustbefromtheSchoolof Communication (i.e.,the graduateadvisor andone other facultymember).Thegraduateadvisor (whoservesaschair ofthe advisorycommittee)mustbea fullmemberofthegraduatefaculty. A student mustbeadmitted into thegraduatedegree programbeforea graduateadvisorycommitteecan beappointed.
A studentwhoselectsthe39-houroption for completing thedegreeneeds toselectonlyone member
of the graduatefacultytoserveashisor her graduateadvisor.The graduateadvisormustbeamember of the graduatefacultyin theSchoolof Communication. Optionally,and atthe discretion of the graduateadvisor andthestudent,othermembersof thegraduatefacultyatIllinois StateUniversitymay beincluded toforma graduateadvisorycommittee.Oncethestudentcompletes 18 hoursin the program,thegraduateadvisor (or graduateadvisorycommittee)willprovidethestudentwith advice and permission toreceiveoverridesfor allcoursework.
Toformally designatea graduateadvisor/graduateadvisorycommittee,thestudentmustsecurethe consentofeach faculty memberbeing requested toserveonthecommitteeandcompletethe Appointmentof GraduateCommitteeform,availablefromPattyFranz in Fell Hall 442A,oronlineat DirectorofGraduateStudiesfor approval and placedin thestudent’sacademicfile.
Degree Audit
A student’sDegreeAudit, completed inconsultationwith thestudent’sgraduateadvisor,detailsthe coursesthatwill be used tosatisfy degreerequirements. Theelectronicauditmustbeapproved bythe School’sDirectorof GraduateStudiesand theGraduateSchool beforethestudentscan becleared for graduation. The Degree Auditform(formerlythe Planof Studyform)is availableattheGraduateSchool web site: SchoolofCommunication web site:
StudentsmaycompletetheDegree Auditformoncetheyregister fortheir lastsemesterof courses.The formmustbefiled with theGraduateSchool bythe verybeginningofthesemester ofanticipated degreecompletion (seeDatesandDeadlinesontheGraduateSchoolwebsite:
StudentsshouldcompletetheDegree Auditform in consultation with their graduateadvisor.Students should send thecompletedformvia emailtoPatty Franz,whowill notifythestudent ofanyneeded corrections. Aftermakingcorrections,thestudentthen electronicallyforwardstheformtotheir graduateadvisor.Tosignifyapproval,theadvisorthen emailstheformtotheSchool’sDirectorof GraduateStudies.TheDirectorofGraduateStudieswillsubmittheformtotheGraduateSchool for final approval.
Examplesof completedDegreeAuditformsareposted on the Schoolof Communicationweb site ( completingtheform,pleasepayspecial attention tothefollowing items:
•Type“Communication”in the“Major”fieldon theform.
•Wedonotoffer sequences(e.g.,PR,organizationalcom,etc.)inour degreeprogram. Hence, the “Sequence”fieldatthetopoftheformshould remain blank.
•Specifytopicsforall 400-level coursesthatwererepeated (i.e.,coursesoffered underthesame number butwith differentcontent).
•Submitsyllabi forall repeated courseswhen thesameinstructortaughtboth courses.
•Specifytopicsforall COM400(IndependentStudy)and COM498(ProfessionalPractice)
experiencesreportedon theform.
•A maximumof 6 hoursof COM400may beappliedtoward a degree.
•In a degree program,COM498cannotconstitute morethan20% ofthe hoursapplied toward thedegree(i.e.,7hoursforstudentswhoselectthe39-houroption).
•Nomorethan12 hoursof300-level courseworkmay belisted;300-level coursesincluded on theformmustappear intheGraduateCatalog.
•Report department numbersand coursenumbersintheappropriatecolumn(e.g., 448/472);do notusealphabeticalabbreviationsfor departments(e.g., COM/472).
•Do notreporthours earned in COM392.08(TopicsinCommunication Instruction) onthe
Degreeof Auditform.
•Identifyall incompletegradeswith an “I”the “Grade”field.
•Leaveblankthe“Grade”field forcoursestobecompleted inyourlastsemester.
•Do notlistaudited courseson theform.
•Listcoursesin chronological order,with first-semestercoursesatthetopof theformand last- semesterof coursesatthe bottomoftheform.
Specific notesfor thesis optionstudents:
•For thethesisoption,the DegreeAuditformmustincludea minimumof five 400-levelcourses, including COM422and COM497.
