The student needs to find an adviser who will mentor him or her for the thesis research.
With the adviser's help, the student needs to write a research proposal that
includes a statement of the goal of the research,
gives a short background of the research area with citations of relevant research,
describes exactly what the student's contribution will be,
describes the outcomes that are expected, and
includes a timeline for accomplishing the research.
The student sends the proposal to the graduate deputy chair and the proposal is read by a committee of at least three faculty members that has been assembled by the adviser. Members of the thesis committee shall include a member of the Graduate Curriculum Committee and the thesis adviser. Once the proposal is approved, the student will be given permission to register for the thesis research course.
It takes most students at least a year to perform the research and write the thesis.
