Master's Thesis

This web page contains guidelines and requirements for completing a Master Thesis within the College of Science and Engineering at University of Houston-Clear Lake. If you are considering choosing the thesis option for your degree, take time to carefully read all information contained within the Website. The Master's thesis is a rigorous process requiring both scholarly research in your field and a mind for detail. Thesis is worth 6 hours of credit. After completing your thesis proposal in consultation with your thesis committee it is a course that you enroll in semester after semester until you finish. You may enroll in thesis for 2, 3, 4, or more semesters in a row each time enrolling in 3 to 6 hours of thesis. However, once you are finished credit is given for only 6 hours.

Master Thesis Requirements

1. Meet all requirements for graduate candidacy in the College of Science and Engineering including having an approved Candidate Plan of Study (CPS) that is less than 5 years old. If you have questions about your graduate status, contact the Academic Advising Office.
2. Choose a thesis topic, identify a faculty Thesis Chair and select faculty Thesis Committee members in consultation with your Thesis Chair.
3. The Thesis Chair must submit a written request, identifying the thesis topic and committee members with faculty signatures to the Associate Dean's Office for approval.
4. Obtain copies of and closely follow
   • CSE Guidelines
   • University of Houston-Clear Lake Thesis Formatting: Formatting Guidelines.
5. Develop a Thesis Proposal in consultation with your thesis chair and committee. Normally this is done in a Research Methods or Independent Study course, but not in a Thesis course. Follow the Style Manual appropriate for your discipline as recommended by your Thesis Chair. Consider your proposal to be a preview of the organization and quality that will go into your thesis. Thus, effort put into the proposal should contribute directly to the final product, the thesis itself. If you are planning to conduct research that involves vertebrate animals or humans, you are required to include the appropriate application forms in your thesis proposal. Submit copies of the proposal to the committee for review.
6. Have the Thesis Committee sign the Thesis Proposal as this constitutes approval.
7. After being approved and signed by the committee, submit a copy of the proposal for acceptance by the Associate Dean's Office before starting actual work on the thesis. Be sure to include a title/signature page. Both an approved thesis committee and proposal are required before you may be enrolled in a Thesis course.
8. Complete the Master's Option Course Enrollment (PDF) form and submit it to the Associate Dean's Office. A minimum of 6 hours of Thesis is required. Continuous enrollment in Thesis is required until the defense is completed (e.g., either a minimum of 2 sections during one semester or 1 section in each of two or more semesters of continuous enrollment.
9. Thesis Formatting - This is a guide for questions about formatting and printing your thesis, as well as submitting it to the library (e.g. thesis formatting guideline, thesis sample pages, important dates, thesis submission fees, format check forms, citation and format advice, FAQ's).
10. Thesis Formatting Basics - If you are a student writing a thesis paper, you will need to schedule an appointment at the library to have your thesis checked against our formatting guidelines. The library houses a print collection of all theses written by UHCL students, and each thesis must follow the same format. You will need to schedule 2 appointments with us - one appointment to have a paper copy of your thesis checked, and another appointment to submit final, printed copies of the thesis to the library. You will need to schedule a format check before getting your thesis copies signed, and both appointments must take place before you graduate.
11. Conduct a public seminar and defense of the thesis, inviting college faculty, students and a representative from the Dean's office.
12. Obtain committee approval, indicated by their signature on the Thesis cover page.
13. Submit a copy of the Thesis signed by the thesis committee to the Dean's Office for approval.
14. After receiving the Dean's acceptance of the Thesis, submit the 3 University-Required thesis copies along with the signed signature pages plus any personal copies of the Thesis to the library. You should take with you a receipt for full payment of the binding fees and a completed Copyright form for University Microfilms Incorporated (UMI), if applicable.

Contacts

Contact your faculty advisor or program chair for a list of faculty who are eligible for service as your thesis committee chair and members of your committee. A faculty member within your academic program must serve as Thesis Chair, and at least two of the committee members must have academic appointments in your program. The third committee member may be a faculty member from one of the other programs within your department of College of Science and Engineering.