Overview of Thesis
The thesis is normally the last step of your progress through the program. For students choosing the Thesis Option, completing a thesis involves four major steps:
- Securing a thesis director and topic
- Completing and submitting the proper forms to register your committee and your proposed topic:
- Appointment of Supervisory Committee for Master’s and EdS Candidates
- Thesis/Thesis Equivalent Proposal Approval Form
- Register for ENGL 8990 (6 hours)
- Completion and oral defense
- Submission of Report on Completion of Degree Form and depositing thesis
Nature and Length of Thesis
Quality is more important than quantity. Thesis directors and students will determine together the specific guidelines for individual thesis projects with the following guidelines in mind. The scholarly/critical thesis should be about 60-70 pages of typed, double-spaced text; theses for the concentration in creative nonfiction should be about 70-80 pages long and must provide a critical introduction or critical prospectus. (The page ranges listed are for suggestive purposes and are not meant to be compulsory.) The scholarly/critical thesis may fall within any of the several emphases of the program according to the inclinations of the student and director. Experience shows that, almost invariably, the more carefully limited and defined a topic is, the more successful the finished product will be. It is advisable to communicate general and specific expectations with thesis directors and/or the graduate program chair.
Choosing Thesis Director and Topic
After identifying a general idea for a thesis focus, students must then secure a thesis director with whom the student will define their specific topic and put together a committee. The thesis director must be a graduate faculty member from English. It is advisable to find a thesis director and settle on a topic as early as possible. Students who choose the thesis option should expect to have a thesis director and topic at least two semesters before the anticipated graduation date.
Students may go about selecting a director and a topic in any of several ways. They may already have a topic in mind, growing out of their undergraduate studies or independent interests. In that case, they should seek out the faculty members whose fields of specialization would qualify them to supervise the thesis. In addition to the director, the thesis committee must include at least one additional graduate faculty member from English and one member from outside the department. The outside member must be at UNO or in the University of Nebraska system. Once all members of the thesis committee have agreed to serve on the student’s committee and the topic of the thesis has been defined, students should proceed to the next step: completing and submitting the proper forms to register for the thesis project.
Process of Registering for Thesis
Once the committee and topic are established, students then need to complete and submit two forms to Graduate Studies to register for the thesis project. Typically, most thesis students take the opportunity to circulate these two forms at the same time for committee signatures. (These forms can be found at the UNO Office of Graduate Studies Website under “Forms and Resources.”)
- The first form is the Appointment of Supervisory Committee for Master’s and EdS Candidates Each member of the committee as well as the English Department Graduate Program Chair must sign this form. Once all signatures are collected, the form should be submitted to Graduate Studies.
- The second form that will need to be completed and submitted once a topic for the thesis has been established is the Thesis/Thesis-Equivalent Proposal Approval Form. Depending on the thesis director’s/committee’s requests, a student may need to prepare a written proposal (varying in length and depth) for their approval, or a more informal proposal is also acceptable. This form identifies the topic to be studied. This form does not require the Graduate Program Chair’s signature but must be submitted to Graduate Studies.
- After both of these forms are fully completed, signed by all required parties, and submitted to Graduate Studies, the English Department will give you a permission number to register for thesis credits (ENGL 8990).
Completion and Defense of Thesis
The schedule for drafting and reviewing during the research and writing of the thesis is determined by the student and their thesis director/committee on an individual basis. Once the thesis is completed, the student must schedule a defense of their thesis with their director and committee members. It is important to note that all grades for and final submission of theses must be submitted to Graduate Studies approximately three weeks before graduation each semester (dates for each semester are established and published as part of the “Graduation Checklist for Graduate Students”); students should plan their thesis defense accordingly. After the thesis has been defended and approved, the committee needs to sign the Report on Completion of Degree Form. This form needs to be submitted to Graduate Studies for the Graduate Dean’s signature after each committee member has signed it.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.0 Eligibility and Calendar
1.0.1 Can an already enrolled English graduate student apply for a TAship?
Yes. Any student previously admitted into the graduate program in English and currently in good standing may apply annually for a TAship.
1.0.2 Can a certificate student apply for a TAship?
Yes. The TA selection process is open to master’s degree and certificate students alike.
1.0.3 Can a student who has not yet been admitted to the program be considered for a TAship?
Yes, but only if the student is applying for admission concurrently. Strictly speaking, an applicant cannot be granted a TAship before being offered admission to a UNO certificate or degree program.
1.0.4 Can a graduate student at UNO outside of English apply for a TAship?
Yes. Occasionally, qualified students outside of English have held TAships in English. Preferential consideration is nonetheless given to students in the English program.
1.0.5 Can unclassified (both non-degree and non-certificate) students apply for a TAship?
No. The Graduate Studies Office does not allow unclassified graduate students to be eligible for a TAship.
1.0.6 Can a student apply to begin a TAship in the spring semester?
No. Although this is theoretically allowable by the Graduate Studies Office, our training calendar would make such an appointment untenable.
1.0.7 Can a successful candidate for a TAship defer accepting the award until the following year?
No. But such an applicant would be free to apply again.
1.0.8 Can a TA withdraw from classes to below 6 credit hours and still remain a TA?
Probably not. Although a TA would not likely be removed from teaching in the immediate semester of such an event, the future of the appointment would be jeopardized. Because TAs are required to carry a minimum of 6 hours of graduate credit, withdrawing from classes to below this amount would ordinarily disqualify a TA from reappointment to a second year. It could also result in a reassignment of duties or else a revocation of the current appointment or of a standing offer of renewal.
1.0.9 Are TAs expected to teach in the summer?
No. Under special circumstances, however, a TA may agree to complete part of his or her appointment obligations during the summer. Such an arrangement is nevertheless rare.
