Thesis

COMM 695 Research Project in Communication (2 cr)
 
The thesis requires in-depth research, demonstrating your capacity for original and independent work. It includes a critical evaluation of previous research and application in the area of interest and expertise of the student. The format must conform to the Andrews University Standards for Written Work, as well as the conventions of the discipline of Communication. A Project Proposal is completed in consultation with the Supervisory Committee.  There is an oral defense on completion of the thesis.
 
You must register, at some time in your program, in a statistics course. The Supervisory Committee must approve of the course selected.  The recommended statistics course is SOWK566 Social Work Research.

In preparation for the oral defense, the following procedures must be followed (follow the timeline carefully so as to meet all deadlines)

• The Supervisory Committee must officially declare the thesis ready for oral defense
• The candidate must submit this committee-approved thesis to the thesis secretary in the School of Graduate Studies who checks it for conformity to the Andrews University Standards for Written Work.
• A date for the formal defense (no later than 4 weeks before graduation) is set by the Supervisory Committee in consultation with the Department Chair and Graduate Program Coordinator.

Completion of thesis:

• The thesis receives approval if the defense is successful.
• The Project Completion form is submitted to the records office by the Graduate Program Coordinator.
• After the required corrections and revisions have been made, the thesis is taken to the thesis secretary for final approval. This approval must be achieved before 11:30 a.m. Friday, a week before graduation. The student must allow sufficient time (at least 2 weeks) for this process.
• The final copy includes the approval sheet signed by the Supervisory Committee and a copy of the abstract (150 words).

Duplication of final copy of thesis:

• The student must get a signed completion form from the thesis secretary.
• There are 2 options for duplicating the thesis.
  1) The thesis secretary will arrange for duplicating with AU Lithotech and the student's account will be billed.
  2) If the student personally arranges for duplication, all the necessary requirements e.g. type of paper etc. must be met.
• 3 unbound copies are shown to the thesis secretary who gives the student the Notification of Thesis/Dissertation Completion form to be submitted to the Records office.
• The 3 unbound copies are submitted to the Library Director's office.
• The deadline is no later than Wednesday, a week and a half before graduation. Strict adherence to this deadline is essential for graduation.
• A 4th unbound copy is given to the thesis secretary to be processed for microfiching.

Academic integrity is expected from all students. An "S" grade is given.