These degrees are available with a thesis option in most fields. A non-thesis option is available in selected fields.

Thesis Option

Course Requirements. A minimum of 30 semester credits is required in a program of study for the M.A. or M.S. degree in a major field. This includes the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to the thesis. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level. Fifteen semester credits must be taken on campus through UND. A maximum of eight semester credits may be transferred from another institution. Workshop credits are normally not accepted on the program of study, but may be considered with the approval of the advisory committee and the dean of the Graduate School. A maximum of four semester credit hours may be considered.

The program may include just the major, the major and a minor, or the major and a cognate area. The major must include 20 credits from the major department, and a minor or cognate area must include at least nine credits. Students should refer to the section of this catalog entitled “Departmental Programs” for program specific admission, degree examination, and course requirements.

Residence Requirement. Typically, a student must spend a minimum of one semester or two summer sessions in residence on this campus. Students should expect to spend about the equivalent of two years as a full-time student to complete the M.A. or M.S. program with a thesis. Note: The Residence Requirement is in effect unless modifications have been granted to the department by the Graduate Committee. Contact the program or the Graduate School for current residency requirements.

Thesis. The student must submit a thesis to the Graduate School as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. Credit will be given for the writing of the thesis and for the research completed and incorporated into the thesis. The amount of credit may vary from four to nine credits and will be determined by the major department. The thesis, prepared under the guidance of the student’s faculty advisor, must show sound method and demonstrate scholarship. All theses must be prepared in accordance with the Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations, one copy of which will be provided to the student by the Graduate School when the program of study is approved. The “Manual” is also available on the Graduate School web site.

The topic for a thesis must be approved by the student’s Faculty Advisory Committee. Approval is effected by the student’s completing a form entitled Proposal of Thesis, available with instructions from the Graduate School, then submitting the proposal to the Advisory Committee for its approval. The approved proposal is then filed in the Graduate School to become part of the record. The proposal must be approved before the beginning of the semester in which the student expects to graduate, and must be filed in the Graduate School before a student is advanced to candidacy for a master’s degree.

A preliminary draft of the thesis must be presented to the Advisory Committee sufficiently in advance of the preliminary approval deadline that the Advisory Committee may thoroughly evaluate and correct the thesis. After the necessary corrections and changes have been made, the student should secure the committee members’ signatures on a form entitled Preliminary Approval of Theses and Dissertations, available on the Graduate School’s web site, and file this form in the Graduate School. The Preliminary Approval, which indicates to the student that no major changes will be required in the final copy of the thesis, must be in the Graduate School no later than the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar, or the student will not be permitted to graduate that semester.

Copies of the thesis in its final form must be prepared and presented to the student’s Faculty Advisory Committee in time that they may thoroughly read the thesis prior to the final examination. When the final version of the thesis has been approved by the Committee, a copy must be deposited in the Graduate School and receive the signed approval of the Dean by the deadline announced in the Academic Calendar (usually two weeks prior to commencement).

The Graduate School will have the final copy of the thesis bound and cataloged in the University Library. The student must submit one copy to the major department and one to the advisor.

Candidacy for the Degree. Admission of a student to the Graduate School as a Degree Student in Approved Status implies only that the student has met the minimal entrance requirements and will be permitted to take graduate courses which normally will lead to a degree. The student has not been admitted as a candidate for a degree. Advancement to candidacy is a formal procedure and can be granted only after the student has met certain academic requirements. To become a candidate for the Master of Arts or Master of Science (thesis options), the following requirements must be met in approximately the following sequence:

1. Completion of the equivalent of one full-time semester (9 semester credits).
   
   
2. A GPA of at least 3.00 for all work attempted.
   
   
3. The appointment of a Faculty Advisory Committee. This Committee is appointed by the dean upon the recommendation of the chairperson, or designate, of the student’s major department and normally will consist of three members, but may consist of four. The form for Committee appointments is available at the Graduate School and on the Graduate School web site. If the student intends to include a minor on the program of study, one committee member must be chosen to represent the minor field. The chairperson of the Committee normally must be a Full Member of the Graduate Faculty but may be an Associate Member under certain conditions, must represent the student’s area of interest, and must serve as the thesis advisor. The Committee is responsible for program advisement, thesis advisement, and examination of the student.
   
   
4. Approval of a Program of Study. Until such time as a student selects a thesis advisor, the department chairperson, or designate, will act as a temporary advisor for the selection of courses, etc. After the formation of a Faculty Advisory Committee, the student and the Committee should formulate a Program of Study for the degree on a form available from the Graduate School and on the Graduate School web site. The program should be developed early in the second semester of enrollment. After the program has been signed by the student and the Committee, it is submitted to the Graduate School for the approval of the Dean.
   
