Theses serve as the final reports of research conducted at the institution, by students of the institution, under the direction of the faculty of the institution. Therefore, the University preserves and makes available these theses to scholars and the public by maintaining an archival thesis collection and a circulating thesis collection. The Karl E. Mundt Library is responsible for processing and managing both collections. The requirements described in those guidelines apply only to the formatting of the manuscript, not to its scholarly content. The Graduate Office, the Graduate Council, and the University Archives have established these criteria and regulations in order to provide all Master's degree candidates with a uniform presentation format.
Students are responsible for obtaining and following the guidelines.
The original copy of the thesis becomes part of the University Archives. Every approved thesis manuscript completed by a DSU student is permanently preserved in the University Archives, and a copy is available for public access and circulation as part of the Mundt Library thesis collection. The signatures must appear on the approval pages in all copies of the thesis, although the pages in the second and other copies may be photocopied reproductions of the signed page in the first copy. The paper requirement for the deposit copies applies to the approval page. After the approval page has been signed, the student must make an appointment with the Graduate Office Administrator to do the final format check of the thesis.