Page 65 - DISSERTATION AND THESIS HANDBOOK 2017 -2020

b. Coordinating the responses of committee members so that the candidate
does not receive fundamentally conflicting advice;
c. Informing candidates who are not making reasonable progress what they
must do to avoid being dismissed for failure to make such progress; and
d. Ensuring that the thesis advisory committee meets at least once a
semester.

All thesis advisory committees are unique; it is important for candidates to clarify
exactly what each member of the committee expects. In general, however, the
major input into the original draft of a thesis will come from the thesis Chair, or
Advisor.

In some instances, members of the thesis advisory committee will see each
chapter of the manuscript as it is being written; in others, the committee
members may see a complete draft after it has been given tentative approval by
the Chair. Whatever procedure is used, all members of the committee must
familiarize themselves with the contents of the thesis and agree that the thesis is
ready for oral defense.

During the advisory committee meetings with the candidate, the following must
be accomplished:
a. Review of the candidate’s progress;
b. Make suggestions concerning future research, and
c. Record the committee’s findings and suggestions.
A copy of this record must be placed in the graduate candidate‘s file and given to
the candidate.

C. Thesis Topic

The candidate and the chair work collaboratively in the
development of the thesis topic. For most candidates, the first step
in the thesis process is selecting a topic, and perhaps the most
common reason for difficulties is that many candidates wait until
the end of their course work to begin thinking about the issue.
Ideally, a thesis should be the logical culmination of the courses and
experiences that constitute a candidate‘s program. Consequently,
the search for a topic begins with the first course that a candidate
takes and continues until the candidate's thesis advisory committee
approves the thesis proposal. However, selecting a topic for a thesis
is a continuous process that requires the input of all members of
the candidate‘s Advisory Committee and should be conducted
accordingly. Throughout the process, it is critical that the candidate
work closely and consistently with the faculty members who will
assist him/her during the thesis writing process.

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