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Discuss your anticipated thesis topic with a member of the faculty who would be an appropriate person to be your thesis director. This should be someone with whom you have taken courses and who knows your work. If you are having trouble focusing on a topic or finding an appropriate major professor, discuss your thesis idea with the graduate director.
Student then chooses a major professor, who must be a tenure-line faculty member in either American Studies or Humanities. In consultation with the major professor, the student then selects two additional USF faculty members to serve on the thesis committee. Discuss your thesis with these two additional faculty members you have identified and ask them if they are willing to serve on your committee. Once three members agree to serve on the committee, Student fills out a Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Appointment Form, gets appropriate faculty signatures, and turns it in to the Graduate Director.
Students in the Humanities track of the MLA program must pass a language proficiency exam arranged by the major professor before advancing to the thesis writing stage. This exam may be waived at the discretion of the major professor if sufficient alternative evidence of proficiency in the relevant language exists.
Student submits an 8 to 10 page thesis proposal to the major professor and committee members. The proposal should contain the following: title page with signature/date lines for major professor and committee members, statement of purpose, literature review, methodology, organization, and substantive working bibliography. Please follow the link for further proposal guidelines.
In consultation with the student and the other members of the committee, the major professor schedules an oral defense. After a successful defense, the major professor and committee members sign the title page and the major professor forwards a copy of signed proposal to the Graduate Director. Please note that students will not be permitted to apply for graduation in the same semester that they defend the thesis proposal.
The student writes the thesis with the major professor’s guidance and regular input from committee members. Typically thesis projects are 40 to 80 pages in length. Work closely with your thesis director, meeting regularly according to a schedule worked out between the two of you. Keep the Graduate Director informed of you progress. Be sure to show your thesis to the other members of your committee as it progresses. You don’t have to meet with them as regularly as you do with your thesis director, but they should not be presented with a complete draft of the thesis without having had the opportunity to read, comment and make suggestions throughout its writing. Your thesis will have to be acceptable to all members of your committee.
During the semester the student wishes to graduate, s/he must be registered for at least 2 credit hours. Be aware of the following deadlines:
Please consult the Graduate Director regarding these deadlines, and also check the Graduate School webpage for appropriate forms and deadlines.
When the major professor believes the student is ready, the student shares the final thesis draft with the committee and the major professor arranges an oral defense of the thesis. Please note that Humanities track MLA students will not be permitted to schedule the thesis defense until they have passed the foreign-language requirement. Defenses are open to the public and other faculty members and students are especially encouraged to attend. The final thesis should also include a title page with signature lines for each committee member. When the thesis defense is passed, the title page is signed by all committee members and given to the Graduate Director to be kept in the student’s file.