M.A. and M.S. Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts and Master of Science degree programs are for the student who has research interests in education. The candidate often enters these programs with the intent of eventually pursuing a doctoral program leading to the Ed.D. or Ph.D. degree. The major difference between these degrees and the Ed.M. is the requirement that a master's thesis be completed and defended as part of the degree.

Program Plan

Upon admission to a Master of Arts or a Master of Science program, each student is assigned an academic adviser in an area of specialization. The student and adviser plan a program of study to meet the student’s individual goals and general degree requirements. Departments may require that a copy of the program plan be kept on file.

Time Limits

Graduate students and advisers should be guided by the Graduate College policy on master’s degree time limits. If a time extension is desired, it may be requested by completing a Graduate Student Petition. These petitions are considered and acted upon by the student’s adviser, the department, and the Graduate College. Each individual who has authority to act on the petition may either approve or deny the petition.

Course Requirements for M.A. and M.S. Candidates

All students admitted to a Master of Arts or a Master of Science degree program must fulfill Graduate College requirements for the master’s degree, departmental requirements, and the following College of Education minimum requirements on the Urbana campus or through Urbana off-campus or online courses:

2 hours	One course from the psychological foundations of learning area: EPSY 400, 401, or 402. Students in master’s certification programs may also take EPSY 485 to meet this requirement.
2 hours	One course from the psychological foundations of personality and development area: EPSY 405 or 406. Students in master’s certification programs may also take EPSY 430 to meet this requirement. OR Students planning to work with adults may take EPSY 407 for 4 hours to meet both of the EPSY foundations requirements. OR Four hours of EPSY 400, 401, 402, 404, 405, 406, or 408 meets both foundational requirements for EPSY.
2 hours	One course from the social foundations requirements: EPS 400, 402, 403, 404, 420, 421, 423, 424, and 426.
2 hours	A second course from the philosophical foundations area: EPS 401, 410, 411, 412, 413, and 414.

Unless specified above, approval must be given to allow a four hour course to fulfill two requirements. Contact the Academic and Instructional Services Office for details. Off-campus and online programs may have different foundations requirements. See the appropriate Program of Study for more information.

12 hours	Twelve hours of 500-level courses in education (599 thesis research credit not included).
12 hours	Twelve hours of additional 400- or 500-level courses selected by the student in consultation with an academic adviser. (Note: 595 independent study and 599 thesis research credits can be applied up to a maximum amount of 8 hours each. A minimum of 2 hours of thesis credit is required.)
32 hours	TOTAL

In addition to the specific requirements stated above, individual departments in the College of Education may require additional courses to complete the student’s degree program.

A student who passes a proficiency examination in any of the required courses listed above is excused from that course requirement. However, credit toward the degree is not given for courses passed by such an examination.

Human Subjects Approval

For all theses, approval for use of human subjects or confirmation that human subjects review is not required must be obtained from the Office of School-University Research Relations and Human Subjects prior to doing research on the thesis topic. The compliance form (Approval for Research Involving Human Subjects for Early Research, Master’s, and Doctoral Theses) must be provided to the department and the Student Academic Affairs Office prior to the scheduling of the master’s oral exam.

Evaluation of Academic Progress

Each department in the College of Education has a procedure for evaluating a student’s progress toward the degree. The evaluation of academic progress, results in a decision regarding student progress. It is recommended that the student provides the adviser with a written statement detailing academic progress. The adviser assesses the progress report and gives a written evaluation. A copy of the evaluation is made available to the student and placed in the student’s permanent file.

When a decision is made that a student is not making satisfactory progress, the student, the adviser, and the Student Academic Affairs Office will be informed in writing by the department. Yearly evaluations are encouraged.

Thesis

The M.A. and M.S. degree candidates must write a master’s thesis and defend it in an oral examination before a committee. The thesis is intended to demonstrate the student’s capacity to conduct independent research. The student’s research should make an original contribution to knowledge. The thesis usually requires a year or more of study.

