ma sociology thesis proposal sample

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An honors thesis proposal is a document written by a student in consultation with his/her honors thesis advisor. It identifies the problem or question that the student will address in the thesis and explains how the student will go about investigating it. The proposal is a blue print that guides the thesis project. It often constitutes a rough version of the first chapter of the thesis itself. Most proposals contain the following parts.

What Should a Thesis Proposal Contain?

• Statement of the problem : This section identifies the specific problem or question that the student will investigate and briefly explains why it is of sociological interest. This section often includes a preliminary review of the sociological literature that explains why the student's research problem or question is important and how it relates to other sociological work that has been done.
• Hypothesis : The proposal should identify one or more specific hypotheses that the student will test empirically. The hypothesis is often derived from literature that has already been published. The proposal also often identifies key dependent and independent variables and explains how they will be operationalized.
• Data : The proposal should identify the data that the student will use in the thesis and where it will come from. Data may come from a variety of sources and take a variety of forms, such as archival documents (e.g., government documents, newspapers, memoirs, etc.) or surveys (e.g., U.S. Census, General Social Survey, etc.). If the student plans to collect his/her own data, such as through a survey, experiment, participant observation, interviews, etc., he/she should explain how the data will be collected. Issues of sampling, case study selection, etc. should be discussed.
• Analysis : The student should explain how the data will be analyzed once it is located and/or collected. It is especially important to outline a research design that explains the sorts of empirical comparisons that will be involved and how this will shed light on the student's hypothesis. If quantitative data will be analyzed, what statistical techniques will likely be involved?
• Human subjects approval : If the student plans to conduct interviews, administer a survey, or observe human subjects he/she must obtain approval for the study from Dartmouth's Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (phone: 646-3053/1598) before data are collected. This is mandatory Dartmouth College policy.
• Timetable : The student should establish a timetable for each step of the thesis process. Dates should be set by which the literature review, development of data collection tools, data collection, analysis, production of draft chapters and other critical parts of the thesis project will be completed.
• Thesis outline : An outline of the thesis should be provided indicating its overall organization, i.e., a preliminary "Table of Contents."

Master's proposal and final thesis defense summary

Students should work with their thesis advisor to finalize their proposal. Once the adviser approves the draft, the proposal is sent to the entire thesis committee for review. Faculty are given a minimum of three weeks to read the document and give feedback, preferably in writing. The thesis committee should meet following this time period to discuss the proposal. The student is present at this meeting. This is not a formal defense; rather, it is an opportunity for committee members to give feedback to the student before beginning data collection.

Note: This pre-defense meeting is a change from our previous policy.

Following the meeting, two documents are submitted to the director of graduate studies (DGS): (1) Thesis Outline and Record of Approval (signed by student and advisor) , and Approval of M.A. Thesis Proposal (signed by student and all committee members, indicating approval of the proposal) . The DGS forwards the thesis outline form to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The approval of the M.A. thesis proposal form is maintained for internal department purposes solely.

Note: The approval of M.A. thesis proposal form is new.

Final thesis defense

Students should work with their thesis advisor to finalize their thesis. Once the adviser approves the draft, the thesis is sent to the entire thesis committee for review. Faculty are given a minimum of 3 weeks to read the document and give feedback, preferably in writing. The committee should meet following this time period to discuss the thesis, and then decide whether it is defendable. The student is not present at this meeting. Only after all committee members agree that the thesis is defendable, can an oral defense be scheduled.

One of two outcomes is decided at the pre-defense meeting:

1. The committee decides to move forward with the thesis defense; the student makes revisions required by the committee, preferably provided to the student in a written summary based on the discussion at the meeting. The advisor works with the committee to schedule a defense date.

2. The committee decides not to move forward with the defense; if this is the outcome, then the process restarts. The student will work with their adviser and resubmit to the committee a revised thesis. Ideally, the student would provide the committee with a memo indicating the specific revisions (similar to a response memo for a manuscript) that were made in response to the committee's concerns and suggestions. The committee will then have a minimum of three weeks to read the revised thesis and decide if this version warrants a defense. If the committee deems the thesis acceptable the advisor will work with the committee to schedule a defense date.

Following a successful defense, the final report with recommendation is submitted to the DGS, who forwards it to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (signed by student and advisor; committee member names and signature are added in the comments section) . Student and advisor also sign the thesis title page.

Defending the thesis and graduating in the same semester

If students wish to graduate the same term they defend their thesis, students must deliver a full draft of the written work to all committee members at least six weeks before the last day to defend in the semester in which they graduate.

Failing to do so will not give committee members adequate time to read, comment, and approve moving forward with the thesis defense before the CLAS deadline. Keep in mind students often have some revisions following the oral defense.

MA Sociology- Thesis Track

Thesis track.

Two steps to completing a thesis. These steps challenge students to refine their writing and research methods by producing faculty-reviewed work. Students who complete a Master's thesis may advance their research as doctoral students.

Step 1: Thesis A

SOCI5399A: Thesis A is a class designed for developing and researching student theses. The class prepares students to complete the following:

• Narrowing theses topics to a manageable idea students can dedicate their time and energy to.
• Preparing and researching the thesis topic.
• Writing literature reviews and a possible thesis first draft.
• Finding and requesting an appropriate thesis committee and faculty chair.
• Submitting the thesis proposal application to the Graduate College.

Gaining approval for Thesis B registration.

Step 2: Thesis B

SOCI5399B: Thesis B is taken after the completion of Thesis A and keeps students on track to complete their thesis during their final semester. Students can expect the following during Thesis B:

• Writing and editing the thesis for chair review.
• Rewriting and editing the thesis based on chair review feedback.
• Defending the thesis in front of the chosen thesis committee.
• Submitting the thesis to the Graduate College for final approval.

Thesis Resources

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Previous Student Thesis

• Electronic Theses

Our recent graduates are pursuing their doctorates at top programs, such as Washington State University, Central Florida University, University of South Florida, Louisiana State University, Rice University, University of California-Davis, Texas A & M University, University of Texas-Austin, and Oklahoma State University. Other graduates teach at local universities and work in non-profit agencies or for local government agencies.

I will treasure the invaluable skills and knowledge that the Sociology Graduate Program at Texas State provided me with. My academic and professional success has been a result of the mentor-ships by my professors, my dedication, persistence, and perseverance to continue learning, unlearning, and relearning about research methods, the social world, and social paradigms. For that, I feel that I have obtained the social lens of capacity and skills to objectively and scientifically understand human behavior. - Dorian Galindo

As an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bemidji State University, I can trace my intellectual and personal growth to the Department of Sociology at Texas State University. I am grateful to the faculty in the department who guided me in the Applied Sociology BS and MA programs, and I am particularly indebted to Dr. Anderson, who first encouraged me to join the MA program, and to Dr. Smith and Dr. Pino, who guided me to the insights and challenging ideas that shaped my Master’s thesis. The core courses and electives in the MA program served as an excellent foundation for my pursuit of a PhD at Washington State University.  - Michael Lengefeld