   
5. Approval of a Proposal of Thesis on a form available from the Graduate School and on the Graduate School web site. This proposal, when approved by the Faculty Advisory Committee and deposited in the Graduate School, indicates acceptance of a topic for study and incorporation into a thesis. The proposal must be filed at the Graduate School the semester or session prior to the one in which the student expects to graduate.

Students and their advisors will be notified in writing of the advancement to candidacy. Students must complete all requirements for advancement to candidacy prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate.

Final Examinations. Students are required to present themselves for a final examination before their full Faculty Advisory Committee. The examination will be written and/or oral and will include defense of the thesis, but also may include examination over the course of study for the degree. Examinations are to be scheduled one week in advance by the Committee through the Graduate School. The results must be reported to the Graduate School, on the Final Report on Candidate form, by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The Committee members must have had an opportunity to examine the final copy of the thesis prior to the examination and will indicate their approval by signing the approval page of the thesis. Final examinations which are failed may be repeated only with the prior approval of the Advisory Committee and the Dean.

Non-Thesis Option

The degrees Master of Arts and Master of Science without a thesis are available only in selected fields. Except as noted below, the requirements are the same as those listed under the thesis option.

Course Requirements. A minimum of 32 semester credits is required for the degree. This includes 2 credits in the major for an independent study report for which the student registers for the course numbered 997 or 995. The program may include just the major, the major and a minor, or the major and a cognate area. The major must include at least 22 credits from the major department and a minor or cognate area must include at least nine credits.

Students should refer to the section of this catalog entitled Departmental Programs for additional admission, degree, examination, and course requirements unique to each department.

Residence Requirement. There is no residence requirement for the non-thesis M.A. and M.S. degrees; however, at least half of the credits for the degree must be taken on the UND campus.

Independent Study. The independent study is designed to require the student independently to investigate a topic related to the major field of study. The study need not be an original contribution to knowledge but may be a presentation, analysis, and discussion of information and ideas already in the literature of the field. The requirement is to ensure that a student can investigate a topic and organize a scholarly report on the investigation.

The topic for an independent study must be approved by the student’s advisor. Approval is effected by the student’s completing a form entitled Topic Proposal of Independent Study, available with instructions from the Graduate School and on the Graduate School web site, then submitting the proposal to the advisor for approval. The proposal, which must be approved no later than the semester or session prior to the one in which the student expects to graduate, must be filed in the Graduate School to become part of the record before a student is advanced to candidacy for a master’s degree.

Students must prepare and secure the advisor’s approval of an independent study report. Three copies of the report (one each for the student, the advisor, and the department) must be accepted by the advisor who will certify completion of the report to the Graduate School by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar and submit a grade for 997-Independent Study or 995-Scholarly Project to the Office of the Registrar.

Candidacy for the Degree. The requirements for advancement to candidacy under the non-thesis option are the same as those listed under the thesis option with the following exceptions:

1. Advisor. Students must obtain the appointment of an advisor from the major department. The advisor, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, will be appointed by the dean, upon the written recommendation of the chairperson, or designate, of the student’s major department. The advisor is responsible to the department and to the Graduate School for the supervision of the student’s work.
   
   
2. Program of Study. Students must submit a Program of Study for Graduate School approval which will have been developed in consultation with the advisor and signed by the departmental chairperson (or designate). If a minor is declared, the program also must be signed by the chairperson of the minor department. The Program of Study should be developed early in the second semester and submitted to the Graduate School.
   
   
3. Topic Proposal of Independent Study. Students must obtain approval of a topic for the independent study. The advisor approves the Topic Proposal of Independent Study, and the student submits the form to the Graduate School to become part of the record. The topic proposal must be filed prior to the semester or session in which the student expects to graduate.

Final Examinations. Those advanced to candidacy for non-thesis master’s degrees must pass written final comprehensive examinations which must cover the major field but may, at the advisor’s discretion, draw upon or cover the supporting areas. Such examinations generally will be given and evaluated by the major department, but the results will be certified to the Graduate School by the advisor and the department chairperson on the form Final Report on Candidate by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The appropriate comprehensive examination(s) will be arranged by the advisor and administered by the department no earlier than the semester preceding the semester in which the candidate intends to graduate. Comprehensive examinations which are failed may be repeated only with the prior approval of the advisor, the department, and the Dean, but in no event earlier than at the next regularly scheduled offering.

Candidates may not take the final comprehensive examination(s) unless they have been advanced to candidacy for the degree, and are in satisfactory academic standing.