Indiana University Kokomo
Master of Liberal Studies

Thesis/Capstone Project Procedures

The Master of Liberal Studies Advisory Committee has created this document to help you through the thesis / capstone portion of the program.  Herein we give an overview of what constitutes a thesis / capstone, and provide a checklist of steps to guide you through the development, completion, and defense of the thesis.

What constitutes a thesis / capstone project in the MLS program?

There are three types of MLS thesis / capstones:

The first type is called a research paper and depends entirely on library resources.  In this case you should have a specific question you plan to address and research.  Your paper should be centered on developing an original line of argument with evidence to support it.

The second type of thesis is a research project.  In this type of thesis, a student collects data either in the form of interviews, from primary resources, from direct experimentation or measurement, or from people being studied.  In this case, the MLS student should have a specific question he/she wishes to investigate.  The data is collected and the student then uses this data to evaluate the answer to the question being considered.

Master of Liberal Studies Project

The graduate project can be creative, exploratory, experimental, or scholarly in nature.  It can be an extension of a seminar paper and take the form of a presentation, a publishable report, or an original contribution to scholarship.  It may focus on one subject area or be cross-disciplinary and/or cross-cultural in scope.  It must demonstrate mastery of a specific topic or a series of topics and must reveal competency in whatever medium of expression it deploys.  The student may include work-related subjects, policies, procedures, and concerns, but the object of study and the method of presentation must fall within the scope of the Arts and Sciences.  Topics, concerns, and procedures related to such areas as Business, Education, Engineering, and so forth lie conventionally outside the scope of the Arts and Sciences and should not comprise a thesis unless the students project reveals a clear relation to a Liberal Arts area.

What do I need to do in order to complete the thesis?

1. Check that all requirements for the degree except the thesis / capstone are completed. You need a minimum of 33 cr. of graduate coursework to graduate, including 9 cr. from MLS seminars (one in each of the three departments in the School of Arts and Sciences (SOAS): LBST D501, D502 and D503), 3 cr for Introduction to Graduate Liberal Studies, 6 cr. in each of two departments in Arts and Sciences (500-level courses) and 6 cr. of thesis / capstone research (LBST D602).  The 3 cr. remaining are for elective graduate coursework.  If you are pursuing a thesis /capstone projects, you are strongly encouraged to first enroll in LBST D601 (Project Proposal Seminar) prior to commencing your projects.  Your grade point average must be at least 3.0.
2. Generate thesis/capstone project topics: come up with a few thesis topics of interest to you.
3. Meet with your MLS Academic Advisor to discuss your thesis/capstone project ideas and to develop a list of possible faculty members to serve as your thesis mentor and committee members
4. Contact a faculty member in the general area of your topic to see if he/she is interested in working with you as your mentor, who will also serve as the chair of your committee. Once a faculty person has agreed, be sure he/she is a member of the Indiana University Graduate Faculty.  All tenure-track faculty (i.e., Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors) are members of the Graduate Faculty.  Lecturers are typically not members of the Graduate Faculty.
5. Decide on a final thesis/capstone project with your thesis mentor. Work out the details of the proposal. Write up the proposal with input from your mentor. We highly encourage students to enroll in D601, Project Proposal Seminar.
6. With your mentor’s input, invite two faculty members to be your committee members. Be sure they are members of the Graduate Faculty.
7. Conduct a thesis/capstone project proposal defense.  You should prepare a presentation that describes the project, including the techniques you will use to complete the project.  Be prepared to answer questions from the committee members
8. Revise your thesis/capstone project proposal taking into account any changes recommended by the committee.  Have your proposal signed by your mentor, and turn in the signed proposal to the MLS Program Director (SOAS Dean’s office).
9. Sign up for LSBT D602 (Thesis Research). You must register for a total of six credit hours of D602 for your thesis, although these can be broken up over multiple semesters.
10. Obtain a copy of the Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses from the SOAS Office or from the website.
11. Begin working on the thesis. CONSULT WITH YOUR THESIS MENTOR AT REGULAR INTERVALS. 
12. Send copies of the title page and one chapter to the thesis committee members so they can check your format.
13. Complete the project, working on revisions with your thesis mentor.
    NOTE: The thesis must be completed and successfully defended within three years of the date of the proposal defense.
14. When your thesis is judged ready by your thesis mentor, set up a defense meeting with your thesis committee and schedule a room through the School of Arts and Sciences. Schedule this at least two weeks before the final due date.
15. Make copies of your thesis and distribute to your thesis committee members at least two weeks before the meeting. Make up three (3) copies of your title page on 100% rag bond and give them to your thesis committee chair, who will have the committee members sign the page at the thesis defense (if the defense is successful) and will sign the pages upon final approval of the thesis.
16. Go to your thesis defense prepared to provide a formal presentation of your thesis which will be open to the public, and to discuss your work in a closed-door session with your thesis committee. Your thesis committee chair should bring the approval sheet to the meeting. During the course of the defense meeting, be prepared to note changes that are requested to be made.
17. Make corrections to the thesis. Have the corrections checked by your thesis mentor.  If the corrections are satisfactory, the advisor will sign the title pages for the thesis.
18. Hand in three (3) copies of the thesis with the three signed copies of your title page (both on 100% rag) to the School of Arts and Sciences Office along with a check payable to IU Kokomo for $24.00 ($8.00 per copy).
19. Apply for graduation, and be sure to come to the Commencement.
20. Celebrate!!!