Thesis Options and Procedures

Thesis Options and Procedures

There are two options of graduate study for some degree programs at JSU: the Non-Thesis Option and the Thesis Option. The Thesis Option is available to students in these master's degree programs:

  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Biology
  • Criminal Justice
  • English
  • Fine Arts
  • Geographic Information Science and Technology
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Music

A student is awarded six semester hours of graduate credit for a successfully completed thesis, by enrolling in 5990 two times and receiving a grade of “P” in each 5990 class. The requirements for the individual degree programs are listed under “Minimum Requirements for Degree” in each program section of this catalog.

For students choosing the thesis option for their degrees (if available), the thesis defense may serve as the comprehensive examination.

Thesis Timeline:

Prior to enrolling in the first three semester hours of thesis, 5990:

  1. Thesis students must submit a Thesis Option form, approved and signed by the student’s Thesis Committee, to Graduate Studies for approval. The Thesis Option form is a Dynamic Form and is available online on the Thesis and Dissertation Information page.

Prior to completing the last three semester hours of thesis, 5990:

  1. Thesis students must complete and successfully defend their theses. Thesis submission due dates may be found on the Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Information page. 
  2. When the thesis student has successfully defended the thesis, the thesis student must submit the Thesis Approval Form to the thesis committee for their signatures. The Thesis Approval form is a dynamic form and will be routed to Graduate Studies as the final step of the approval process prior to publication in JSU Digital Commons. Once fully approved, the thesis student will submit their approved thesis manuscript to Digital Commons as the final step of the completion process. Upon completing this process, the student will receive a grade of Pass (P) or Fail (F) for the last three semester hours of thesis, 5990. A grade of “P” may not be assigned to the last three semester hours of thesis, 5990, until the completed thesis has been successfully submitted to Digital Commons for publication. Thesis students should refer to the Thesis Guide for the step-by-step process for the development and submission of their manuscript.

Change from Thesis Option to Non-Thesis Option

If a student wishes to change from Thesis Option to Non-Thesis Option, then the student must complete the Request to Change form to notify their chairperson and Graduate Studies. Students who change from the Thesis Option to the Non-Thesis Option and have completed their first 5990 thesis course may apply it towards degree completion. The second 5990 course cannot be applied towards degree completion and must be replaced with other approved coursework.