Guidelines for Preparation of M.A. Thesis Proposals

1. A student seeking the M.A. degree must submit a thesis proposal for approval by the Advisory Committee. The proposal assures the student and the committee that the contemplated thesis is a sound and feasible project.

2. The proposal should be addressed to readers with a general, rather than a specific knowledge of the area of the proposed thesis (such as phonology, syntax, semantics, child language acquisition, sociolinguistics). The committee may wish to consult others, inside or outside the UGA program, in determining the soundness and feasibility of a proposed thesis.

3. The proposal should include:

a. A statement of the topic or problem to be investigated. For example, it may propose to apply a particular linguistic model to some set of relevant data, or it may specify a particular question or questions to be investigated, together with one or more hypotheses to be examined. The proposal should convince readers that the thesis can be expected to be a worthwhile piece of scholarship and that its goals are not too extensive or too vaguely defined to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.

b. A summary of relevant previous research and scholarship on the topic, showing that the matter involved has not yet been treated in a completely satisfactory way.

c. A presentation of the theoretical foundations, sources of data, and methods of analysis to be employed.

d. A statement of the nature of expected conclusions and their significance.

e. A bibliography.

f. A proposed title and preliminary outline of the expected organization of the thesis.

4. The proposal should be typed according to accepted standards of form for work in linguistics (e.g. the LSA Style Sheet). Exclusive of bibliography, the proposal would normally be from eight to twelve pages in length. Ordinarily the chair of the Advisory Committee will approve a draft of the proposal before it is submitted to other members. Copies of the proposal will be submitted sufficient for all committee members, plus one for the student's file. After the formal submission of the proposal, the committee may take up to two weeks (during the regular academic year) to decide whether to (1) accept it as submitted, (2)accept it subject to specified revisions, or (3) reject it.

5. These guidelines are offered as a statement of general policy. In particular cases a committee may, in consultation with the student, change and/or add to them.