Thesis Project
Thesis Topic Approval form is required before beginning work on any master’s thesis.
Humans and Live Vertebrates as Research Subjects
Using humans or live vertebrates as research subjects requires prior approval separate from thesis topic approval. Please see the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website for more information.
Thesis Registration
Registration for 690 (thesis) credits requires a completed topic approval form on file (see above). Overrides from the department and the graduate school are needed prior to registration each quarter. Contact your department first.
Total thesis credits must add up in some sequence to the total number of 690 credits on the approved plan of study. Thesis credits in excess of those required on the plan of study may impact financial aid eligibility.
Oral Defense
An Oral Defense Schedule e-sign form must be submitted at least two weeks prior to your defense. Please provide complete time and location information. We will request a representative from Graduate Council to observe your defense, and if you have a public presentation, we will announce it on the university-wide events calendar.
Manuscript Guidelines
The Graduate School requires that your submitted thesis adhere to a standard format. Downloading and reading the Thesis Guidelines prior to beginning your document will save you time. You should also use the style guide appropriate to your discipline. Western Libraries offers online quick guides to the most common citation styles and other helpful information.
Thesis Submission
Your defended, signed thesis should be delivered to the Graduate School in optimized PDF format, along with hardcopy signature and library authorization pages and the Digital Thesis Submission Authorization e-sign form. You may email your PDF to gradschool@wwu.edu or deliver it on portable media (i.e. thumb drive). For signature page format and specific instructions on PDF optimization, refer to the Thesis Guidelines.
The Thesis Submission Flowchart goes over the submission and approval process in detail.
Western Libraries Digital Masters Thesis Collection
Your approved thesis will join hundreds of others in Western’s online Masters Thesis Collection. Important: do not use a thesis from this collection as a model—refer to the most recent Thesis Guidelines for formatting requirements.
If you have questions, contact your thesis / field project chair or the Graduate School.