1.1.0 Does an applicant have to reapply for a TAship each year if he or she has been denied or wait- listed in the past?
Yes. Applications are not held open from year to year, and so students must re-apply each year if they wish to be considered again for a TAship. Previous applicants may, however, ask for previously submitted materials already in their files to be made part of their current application. A special form for this, “Application Renewal Request,” is required in this case and available from the Department of English main office [and also attached below].
2.0 Tuition Remission
2.0.1 Do TAs receive tuition remission for summer courses?
Yes. TAs may take up to 12 credits each summer under the tuition remission policy.
2.0.2 Can a TA receive tuition remission in the summer prior to beginning the initial appointment?
No. In English, TAs are generally only eligible to receive summer tuition remission after holding the appointment for a full academic year.
2.0.3 Does a TA’s tuition remission extend to a spouse/domestic partner or a member of the family?
No. The tuition remission is limited to the Teaching Assistant.
2.0.4 Does tuition remission apply to courses that a TA withdraws from during the semester?
No. Tuition remission is retroactively revoked for any course from which a student withdraws before the end of the semester. TAs who enroll in a course that they then drop during the semester are responsible for paying the prorated tuition for the course.
2.0.5 Can tuition remission be applied to undergraduate coursework?
Yes, but only if the coursework is identified as a deficiency in the student’s letter of admission to graduate study. [NOTE: for a caution about this, see FAQ 3.0.6].
2.0.6 Can a TA enroll in classes on other campuses and still receive tuition remission?
Yes and no. Tuition at other NU campuses (Kearney, Lincoln, UNMC) will be remitted if the student obtains a tuition voucher from the UNO Graduate Studies Office (203 Eppley) before registering for class. Tuition at schools outside the NU system, however, is not covered.
2.0.7 Is there a maximum number of credit hours covered by the tuition remission benefit?
Yes. TAs may not receive more than 12 credit hours of tuition remission in any given semester or summer. On the matter of expected or appropriate courseloads for TAs, see FAQ 3.0.4.
3.0 Workload/Courseload
3.0.1 What is a typical TA assignment?
During the first year, a TA typically teaches one section of English 1150 (the first semester of first-year composition, capped at 18 students) plus 10 weekly hours of Writing Center instruction each semester. In the second year, a TA typically teaches 2 sections of English 1160 (the second semester of first-year composition, capped at 20 students and held in a computer classroom) in each of the fall and spring semesters.
3.0.2 Can a TA hold down another job while serving out his or her appointment?
No. While this Graduate Studies policy is not rigorously enforced, it is officially expected that full- time students serving as TAs will not have sufficient time to hold down another job while simultaneously performing their educational and teaching responsibilities adequately. NOTE: In addition to this UNO policy, international students are prohibited by law from working more than 20 hours a week (the workload of a TAship).
3.0.3 What is the University-recognized workload of a Teaching Assistant?
Apart from attending to their own coursework, TAs are expected to spend approximately 20 hours per week in their duties as TAs.
3.0.4 Is there a limit to the number of credit hours a TA can take in a single semester?
Yes. Because of their teaching duties, the Department of English recommends that TAs take no more than 6 credit hours per semester. They may enroll in 9 hours, which would officially give them “full-time” graduate student status, but experience suggests such a load can prove exceptionally demanding. TAs enrolling in 9 credit hours should plan course selection with great care and consult at length with their individual advisors. To enroll in 12 or more hours, TAs need special permission, both from their advisors and from the Dean of Graduate Studies. Furthermore, the tuition remission will not cover more than 12 credit hours in any given semester.
3.0.5 Is there a minimum number of credit hours that a TA must carry in a semester?
Yes. TAs must carry at least 6 credit hours of graduate level coursework per semester [for Federal aid considerations about this minimum, see FAQ 4.0.5]. The only exception is a TA who needs less than 6 credit hours in order to graduate in a given semester; such a student may enroll in only the required amount of graduate (not undergraduate) credits. TAs invoking this exception should also be sure to fill out a Student Social Security Tax Exemption form, available in the Graduate Studies Office, 203 Eppley.
3.0.6 Can undergraduate credits count toward the minimum credit requirement?
No. The minimum credit rule can only be satisfied with graduate-level coursework. Undergraduate courses taken to fulfill a deficiency do not count toward the full-time graduate courseload [for the minimum credit hour rule, see FAQ 3.0.5].
4.0 Other Frequently Asked Questions
4.0.1 How many TAships are available?
Currently, there are 13 TA lines and 1 RA line, roughly half of which are awarded to new applicants each year and half of which are offered as renewals.
4.0.2 Is there a difference between a Graduate Assistantship and a Teaching Assistantship?
No. The Graduate Studies Office uses the term “Graduate Assistantship” as a catch-all term to refer to Research Assistants and Teaching Assistants. The Graduate Studies language about Graduate Assistants applies directly to Teaching Assistants in the Department of English.
4.0.3 Is there a difference between a Research Assistant and a Teaching Assistant?
Yes. A Research Assistant works with individual faculty members to facilitate their research projects. Despite differences in their duties, Research Assistants and Teaching Assistants supported by the Graduate Studies Office receive identical benefits and compensation.
4.0.4 What could cause a TAship to be revoked?
A TAship may be revoked if the TA loses the status of “good-standing” in the graduate program. Actionable offenses or University-identified malfeasance may also trigger revocation of the appointment.
4.0.5 Does the Federal Government recognize a TAship plus 6 credit hours as satisfying a student’s full-time status?
No. For some deferred student loans, a student must enroll in 9 credit hours of graduate study to satisfy the federal requirements that a student be considered full-time. Because federal rules change, often annually, the Financial Aid Office should be consulted for clarification about this.