Master of Humanities Project

All M.A. Humanities students must complete a final project as part of their course of study. This project may be a one-semester Master’s Project or a two-semester Master’s Thesis. Successful completion of this project is required in order to earn the degree. Below you will find policies and guidelines to help you navigate the project and thesis.

The Master’s Project
The Master’s Project is a one-semester course. It is designed to allow the student to demonstrate a specificity of knowledge on a particular subject matter as well as demonstrate the student’s ability to write an article-length work of professional quality. The one-semester thesis is ideal for students who feel that breadth of learning is important to their future career goals. This may include high school teachers, who would find further coursework useful; people working in media, communications, or in other professional settings where extended coursework may allow them to pursue further skills and knowledge; and individuals for whom a directed project will allow them to pursue a singular, focused subject matter in a professional, publishable capacity.

Successful completion of the Master’s project consists of the completion of two separate documents:
1) An abstract

2) An article
In addition, students will orally defend their work.

The Project
The ultimate product of the Master’s Project is a 10,000-word article of professional, publishable quality appropriate to students completing their Master’s coursework. This is akin to the first project students complete in the Humanities program in their HUM 510 course. However, students will be expected to demonstrate mastery in composing the article-length essay, as well as their expertise in a specific subject matter through the project. As the culminating product of the student’s graduate experience, the Master’s Project must express academic rigor, quality of research, original thought, and expertise in writing.

Because this is a contained project created in the course of single semester, students may not directly base this project on any other academic work they have completed in their MA Humanities program. Students may utilize methods or research previously completed, but the project itself must reflect original content. If you require clarification of this rule, please consult the Program Director.

Previous Master’s projects are on file in the John Stewart Memorial Library. Students are advised to explore what previous students have done. 
 

The Project Committee
The committee will consist of three members: a director and two secondary readers. One of those members must be the MA Humanities Program Director.

The director will act as the primary mentor and advisor for the student’s project. Students and project directors will meet once a week to discuss the work and monitor its progress. The director will read drafts-in-progress of the project and proffer feedback as the work develops. The director should be selected based on the primary expertise that the individual brings to the committee given the thesis subject matter. The director must be a member of the MA in Humanities graduate faculty at Wilson College.

The secondary readers should be secured at the start of the Master’s Project. They read and respond to the completed thesis in preparation for the defense, but play no formal role beyond this. One of the secondary readers need not be a Wilson faculty member, though any non-full-time Wilson faculty must be approved by the Program Director.

The MA Humanities Program Director sits on all student project committees; however, students may select any member of the humanities faculty (including the director) to chair their project.

All three readers must approve the thesis for the student, though it is the role of the project director to assign a letter grade.
 

The Defense
Who Must Attend / Who May Attend
During the semester the student is completing her/his project, the student will conduct a defense of her/his project. All members of the project committee must be present for the defense. The defense can occur either in person or via Zoom. Members can be present by electronic means if necessary.

The student may also invite others to attend the defense as the student wishes, though the defense is not open to the public. These guests may attend as observers only and are not allowed to actively participate in any capacity.
 

Defense Timelines and Procedures
The defense must occur on or before the last day of classes in which the student is completing the project. The defense cannot happen during the period of final exams.

Students must submit their project to their committee members for evaluation at least two full weeks prior to the defense date.

During the defense, the members of the student’s project committee will pose questions on the project and engage the student in conversation about his/her work. This portion of the defense should last no more than 60 minutes. During this time, only committee members may ask questions of the students. All other invited persons must remain quiet. Upon concluding the defense, the student and other guests are excused, and the committee members will remain to discuss the project and defense. The committee will determine a “pass” or “not pass” status for the project at this time. The committee will also fill out the project evaluation forms. It is the job of the project director to collect these forms and pass them on to the Graduate Program Director and to inform the student of her/his “pass” or “not pass” status.
 

Following the Defense
Following the defense, the project director may charge the student with project revisions prior to Following the defense, the project director may charge the student with project revisions prior to determining a letter grade for the project. Thus a student may receive a “pass” defense grade but still be required to revise parts of the project for the course letter grade. As part of the student’s final assessment, these revisions must be completed prior to the end of finals week, and the student must submit to the project director and the Graduate Program Director a completed (electronic) copy of the project no later than the last day of final exams. Failure to do so will delay graduation for the student and may result in receiving a failing grade for the project.

When students submit their final electronic copy of their project, they must utilize the project/thesis format found on the MA Humanities program website. 
 

Receiving a “Not Pass”
Should a student receive a “not pass” for the project defense or fail the project, she/he will receive a failing grade of “F” for the project class. The student will be allowed to re-take the project class in the subsequent academic semester, starting over with an entirely new subject. If the second attempt is successful, the student will receive a grade of “pass” for the defense and a revised grade for the project class. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the student will not be allowed to try again and will be academically dismissed from the program.

Timeline
Below you will find some key dates for the project process:

• The Master’s Project takes place entirely within the confines of one full academic semester (Fall, Spring, or the full Summer session).
• The project defense must occur on or before the final day of classes during the semester in which the student is completing the project. The project committee must receive a final draft of the project at least 3 weeks prior to the defense date. 
• The final project must be submitted electronically to the Project Director and the Graduate Program Director no later than the last day of final exams during the semester in which the student is completing the project class.

Sample Master’s Projects
Anyone can explore the thesis projects of previous Wilson MA Humanities students! They are recorded in our own John Stewart Memorial Library database.