Thesis Work

A final thesis affords an MFA student a chance to assemble a book-length manuscript of poems, stories, or essays, or to write a novel.

From the academic perspective, the thesis represents the equivalent of a final exam at the end of a student’s MFA program, testing whether he or she has learned the conventions of the form and is able to write to reflect the standards required for original creative work by those who would consider publishing that original creative work. It is a checkpoint to measure whether a student has mastered the basic and core skills that the program is intended to instill and whether a student has mastered them sufficiently to succeed as a writer if she or he keeps working at her or his work. The thesis development is not an independent workshop in book-length manuscript formation. We do offer those classes and workshops from time to time but they lead to the thesis process and are not part of it per se.

For poetry students, the thesis usually takes the form of a collection of original poems. For fiction students, it can constitute a collection of stories or a novel. For nonfiction students, it can constitute a collection of essays or longer pieces of narrative nonfiction. Typically, each student works for an academic year with a faculty member on his or her project, starting somewhere in the conception stage and going through drafting to final editing and production for the university library. At a point in the process, two additional faculty members enter the manuscript review and discussion process, providing input to their colleague and the student. The three committee members must agree at the end of the process that the manuscript is acceptable and meets the goal of demonstrating that the student is sufficiently well versed in the conventions of form that he or she can work successfully in the field after receiving the MFA.

Students submit thesis director assignment requests to the program administration, which will try to give each student his or her first or at least second choice faculty member as director. Assignments are discussed with the faculty member before they are made. The goal is to match each student with a thesis director with whom he or she will work successfully and comfortably, and to keep the loads balanced between faculty members so that each one has sufficient time to give to the work of the students. In developing theses, students work out of their own strengths as writers, as well as their personal interests, and so the process of their being assigned to a thesis director begins with their self-assessment of strengths and their preferences for the faculty member with whom they think they would work best. Students are strongly advised against requesting assignment to a faculty member with whom they have not had several courses. Some faculty decline to work with students who have not taken several courses with them. The other key component of this process is to ensure that the student is going to work with a faculty member whose approach and aesthetic will work successfully with the student’s.

While there are differences between faculty members’ approaches and detailed requirements, there also are major areas of overlap. The poetry faculty generally find acceptable a thesis of at least 40 pages of poems and some want them not to exceed 80. All want the manuscript to exhibit mastery of the basic skills (poetic line, rhythm, concision, distinctive phrasing, avoidance of poetic clichés, etc.). The thesis also must represent a “collection” that coheres and is organized in a manner that makes it more than the sum of its separate parts. This means that the student should have a clear and evident concept for the collection, and that this design includes an arc of development achieved by unity or by contrast, tensions among the poems; or by narrative or thematic development; by form; by tone; by surprise; or by some combination of elements. And each collection must demonstrate knowledge of current poetic practices. To cite an example of where the poets might disagree, one might look for awareness from the student of the ethical implications of the poems while others would not.

Nonfiction and fiction theses are required to meet the basic expectations of the genre, which in nonfiction can include memoir, personal essay, less personal essays (cultural commentary or literary journalism) and in fiction generally will be either a novel or story collection or chapbook of stories. So fiction manuscripts are generally going to be a cohering whole, whether in novel form or stories. Whether a nonfiction thesis collection poses a narrative is an option, and whether individual pieces have to cohere as a collection is less important than is the requirement that each piece be a whole and consistent thing unto itself. The length of manuscripts is important on the prose side generally, and almost all faculty want the finished manuscript to be around 100 pages. Tolerances are built in, though, for shorter or longer lengths where the work itself dictates.

A successful fiction manuscript should demonstrate a mastery of literary devices such as plot, character, setting, and figurative language appropriate to the work. Plots must be demonstrated through the course of the work and must contain an identifiable narrative arc. Characters must be believable to a reader and must be shown to be both in conflict with external characters or forces as well as with internal forces as a result of the action of a plot demonstrated in the work.

In no case is there a singular aesthetic to which a thesis must adhere or conform but each one must demonstrate that the student uses language artfully in a style consistent with the other elements of the work, such as nature of the narrative, setting (including time and place) in a way that illustrate the student’s figurative abilities.

Readers do not expect to see the thesis until the draft is complete, and their role is secondary to that of your director. Readers generally will either approve your thesis and provide brief commentary; or, if he or she disapproves, will ask for specific revisions to be carried out before his or her approval is granted. Readers may want to discuss a thesis draft with the director, and may ask the director to incorporate the reader’s observations into his or her own comments to the student in order to simplify the process of giving and getting feedback. Some readers are more involved and anxious to give feedback, it varies from reader to reader. That said, you should expect that your thesis readers will want to see a completed draft of your manuscript by the end of the first week of the last full month of the semester in which you’re finishing the thesis—so, April for spring graduates or November for fall graduates. At that time, you should provide each of your readers with a hard copy of your manuscript (do not send it as an email attachment unless the director and committee members have asked you to do so).