•Hours earned in COM498(Professional Practice)andCOM499(Master’sThesis)doNOTcount toward the400-levelhoursrequired for the degree. Hours earned in COM498and COM499 should NOTbeincluded inthe“Total400-LevelHours”reported in thelower rightcornerof the form.
•A maximumof sixcredit hoursfromCOM400and COM498(combined)may beapplied toward thedegree.
•A maximumofthreecredithoursof COM400maybeapplied towardthe400-levelhours required forthedegree.
•Hours earned in all300-leveland 400-level coursesand thesishoursmustbereported inthe “Total GraduateHours”field on theform.Regardlessof the numberofCOM499 hours completed,studentsmaynotcount morethan 6 hoursin thisfield.
Specific notesfor 39-houroptionstudents:
•For thisoption,theDegreeAuditformmustincludeaminimumofnine400-levelcourses, including COM422and COM497.
•Nomorethan3hours of COM400(IndependentStudy)may beappliedtoward the27400-level hoursrequired forthedegree.
•Hours earned in COM498(Professional Practice)doNOTcounttoward the27400-level hours required forthedegree.Hours earned in Com498should NOTbeincluded in the“Total 400- Level Hours”reported inthelower rightcornerof theform.
•A maximumof 9total hours ofcreditfromCOM400and COM498(combined)maybeapplied toward a degree.
•Hours earned in all300-level and 400-level coursesmustbereported in the “Total Graduate
Hours”fieldon theform.
THETHESIS OPTION
Thethesisis awritten report ofan original research projectproposedbythestudentand completed under thedirectionofthestudent’sgraduateadvisor,with advicefromthestudent'sgraduateadvisory committee(alsoknown asthethesiscommittee).
Course Requirements
Studentswhoelectthisoption willcompleteaminimum of32hoursof credit(i.e., 27 hoursofcourse work [9classes] and writea master’sthesis). Fifteenof 27hoursof courseworkmustbeatthe400- level,including COM422and COM497. Amaximumof sixcredit hoursfromCOM400and COM498 (combined)maybeappliedtoward the degree. Amaximumofthreecredithoursof COM400maybe applied toward the400-level hoursrequired for thedegree.Credithoursearnedin COM498and COM
499may not becountedtoward thetotal400-level hoursrequired. Studentsclaimnofewerthan 4and nomorethan6hours ofdeferred credit(COM499), which isawardedwhen allrequirementsforthe degreeprogramaresatisfied and thefinalthesisis approved bytheGraduateSchool.Deferredcreditis notusedin computing thecumulativeGPA.
Registration forThesisWork
Studentselecting thethesis optionmustregisterforfour tosix hoursofCOM499,Master'sThesis,as approvedbytheir advisor.Anystudentusingtheservicesof theacademicstaffor thefacilitiesofthe Universitymustberegistered forthesemesteror termduring whichtheservicesarerenderedor the facilitiesareused.Also,toregister for COM499,thestudentmustactuallybeworking on thesubject under thedirectionof hisor her thesis advisor.Nogradewill be givenforthecoursebutcreditwill be enteredon thestudent'srecord atthetimetheapproved thesisisdeposited in theGraduate School Office. Nocreditfor COM499willbeawarded toastudentwho doesnotcompleteathesis.
The ThesisProposal
A thesisproposal functionsasa contractbetween thestudentand hisor heradvisorycommittee.The proposal(alsoreferredtoasa “prospectus”)clearlyexplainstheresearch projectthestudentwishesto completeastheculminating experienceof thedegree program.Bywriting aclear proposal beforethe research projectisinaugurated,thestudentisassured thatthecommitteeconsiderstheundertaking appropriateandcreditable.Studentsshould consulttheir graduateadvisor regarding theproper contentand formatof individual thesisproposals.Thestudent'sgraduateadvisory committeemust approvethetitle,scope,and design of aresearch investigation beforethe student maybegin hisorher thesisproject.
ThesisDeadlines
Itisimportanttokeeptrack ofdeadlinedates,whicharepostedon theGraduateSchoolweb site
(
Deadline1:Atthebeginningof your thesis research,complete andsubmitthe ProposalApproval
FormavailableontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.Completed form is due in Graduate School immediately after a successful defense of the proposal, even if the student will not complete in that semester. The form must include IRB/IACUC/IBC protocol number for human, animal, or biosafety research if required; copyright checklist; committee and chair/director signatures.
