MCOM Graduate Project/Thesis Addendum

MA students in their last, or next to last, trimester may apply for permission to register for MCOM 890 Graduate Thesis/Project. Reference numbers for MCOM 890 are not published in the trimester Schedule of Classes. They may be obtained from professors in the Media Program. The student will choose one professor to serve as chair of their thesis committee.

A thesis committee is composed of three full-time faculty from the Communication area. When appropriate to the subject of the thesis/project, and with the approval of the committee chair, one of the three faculty may be from a different academic area.

Before registering for MCOM 890, discuss your proposed thesis topic with your committee chair and draft a brief written proposal for her/him. While students have the option of registering for one to six credits of thesis, the usual expectation of the faculty is three credits. Since the thesis is a major academic effort, students allowed to register for fewer than three credits will still be expected to produce the equivalent of at least three credits of work.

The thesis (a written work) or project (a media creation) is considered the culmination of your work in Media Communication at GSU. As such, it should showcase what you have learned in the field. For some, it may serve also as the cornerstone of a future career or as a significant point of passage to further study. Students are encouraged to propose novel and original ideas for topics; however, the thesis/project should be a logical outgrowth of your academic program. For example, normally it would not be appropriate for a student who lacks coursework in writing for the electronic media to submit a screenplay for a project or for a student with little background in video production to produce, direct and edit a television project. And just as your committee will expect a written thesis to be your own work, it will expect students who elect a creative project to demonstrate their own proficiency in a multiplicity of hands-on skills, rather than in merely assembling a crew of talented others. Your committee chair will be happy to show you examples of successful theses or projects. The minimum passing grade for MCOM 890 is B.

Whether you choose a thesis or a project, your chair is there to guide you and to offer suggestions and support. Experience shows that the best thesis/project efforts happen when student and chair agree early on a timetable for completion of the various phases of the project, as well as on a backup schedule in the event of delays. Three copies of the final draft of the thesis/project must be presented to the committee no later than a month prior to the last day of classes for the trimester. This allows time for the committee members to review the student's work and for the student to incorporate their suggestions in his final presentation, two copies of which must be filed with the chair. Remember, students cannot elect a grade of I (incomplete). It may be awarded only at the discretion of the committee chair in cases where delay in completing the thesis/project is beyond the control of the student.

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