Master's Degree Culminating Experience
The culminating experience involves the completion of one of the following:
- thesis,
- professional project, or
- comprehensive examination.
Students writing a thesis are expected to identify a significant technical or policy problem or question (depending upon the student's emphasis), and to generate or apply a relevant theory to the problem; thesis students conduct a thorough literature review of material relevant to the topic, formulate an appropriate research approach to the problem, collect and analyze data, draw pertinent and defensible conclusions, and produce a well written, coherent thesis.
While a thesis is theoretical in nature, a professional project is an applied approach to a specific problem. Students selecting a professional project apply the expertise and knowledge they develop from their coursework to evaluating an issue or solving a specific problem. Rather than a thesis, the end result of a professional project is a practical “deliverable” such as a handbook or report. Professional projects involve more “real-world” applied problem solving, and topics are best obtained from a student’s full time employment or internship employment. In some instances, faculty will have topics for professional topics, but students are encouraged to obtain topics from their permanent or internship employer.
Students electing to take a comprehensive examination are expected to complete a set of readings and to successfully answer questions that are based upon MCTP coursework and learning objectives associated with the specified reading list. Comprehensive examinations are typically given twice a year, in February and in July.