Deadline2:Obtainthe RighttoDefendapprovalas earlyas possibleinthe semester you planto complete yourdegree --atthelatestby the RighttoDefend(formerly calledFormatCheck)deadline. All required itemsmustarriveattheGraduate SchoolOfficeatleast10working daysbefore your planned defense,and nolater thanthedeadlineonthechart.Materials dueatthis deadlineinclude:
•completed RighttoDefend Checklist
•completedraftofyourthesis (mustincludeallpages,fromannotationthrough chaptersand appendices,butexactformatting isnotrequired fortheRighttoDefend)must be uploaded to ProQuest. TheGraduate School offersbyreservation an optional formatreview.Seedetailslaterin thisGuide.
•copyofyour approvedthesisproposal formthat you received fromtheGraduate School (ifyou havemisplaced it,contactthethesisassistantatleasta weekin advancetorequestacopy)ifall membersofthecommitteearethesameasonyouroriginallyapproved proposal,writeacross thetopof thecopy“Nochangestocommittee”;if any members havechanged sincethe proposal,write“Committeehaschanged”
•if anymembersofthecommitteehave been changedsincethe proposal,youmustalsosubmita
CommitteeChangeform,completed andsigned.
Thesematerialsmust beapproved bytheGraduateSchoolbeforeyou defend thethesis.If theyarein orderyouwill receiveaRightto Defend approvalmessagetoyour universityemail account(youmay scheduleatentative defensedatewithoutthemessage,butyoumusthavethemessagein hand in ordertodefend.)
Deadline3:FinalDepositof thesisas earlyas possible inthe semester youplantocomplete your degree --atthelatestby the FinalDepositdeadline.All required itemsfor finaldepositmustarriveat theGraduateSchoolOffice bythe deadline. Copiesthataremissing anysignatureswill notbeaccepted. In theeventthatoneormorecommittee membersisnotavailabletosign in person theymayauthorize another facultyorstaffmembertosign their name beforethedeadline bysending an emailmessage fromtheiruniversityaccounttothesigning facultyorstaffmemberwith acopytothethesisexaminer. Copiessubmitted for thisdeadline mustbeformattedexactlyaccording tosamplesand guidelines provided intheGuideforWritersofMaster’sTheses or theywill notbeaccepted for completion. Materialsdueatthisdeadlineinclude:
•CompletedFinal DepositChecklist
•Onefinal cotton copyof thethesis,unbound,formatted,printed andsigned tomeet department/school style manual and university-widerequirementsasdescribed in theGuidefor Writersof Thesesand printed on25% rag orcotton,20lbweightwhitepaper (confirmthose exactcolor,cotton orrag content,and weight phraseson thepaper package)thatmeetsall requirementsdetailed intheGuide. In caseof conflict between departmentstylemanual and university-widerequirements,follow university-widerequirements. Thesetwocotton copies
will besentbytheGraduateSchool toMilnerLibraryafter approval.
•5blankpagesofthesame paper to beused atMilnerLibraryfor binding
•The Outcome of Defense form signed by all committee members
•Only if you added any material aftertheRighttoDefend submissionthatresulted in a newyes answeron theCopyrightAuthority Checklist,anewsigned copyofthatchecklistalong withany additional required letters
Requiredmaterialsmustbeapproved bytheGraduateSchool before your degreecan befinalized and recorded.
ThesisFormat
Studentschoosingthethesis option should consultthe official GuideforWritersof Master’sTheses.This guidedelineatesspecificrequirementsforthethesisformatmandatedbytheGraduateSchool atIllinois StateUniversity.
In addition,thethesismustconformtoa stylemanualthatis accepted nationallyfor published research in thediscipline.TheSchoolof Communication normallyrequiresgraduatestudentstousethe Publication Manual of theAmericanPsychological Association or theMLA HandbookforWritersof ResearchPapers.Each studentshould discusswithhis/her advisor whichstyle manual is to befollowed. Fromtheproposal stagethrough theresearch processtothefinal presentationof thethesis,the
studentshould carefullyfollowproceduresdiscussed and exemplified in both theGuideforWritersof Master’sThesesandtheapproved stylemanual. Formattipsandotherhelpfulinformationareprovided under theThesisAssistancetab attheGraduateSchool web site(
Studentsareencouraged toschedulean optionalformat reviewtohelp assurethatthesisformatting meetsuniversityrequirements. TheRightto Defendstep nolongerincludesamandatoryformatcheck of a pre-defensedraft;however,final copiesmuststillmeetall universityrequirements,and will be checkedbytheexaminerbeforetheyareaccepted for degreecompletion. Finalcopiesthatdonotmeet all requirementswill notbeaccepted.