 

Completing and Submitting Your Thesis, Step By Step:

STEP 1: Request a Director (usually done the semester prior to starting your thesis)

The graduate programs manager sends out an email calling for director requests each semester. Watch for the email in the semester prior to the semester in which you plan to start your thesis and be sure to respond by the posted deadline. Attached to the email are director request forms specific to each genre.

Fill out and return director request form:

When you open the email, look for the attached form specific to your genre of study and open that form. The form lists all the faculty available for the coming semester. Go through the list and rank the faculty in numerical order with #1 being your first choice for director.

You are encouraged to choose a director who has some expertise in, and sympathy for, the project you're considering--an instructor, for instance, whose class inspired the project in some way.  Finding a director goes hand-in-hand with formalizing the project, or at least with figuring out a rough version of what you'd like to work on.  So, complete the ranking from your first choice down through the rest of the faculty and return the form to the graduate programs manager.

After the deadline, all received forms will be considered and director assignments will be made within a couple of weeks.

A couple of things to remember when requesting a director:

  • Your faculty advisor is not automatically your thesis director
  • Not all faculty are willing to work with students whom they haven't taught at least once
  • You may make note of conversation between you and a possible director on the request form and every effort is made to uphold verbal commitments by faculty, but no assignment is formal until a request is made and an assignment is announced.

STEP 2: Build a Committee

Once you have been assigned a thesis director, the next important task is finding committee members or readers. All thesis students need two readers and a director. Your readers can be chosen in consultation with your director. 

Asking faculty to serve as readers is an informal process. You can simply email faculty or talk to them in person to ask them to read.

In general, readers are from the English Department. On occasion; however, it is possible to bring in someone from outside the department within the university, if the subject demands a specific expertise that isn't represented in the department. The outside member needs to be formally vetted both by the committee and by the creative writing director and can never serve as director.

STEP 3: Draft and Submit a Thesis Proposal

Once your committee is in place, it's time to draft a proposal. Ideally the proposal is submitted to the gradaute programs manager prior to the end of the semester in which you are assigned a thesis director. Technically you have until the last add/drop date for the semester in which you want to start your thesis to add thesis hours, but it does take time to get approvals and that is best done well in advance.

A couple things to remember as you draft your proposal:

  • There is no template for thesis proposals.
  • You can consult with your thesis director about your proposal.
  • Proposals usually range from 3-5 pages in length.

Follow the checklist below and the thesis proposal process will be easily accomplished.

Thesis Proposal Checklist:

-Consult with your thesis director

-Draft a proposal

-Revise draft as necessary with thesis director

-Select a writing sample: A writing sample should be a selection of work that is in line with what you intend to write for your thesis. 10-20 pages of work is appropriate.

-Print this signature page

-Fill out the signature page with information specific to your thesis proposal

-Submit your proposal, writing sample, and signature page to the graduate programs manager

-Send the proposal to your thesis committee members via email and let them know that a hard copy of your proposal is available at the graduate programs manager's desk. In the email ask your committee members to send their approvals to the graduate programs manager.

The graduate programs manager will collect approvals from your committee members, the program director, and the chair of the English Department. When all approvals are in place, the graduate programs manager will send you an email with the CRN so you can register for your first thesis hours.

STEP 4: Registering for ENGL 799

Only after you complete and submit a thesis proposal (see steps 1-3) can you register for ENGL 799.

When you have the CRN and section number for your director's section of ENGL 799 you are welcome to register. Most students register for 3 credit hours in the first semester of thesis study and 3 credit hours in the second semester of thesis study.

After registering for ENGL 799 check your student schedule to make sure you are in the correct section of ENGL 799 for the appropriate number of credit hours. Registration errors can be difficult to correct if not caught early.

A few things to remember when you register for ENGL 799:

  • ENGL 799 is a variable credit course. When you register you should check the variable credit option to make sure it is set to the number of credit hours that you need (usually 3 credit hours). This cannot be adjusted after registration.
  • You should register for 3 credit hours of ENGL 799 in your first semester of thesis study. In future semesters you can take fewer credit hours of ENGL 799 if necessary.
  • Once your thesis is under way, you must stay enrolled for at least one additional credit of ENGL 799 a semester (not counting summers) until it is completed.  If you do not maintain continuous enrollment in ENGL 799, you will owe those hours retroactively in order to complete your thesis and graduate. There are no exceptions to this rule.
  • You need to complete 6 credit hours of ENGL 799 to meet the degree requirements.
  • If ENGL 799 is the only class you are taking, all the above steps should be taken prior to the start of the semester to avoid a late registration fee.
  • A note to TAs: late registration fees are not covered by waiver.  You are responsible for paying any fees posted to your student account.

STEP 5: Format Your Thesis

As you near the end your thesis writing and editing you need to start thinking about formatting. Your final thesis must be formatted according to the rules set forth by the University.

All formatting rules/guidelines, templates, and contacts can be found on the University Dissertaion and Thesis Services Office's website:

thesis.gmu.edu

When choosing templates from this site be careful to select templates specific to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Once selected, do not change the formatting on the templates.

