The University of St. Thomas

Preparing for the Thesis

Selecting a Research Topic

The final course in the University of St. Thomas Master of Arts in Music Education (MAME) program, is GMUS 875 Introduction to Thesis Writing. In this course students are introduced to research methods while working individually with the professor in selecting a thesis topic, crafting a problem statement, initiating a review of literature, and devising a research methodology. It is expected that students will arrive at their thesis topic, problem and purpose statements, and have made considerable progress on the review of literature by the conclusion of this course.

Selecting a Thesis Supervisor

The role of the supervisor is to give counsel and direction throughout the thesis process. After successfully passing the final oral comprehensive examination, students need to:

  1. Select a thesis supervisor from the MAME core faculty according to topic expertise.
  2. Inquire about the professor’s availability and acceptance of the advisee.
  3. Obtain the supervisor’s signature on the Preliminary Thesis Advising Form.
  4. Schedule a preliminary thesis advising meeting with the program director.  Non-local students may conduct the preliminary thesis advising meeting with the program director via telephone or e-mail.  Students are reminded that because of availability, teaching load, etc., faculty members do not automatically accept thesis advisees.

GMUS 876

After selecting a thesis supervisor and meeting with the program director for a preliminary thesis advising meeting, students register for GMUS 876 Directed Research each semester until the thesis has been defended successfully. Students must obtain approval from the thesis supervisor and meet with the program director before registering for GMUS 876. The Preliminary Thesis Advising form must be complete.

Students enroll in the section of GMUS 876 matching the thesis supervisor's name below:

GMUS 876 01 Thesis, Dr. Gonzo
GMUS 876 03 Thesis, Dr. Gleason
GMUS 876 05 Thesis, Dr. Trinka

Graduate faculty in the Master of Arts in Music Education degree program are on staff during two of three semesters each year, as follows:

Dr. Gleason is on staff Jan. 1 - Oct. 1.
Dr. Gonzo is on staff May 1 - Feb. 1.

Students will not be assessed the one credit tuition fee for the semester in which their supervisor is not on staff, provided the faculty member is not working with the student during that semester. Students who are completing the degree in summers only (as indicated on the student's MAME application form) will enroll in GMUS 876 every semester, but will be assessed the one credit tuition only during the summer semester, provided they are not working with their thesis supervisor during the fall or spring terms.

During the semester in which the thesis is defended successfully, the one credit tuition paid for GMUS 876 will be converted to GMUS 890. No additional fees will be assessed at that time, provided the student's degree plan calls for one credit for thesis.

Working with a Thesis Supervisor

Students actively engaged in the research process need to apprise supervisors of their progress on a regular basis. If approval is secured for each chapter as it is written, the student can feel confident that the final draft submitted to the thesis committee will be acceptable. It is rare that no revisions will be made following the thesis defense.

The thesis supervisor has the responsibility for supervising the writing of the thesis and providing commentary on the chapters in progress. Other members of the examining committee read and comment only on the thesis proposal and completed final draft.

A student's progress depends, in part, upon a timely reading and editing of chapter drafts by the thesis supervisors. Supervisors are responsible for returning drafts of individual chapters, usually within two weeks. It is the student's responsibility to establish and meet an agreed upon schedule in working with the supervisor and to allow the supervisor sufficient time to read and respond to the drafts.

Writing a thesis is a scholarly endeavor. The writing should be clear, concise and scholarly. The student is responsible for ensuring that correct grammar, punctuation and spelling are used throughout the document. The supervisor will inform the student if there are problems with any aspect of the thesis, but it is the student's responsibility, not the supervisor's, to correct identified problems.

Institutional Review Board

The UST Institutional Review Board (IRB) must approve all research involving human subjects. The IRB research form is submitted to the board under one of three categories:

  1. exempt review,
  2. expedited review, or
  3. full board review. 

Research involving children and adolescents is typically classified as requiring full board review. IRB proposals must be approved by the thesis supervisor before being submitted to the Institutional Review Board. Students who are unsure of the proposal category should consult their thesis supervisor. IRB forms are available at http://www.stthomas.edu/irb/.  Note that while there are some similarites between the document submitted to the Institutional Review Board and the thesis proposal submitted to the thesis committee, they are not the same.

Thesis Committee

The thesis committee is typically comprised of the thesis supervisor and two other UST MAME faculty members. The thesis committee is responsible for approving the thesis proposal, as well as the final draft of the completed thesis. All committee members must hold earned doctorates and be chosen for their expertise in the thesis subject area. Other UST faculty members, or in unusual circumstances, faculty from other approved institutions, may be substituted according to experience, availability, etc., subject to the approval of the thesis supervisor and program director.

Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal usually consists of the first three chapters of the thesis - although this will vary, especially with theses that use non-qualitative and non-quantitative methodologies. In descriptive, experimental and qualitative studies, the thesis proposal generally consists of the first three chapters of the thesis: Introduction, Review of Literature and Methodology. The components of historical, theoretical and philosophical thesis proposals will be determined by the thesis supervisor and student based on the nature of the proposed study. See Request for Thesis Proposal Approval.

Students work with their thesis supervisor to complete and refine the research proposal, which stems from their work in GMUS 875 Introduction to Thesis Writing. The official academic style guide used by Graduate Programs in Music Education is the latest edition of Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, also known as The Chicago Manual of Style.

Once the thesis supervisor approves the thesis proposal, it is submitted with a Proposal Approval form (signed by the student and thesis supervisor) to the other thesis committee members. Proposals not approved will require revision and resubmission. Revisions must be completed and resubmitted to the thesis committee for approval before the study is undertaken.

When the Institutional Review Board and the thesis committee have approved of the study, the student may commence the thesis research. Note: some work on the study (to be determined by the thesis supervisor) may continue while the student waits for the necessary approvals.