Optional formatreviewisavailablebyreservationonly. Youdonotneed tobeoncampusforthe optionalreview.Toschedulean optional review,calltheGraduateSchool front desk(309438-2583)to seeifa timeslotisopen and toreserveit.Therearelimitsto howmanyoptionalreviewscan be completed eachweek,and weeksclosetothefinal copydepositdatefill upvery quickly. Each semester thelastweekofclasses,finalsweek,and thefollowingweek(insummer,thelastthreeweeksbefore
theendof summerterm)aredevoted tochecking thefinal copiesofstudentswhoareslated to graduatethatsemester and clearing themfor graduation. Optional formatreviewswillnot beavailable during thoseperiods.
For effectivereviewthedocumentthat you submitneedstorepresent your besttryatfollowingall instructionsin thelistof university-widerequirements. (Asmuch astheexaminer would liketohelp you,shecanonlyreviewformatting ifyou havealreadyformatted;otherwiseall thatshewill beableto tell you isthatyoustill need toreviewtherequirementsand formateverything.)
Theexaminerisassigned onlytoidentifyand bring toyour attention anyelements ofthethesisthat need tobechanged tomeetuniversityrequirements.For helpwithotherareas, contactthe appropriateuniversityresource:grammar,spelling,writing style,or organization--UniversityWriting Center;Copyrightpermissions--MilnerLibraryCopyrightOfficer;Research approvals--thesisadvisor, Officesof IRB,IACUC,IBC;your discipline’sstylemanual or journal style--thesisadvisorand committee members.
Duetothelimitedavailabilityof timeslots,theoptional reviewsarelimited tooneper student:
requestsfor repeatreviewswill notbeaccepted.
ThesisDuplication
Costsforprinting draftsand final copiesofthesesare bornebythestudent. SchoolofCommunication copiersand printersmayNOTbeused toprintthesismaterials.
The OralDefense/ThesisAcceptance
Attheconclusionof their thesisprojects,studentsmust orallypresentand defend their investigations. Thedefenseof thethesisisopentotheacademiccommunityoftheUniversity.The oraldefense must be completed atleastoneweek before the Graduate Schooldeadline forfilingthe completed thesis. Atleast7daysbeforetheplanned defensethestudent mustfiletwounboundexamination copiesof thethesiswith Patty Franzin theSchoolof Communicationoffice(Fell Hall 442A). Atthetimesuch copiesarefiled,thestudent mustalsonotify membersoftheSchoolofCommunicationthat examinationcopiesareavailable. This notification should indicatetheexactdate,time,and locationof
thedefense,as well asthetitleof thethesis. Appropriateformsfornotification areavailablefrom Patty Franz in theSchoolof Communication office(442A Fell Hall)and mustbepostedon the bulletin board in themain corridorofthefourth floorof Fell Hall.
Thestudentisalsoresponsibleforsecuring an appropriatelocation for the oral defense(e.g.,a conferenceroomsuch asFell Hall 446). Thestudentshould contactPattyFranz in theSchoolof Communication (442A FellHall)for assistancein scheduling an appropriateroom.When necessary,the officestaffwill assiststudentsin working with theOfficeof Scheduling and Spacetoobtainan appropriatelocation.
Following thedefense,thestudentmustfilein theGraduateSchooltheoriginal and a copyofthe approvedthesis,unbound,with anycorrectionsrequired bytheadvisorycommittee. Beforethe GraduateSchoolfinallyacceptsathesis,itwillbeexamined again toverifyconformitytoUniversity requirements. After binding,theoriginal and copyof thethesiswill be placedonfilein theUniversity library. Thecompletedthesis mustmeetapprovedstandards of scholarship in thefieldof Communication.Theremustbeevidenceof abilitytothinklogically,togather and organizematerial,to drawand defendconclusions,and to presenttheresults oftheresearch proceduresin a creditable manner.
Tobeeligiblefor degreecompletion a studentmust depositthethesisintheGraduateSchoolofficeat least10daysbeforetheend of thesemesterortermor bythedeadlinespublished bytheGraduate School.Thesesfiledafter thatdatewill becredited toward degreecompletionthefollowing semester
or term.A studenton academicprobation is noteligibletosubmitathesisorequivalentfor acceptance bytheGraduateSchool.
