Thesis and Dissertation
Many graduate programs require a traditional thesis or dissertation and some also have a journal article(s) or book(s) option available. For graduate students with a thesis or dissertation requirement in their program, please review the forms that apply to your current program status.
Reminder: Graduate students should work closely with their advisor through the entire thesis or dissertation process. All of the following forms must be submitted through DocuSign.
For graduate students beginning their research
Policy on Research Integrity and Misconduct
Prospectus (DocuSign) Preview Form (PDF)
Guidelines for beginning Research and the Prospectus Process
For graduate students ready to finalize their thesis or dissertation
Plan A Completion Sign-Off (DocuSign) Preview Form (PDF)
Dissertation/Doctoral Project/Journal Article(s)/Book(s) Completion Sign-Off (DocuSign) Preview Form (PDF)
Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses, Dissertations, Journal Article(s) & Book(s)
Example/Template Paper
Typist List
For advisors with graduate students that have finalized their thesis or dissertation
Outstanding Graduate Project Award
- Nomination Guidelines
- Nomination Form (DocuSign) Preview Form (PDF)
Important copyright and plagiarism information for students and advisors
Please review the following video on how to avoid copyright issues in a thesis or dissertation.
Thesis/dissertation frequently asked questions
Prospectus and credit hours
When do I need to have an approved prospectus?
Projects must not be undertaken until the prospectus has been fully approved. A prospectus must be approved from the appropriate review board, the student’s committee, the student’s department chair and Graduate Studies. Graduate students can only register for a maximum of 3 thesis credits or 6 dissertation credits before the prospectus is approved.
Does my research need review board approval?
Research that involves humans, non-human vertebrate animals, cuttlefish, squid, octopi, or modification of habitat to evaluate the impact to these groups, or recombinant DNA requires approval from the appropriate review board. If you want more information, check out the Research Compliance website.
Committee
How many committee members do I need?
Students should consult their advisor in selecting a committee chairperson and at least two committee members. One member of the committee may be from a discipline other than that of the student's area of concentration or from outside CMU, but may not be the chairperson. For more information, check out the Graduate Bulletin.
Can anyone serve on my committee?
One member of the committee may be from a discipline other than that of the student's area of concentration or from outside CMU, but may not be the chairperson. Post-doctoral scholars may be included on committees provided that their post-doctoral advisor is not also a member of the committee. All members of the committee must have graduate faculty status (GFS). To find out if a faculty member has GFS contact Coreena Yates by phone at 989-774-3873 or by email yates1ck@cmich.edu.
Format and submission
What is the journal article option?
For graduate students looking to be published, they can replace a traditional thesis/dissertation with a journal article(s) option with the approval of their program. Master's students can replace a traditional thesis with one or more journal articles. Doctoral students can replace a traditional dissertation with two or more journal articles.
NOTE: Articles co-authored but not written by the student may be included in an Appendix, but they do not count towards this requirement.
What formatting style is required for my thesis/dissertation?
CMU requires that any traditional thesis or dissertation follow APA style (except your references, footnotes, and end notes which can follow the formatting style most appropriate for your field). A journal article(s) in place of a traditional thesis/dissertation must still follow APA style for the preliminary pages (title, abstract, contents) and then follow the style required by the publisher for the remainder of the document.
What deadlines do I have to follow in finalizing my thesis/dissertation?
Graduate studies does not have deadlines for your oral defense, but your program may have specific requirements. Check with your program on scheduling your oral defense.
Graduate Studies does have a specific deadline for your sign-off form and your final, defended, committee-approved document based on your requested graduation date. These deadlines are available on the Graduate Studies website.
After submission, Graduate Studies will run your document through iThenticate and then review it for formatting requirements and will email you with any necessary revisions. You will have about a month after the initial submission to finalize your document with Graduate Studies.