This form will indicate the major professor, committee members, thesis topic, and projected semester of completion. This form will be filed in the student's graduate file within the department. There are two theses options within the Family and Child Studies masters program. The Independent Research option relies on the development of new knowledge through data generation and analysis or through theory development or similar activity. Generally, the student will select a topic of interest, complete a thorough literature review, either gather data or use existing data, analyze the data, and make conclusions from these data.
Students study a problem or issue related to a specific professional setting.
This inquiry includes an exploration of the literature, grounding the issue to a theoretical framework, and developing an implementation plan. Students will apply their theoretical approaches to the problem or issue within a specific professional setting. Students will go into the field, implement the plan they have developed, analyze the results of the plan's implementation, and submit a written document that includes the literature review, theoretical framework, implementation plan, and evaluation of the plan. To assure enough time to develop, implement, and evaluate a plan, students should expect to take two semesters with part of the time spent in an off-campus, professional setting. Students should select the option that coincides with their long-term professional aspirations.