Master's Thesis Guidelines

Master's Thesis Idea Development

First Year

The MA thesis requirement is a multi-step process that should ideally begin during the first year of the program. Students in their first year are therefore encouraged to start thinking about a thesis topic in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and other faculty members in the program as early as the spring of their first year. By the end of the spring semester of the first year, students should have a preliminary thesis topic that they will have discussed with the Director of Graduate Studies and with faculty members in the program. Before the end of their first year students will submit a short pre-prospectus plan for their summer and preliminary directions on the thesis. If the research involves working with human subjects, then it will need to be approved by the University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects (UCAIHS) prior to the beginning of the research process. IRB clearance is necessary for the completion of your thesis if you plan to conduct interviews, so please plan ahead and visit here.

Second Year

In the fall of the second year, students are required to formalize their thesis topic by getting it approved by their thesis committee and by the Director of Graduate Studies. A thesis committee consists of a thesis advisor and of a second reader; it should be created in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Once a thesis committee has been selected, students are required to write a thesis topic proposal in consultation with their thesis committee. The final proposal should be 3-5 pages in length and should include a preliminary bibliography. The proposal should clearly state your topic, delineate your research question(s), discuss the motivations behind your topic, and describe the material and the methodology that you will be relying on. See Elements of a Thesis Proposal for further guidance. Once your thesis proposal has been approved by both of your thesis committee members, you will need to submit a copy of your proposal as well as a signed copy of the Masters Thesis Proposal Approval Form to the Director of Graduate Studies by Dec. 5. (electronic submission via individual student folder).

Thesis Research and Writing Process

Once a thesis topic has been approved, students should begin the research, reading, and writing process in consultation with their thesis committee. Students are highly encouraged to meet with their advisor prior to Winter break in order to agree on next steps. Students should plan on using the break to make significant headway on their reading and research. Ideally, students should meet with their committee members on a regular basis throughout the spring semester in order to obtain feedback on outlines and drafts, come up with deadlines, and discuss progress towards completion. Students are also encouraged to meet regularly and consult with the Director of Graduate Studies.

The final draft of the thesis should be 35-50 pages long (50 pages is the absolute maximum); it should be divided into chapters and include proper citations and a bibliography. It should generally have the format and style of a substantial scholarly article in a Middle Eastern studies field. Joint Global Journalism and Near Eastern Studies students usually submit a long form journalistic piece as their thesis, and accordingly work closely with the Journalism faculty throughout this process. In addition, joint students usually have a primary advisor from the journalism school and a second reader from Near Eastern Studies. In either case, the final thesis must present the author’s own research and relate this to existing scholarly understanding of the topic or field.

Submitting Your Thesis 

The deadline for Final Thesis Submission with all the signatures and corrections is April 30 at 11:59 (EST). 

Given this, you likely want to circulate the final draft by April 15 to your reader and advisor so they have enough time to give constructive feedback and for you to then integrate those edits. This deadline is not flexible. Normally, students hand off a printed version at the Kevorkian Center, but we will keep you posted on the protocol and how signatures for reader and advisor will work. Please plan accordingly with your drafts, developing sections, seeking feedback, and working towards an early April goal for circulating that draft.

If one of your committee members is an outside faculty member who is not based at NYU, then they can scan and email the forms to Professor Jared McCormick  (jsm22@nyu.edu) with their signature and comments. You will also need to provide Professor McCormick with a copy of their CV.