Formatting reviews must be completed with staff from the University Dissertation and Thesis Services Office. This office, in cooperation with the CHSS dean's office, hosts two thesis formatting workshops each semester. These workshops are not required, but they are recommended. They are informational workshops only, in that individual formatting help is not given at these workshops and all the information presented at these workshops is available on the website above.

Formatting can be tedious and time consuming, but it is necessary. Formatting is also important on the signature sheet that will be submitted with your final thesis. Again, you should only use the CHSS signature sheet template. Once you have your information in the template, a quick formatting check can be done by sending your signature sheet as an email attachement to CHSS Graduate Academic Affairs in the CHSS dean's office. Once you have their approval, you can print official copies of the signature page for collection of signatures. Without their approval you run the risk of your thesis being turned away when you go to submit it. CHSS Graduate Academic Affairs can be reached by email at chssgrad@gmu.edu, and they only approve the formatting of your signature pages.

Please don't leave formatting to the very end. Make contact with the UDTS office earlier than you might think it is necessary to do so. The UDTS office has hundreds of students doing exactly what you are doing so it can become very busy ahead of a thesis completion deadline. Be patient and know that they are there to help you.

University and Dissertation Services:

C201 Fenwick Library

(703) 993-2222

udts@gmu.edu

STEP 6: Submit Your Completed Thesis

As you start to complete work on your thesis and get formatting approval from the UDTS office, you also need to prepare your thesis for submission.

The largest part of that preparation is the signature collection process.

To begin the signature collection process, you need signature pages. So, print your properly formatted signature page(s). If you are submitting two hard copies of your thesis, you need two signature pages. If you are submitting one hard copy of your thesis and one electronic copy, you need only one signature page. It is always a good idea to print an extra signature page.

Once you have the appropriate number of signatures pages printed. It is time to start collecting signatures. You can collect signatures in one of two ways.

  • take your signatures pages around to your committee members and collect their signatures

-OR-

  • leave your signature pages with the graduate programs manager and send an email to all your committee members asking them to stop by the graduate programs manager's desk to sign

A few things to remember when you are collecting signatures:

  • Faculty members must sign your signatures pages. Email approval and by proxy signatures are not allowed.
  • Signatures may be difficult to collect in summer months as many faculty are not on campus or live elsewhere during the summer months. It is best to plan to complete your thesis in the fall or spring.
  • If you have a faculty member on your committee who does not live in the immediate area, it is your responsibility to collect his/her signature. This may require mailing signature sheets out to a faculty member. Please plan accordingly and allow enough time to collect signatures.
  • All signatures must be in black ink. There are no exceptions.

After all your committee members have signed your signature pages you need to collect the department chair's signature. If the department chair has posted in-office signing hours, you should plan to come to the office to collect his signature. If the department chair has not posted signing hours, you should send an email and request an appointment to collect his signature.

Department Chair:
Tamara Harvey

A few things to remember when you are collecting the department chair's signature:

  • Unless open in-office signing hours are posted, you need an appointment to collect the department chair's signature
  • The department chair's office in the Robinson A, Room 473— just around the corner when you enter the main department office (Robinson A, Room 487)
  • Bring all copies of your thesis and all supporting documents when you come to collect the department chair's signature

When you are asked to bring all copies of your thesis and all supporting documents, what does that mean?

You have two options: 1.) Two hard copies of your properly formatted thesis printed on 100% cotton paper, two copies of your properly formatted signature page printed on 100% cotton paper, a transmittal sheet signed by someone in the UDTS office approving your formatting -OR-2.) one hard copy of your properly formatted thesis printed on 100% cotton paper, one copy of your properly formatted signature page printed on 100% cotton paper, a transmittal sheet signed by someone in the UDTS office approving your formatting, one pdf version of your thesis on CD (one file entire document and one file abstract only), a completed MARS agreement form, and a completed electronic submission form.

After the department chair has signed your signature pages you need to collect one more signature from the dean of graduate studies in the CHSS Office of Academic Affairs. You must send an email to Susan Turriziani to set up an appointment to collect the dean's signature.

CHSS Graduate Academic Affairs
chssgrad@gmu.edu


A few things to remember when you are collecting the dean's signature:

  • The dean will only sign once everyone else has signed your signature sheets. There are no exceptions to this rule.
  • The dean's office is in College Hall, Room 109.
  • Bring all copies of your thesis and all supporting documents when you come to collect the dean's signature.

After the dean has signed your signature pages you need to walk your thesis and all supporting documents to Fenwick Library and submit it for credit and for binding.

A few things to remember when you submit your thesis to the UDTS office:

  • The UDTS office is located in Fenwick Library in room 201
  • There is sometimes a line outside the office when you arrive to drop off your thesis. Please be patient as that office processes many student's dissertations and theses. You should wait outside the office until it is your turn.
  • If you are not able to submit your thesis by the deadline at 5pm, it will not be counted as complete during that semester of study. 

Congratulations! After all that work, you have completed your thesis. Once it is submitted to Fenwick library, you are done.