THE MASTER'S DEGREE
The Graduate Bulletin
specifies that a total of at least 30 credits are required for the M.S. degree,
the minimum credit requirements are distributed is as follows:
·
18
credits in the 500 and 600 series, combined, must be included in the program.
· 12 credits in course work (400 and 500 series), as contrasted with research, must be completed in Geosciences courses.
· 6 credits in thesis research (600 or 610) must be included in the program.
A minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for work done at the University is required for graduation.
The completion of a M.S. Thesis or M.S. Paper is part of the requirements for the completion of the M.S. degree in Geosciences
Time to Completion for Master’s Degree
The following section outlines the stages for the
successful completion the thesis and course requirements for the M.S. degree,
by presenting a suggested schedule for a two-year duration, the function of the
thesis proposal, and the responsibilities of the student, advisor, and
committee.
The "Duration of Residence and Support for a
Degree" section of this document states that “graduate programs should
require no more than 2 years of residence for the M.S. degree...,” so the
following timetable is presented as a suggested guideline of progress. When choosing a project and preparing an
academic timetable, students should plan to spend only a duration appropriate
for a master’s thesis. Note that every
student and every thesis is different, some may require less time and some may
require more, but the amount of time spent should be in the best interest of
the student and consistent with department policy to complete the M.S. degree
within two years. This suggested schedule is meant to provide
students with a realistic framework for the completion of a M.S degree, but is
not intended to be a rigid plan.
• By the end of the first semester in residence, the M.S. student
should have chosen an advisor, formed a committee, and picked a thesis topic.
• The formal presentation to the thesis committee of a project
proposal (see below) should be done in the early part of the second semester.
• Initial stages of research (pilot study, background research,
etc.) should be started in the second semester and grants-in-aid should be
applied for, if necessary.
• For students starting in the fall semester, summer can serve as
the opportunity for fieldwork or concentrated research (particularly for those
supported as TAs during the regular school year).
• Research should be approaching completion by the end of the third
semester. A meeting with the committee
to report progress and describe how the thesis project has evolved is strongly
recommended.
• The fourth semester in residence should be reserved for final
analysis of results, writing of the thesis, and formal oral defense.
In practice, a second summer
is often required to finish the writing of the thesis. However, a fifth
academic semester should not be incorporated into the timetable for the thesis,
and support from the Department for the fifth and subsequent semesters is
neither guaranteed nor encouraged. Remember that the Department also cannot
guarantee summer support for any of its students; most students who are
supported during the summer receive that support from faculty with funds
available from research grants.
The M.S. Committee will first meet with the student
no later than the end of the first academic year, at which time the student
should submit and orally present a brief (5-page maximum) statement of the
proposed thesis research
It is the responsibility
of the student to perform the thesis research and to meet the proposed
goals in a timely fashion. In addition,
it is the student’s responsibility to keep the committee informed on how the
project is evolving and progress toward completing the research. When research deviates from the original
proposed plan, the student should promptly provide the committee members with
the opportunity for input.
Finally, any problems or conflicts that the student,
advisor, and committee cannot resolve among themselves should be brought
promptly to the attention of the Associate Head of the Graduate Program for
final resolution.
In the Department of
Geosciences there is no distinction between the Thesis and Non-Thesis option
with regard to the nature, level, or quality of the research required. The
quality of writing and presentation of a research paper submitted for the
Non-Thesis option is expected to meet the same requirements as a thesis, but
the written report is not submitted to the Graduate School.
The Non-Thesis option has
sometimes been used to avoid what are perceived as stringent Graduate School
regulations. Candidates should be aware that the Graduate School now has quite
flexible guidelines on Theses (see the Thesis Guide), and there should be
essentially no differences in acceptability for either option. The Thesis
option is the correct choice, because the document itself is
"published" and represents the instructional and research functions
of Penn State to the outside world, whereas a Non-Thesis does not unless it
appears in a journal.
Candidates contemplating
using the Non-Thesis option should be aware that a paper in the form normally
submitted to a journal, with tables and figures appended, is NOT SUITABLE for
presentation. Tables and figures must be inserted at appropriate positions
within the text and properly captioned and paginated. Given all of this, the
Department recommends that students choose the thesis option.