Electronic Submission of Thesis
All students completing the thesis option are required to submit the document through ProQuest using the following procedures:
- The student will create an account with ProQuest when the first draft of the thesis/dissertation is complete by going to and clicking on “submit my dissertation/thesis”.
- The student will create an account/profile including: demographics, degree information, abstract, committee, publishing, and copyright information, subject categories, and keywords (FYI – for ProQuest purposes, “publishing” simply means making public.)
- The student will choose a permanent e-mail address for communication with ProQuest.
- The student will upload a draft of thesis in PDF format. ProQuest has a PDF converter, but it sometimes takes a while, so the Graduate School recommends having the document converted already.
- When the first draft is uploaded, the Graduate School will receive notification from ProQuest and will verify that the student has an approved Proposal Approval Form on file. The Graduate School will also confirm that the student has submitted a Degree Audit, and Graduation Application to the Registrar’s office. If any of these are not on file, the Graduate School will contact the student.
- If all three items are on file, the Graduate School will send an e-mail to the School’s Director of Graduate Studies and the student confirming electronic submission of the thesis/dissertation. Copies should be made available through the methods discussed above.
- Students can make revisions to their thesis through the ProQuest system as needed. There is a “use this version” button that they should click on next to the most recent draft.
- When the student is ready to defend their thesis, she or he will deliver the Right to Defend materials to the Graduate School. The Right to Defend checklist is available on the Graduate School website.
- If everything is in order, the Right to Defend is issued, and the student can schedule the defense. The Right to Defend must be received from the Graduate School at least 10 days prior to the defense, and the School will make copies of the thesis publicly available.
- After the student holds their defense, she or he will make final revisions to their thesis, upload the final draft, and submit the final deposit materials to the Graduate School. The final deposit checklist is available on the Graduate School website. Before submitting final deposit materials, the student has the option of scheduling a format check of their thesis. They can do this by calling the Graduate School at 438-2583.The School of Communication highly recommends having the format check as it significantly reduces the need for major formatting corrections after the final deposit has been submitted.The Graduate School completes format check of the electronic version, and the student does not need to be present for the format check, but they do need to call us to reserve a time slot.Please remember that the Graduate School can only accommodate a limited number of format checks each week.The Graduate School will send any necessary corrections to the students’ ISU e-mail.
- One paper copy of the final version of the thesis/dissertation will need to be submitted to the Graduate School with the final deposit materials. This copy is sent to Milner library for circulation there.
- After the thesis/dissertation has been reviewed by the Graduate School, the student will be contacted through their ISU e-mail with any corrections, or to let them know their thesis has been approved.
ContinuousRegistration Requirement
Afterthethesis Proposal for Approvalformhasbeen accepted intheGraduateSchool anda student has completed thecourseson the DegreeAuditformand registeredforfourtosixhours ofCOM499
Master'sThesis,thestudentisrequiredtomaintain continuousregistration until thedepositof thefinal thesis in theGraduateSchool. Registering for1credit hour ofCOM499orCOM499.1(ThesisAudit Hour)each semesterthrough thesemesterofdegreecompletion fulfillstherequirementfor continuous registration. Therequirementfor continuousregistration doesnotapplyduringa summertermunless thestudentisgraduating inthatterm.
Registration for COM499.01maybein absentia. If circumstancesprohibitcontinuing registration,a studentmustrequesta leaveof absencefromtheSchoolofCommunication andthen fromthe
GraduateSchool.Anystudentinterrupting continuousregistrationwithoutobtaining a leave ofabsence mustpaytuition foronecredithourof COM499.01for eachof thedelinquentsemestersupon reenrollmentand/or reinstatement. Anystudentrequesting reinstatementin adegreeprogramafter a lapse ofonecalendaryearmustfilean application forreadmission totheAdmissionsOffice.
THE39-HOUROPTION(with Revised Paper/Project)
The39-houroptionaffordsstudentstheopportunitytodevelop a high levelofdepth and breadthof knowledgewithoutcompleting a master’sthesis.
Course Requirements
Studentswhoselectthisoptionmustcompleteaminimumof 39hoursofapproved graduatecourse work.Twenty-seven hoursmust beatthe400-level,including COM422and COM497. No morethan threehoursof COM400 maybeappliedtoward the27400-level hoursrequiredfor thedegree. Credit hours earned in COM498may not becountedtoward thetotal 400-levelhoursrequired.