Thesis Editorial Style and Format Approval

For M.A. and M.S. candidates, the thesis must be prepared using one of the following commonly accepted editorial styles:

• American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
• Harvard Law Review Association. (2010). The bluebook: A uniform system of citation (19th ed.). Cambridge, MA: Author.
• Modern Language Association. (2009). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (7th ed.). New York, NY: Author.
• Turabian, K. L. (2007). A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations (7th ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
• University of Chicago. (2010). The Chicago manual of style (16th ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago.

NOTE: LaTex is not an acceptable editorial style. However, this typesetting system can be used in conjunction with one of the above editorial styles.

The student will consult with the adviser and thesis committee members to choose the style to be used. In exceptional circumstances, style manuals not listed above may be used with prior approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. In addition, the Thesis & Dissertation policies and procedures issued by the Graduate College must be followed. In the case of explicit differences between the Graduate College instructions and the style manual selected, the Graduate College instructions take precedence. For example, students choosing the APA style manual should follow the Graduate College instructions rather than those included in the APA manual for insertion of tables and figures. Every thesis in final manuscript form must be reviewed and approved by your thesis and/or academic adviser to ensure that your thesis meets the Graduate College and departmental requirements for deposit.

Thesis Examination

Thesis examinations are oral. The thesis examination committee chair is responsible for convening the committee, conducting the examination, and submitting the Certificate of Result of Thesis Examination for the Master’s Degree to the Academic and Instructional Services Office.

Appointment of the Thesis Examination Committee

The committee must meet the thesis exam committee requirements of the College of Education including:

• The committee must include at least three faculty members.
• The Chair must be tenured or tenure-track and a member of the Graduate Faculty.
• The student’s adviser must be a member of the Graduate Faculty.
• A Contingent Chair should be named and meet the Chair requirements.

A request for an exception to these rules must be made in writing by the chairperson and approved by the College of Education Associate Dean for Academic Programs. For committee members outside of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a letter of justification and a curriculum vitae must be submitted by the adviser to the College of Education Associate Dean for Academic Programs. In appointing the committee, the student or adviser submits committee member information to the Academic and Instructional Services Office for completion of the Request for Appointment of Master’s Thesis Examination Committee form. This form requires the departmental chair/head’s review and approval and must be forwarded to the Student Academic Affairs Office at least four weeks before the examination.

After the committee is appointed, the oral examination takes place. The student does not have to be registered to take the oral examination. The adviser obtains the Certificate of Result of Thesis Examination for the Master’s Degree, a minimum of three original copies of the Certificate of Committee Approval (one for the department, one for the Graduate College, and one for the student) and a Supplemental Grade Report form from the department before the examination and returns them immediately after the examination. All appointed committee members’ signatures are required on the Certificate of Result of Thesis Examination for the Master’s Degree and the Certificates of Committee Approval; signatories must sign for themselves. Committee members have the right to review the final copy of the thesis before signing both certificates.

Decisions of the thesis examination committee must be unanimous. The committee may make one of the following decisions:

• pass with a satisfactory thesis,
• pass, pending revision of thesis,
• fail, or
• defer the decision. This option should be used only if the committee intends to hold another examination within six months, and that date should be included on the form.

The Certificate of Result of Thesis Examination for the Master’s Degree may indicate positive or negative actions, but it is also possible to “adjourn” the committee and reconvene at a later date. However, the committee may not be adjourned longer than six months. The result of the examination is communicated to the student, department and the Student Academic Affairs Office as soon as possible at the conclusion of the exam.

Thesis Deposit

After the examination and format check, convert your thesis file(s) to a single PDF file. Provide the PDF of the thesis in final form to the adviser and visit the Graduate College Thesis & Dissertation web page for further deposit instructions. After the examination and format check, the thesis is deposited in the Graduate College using the EDT process. Students should note the deadline dates for each degree-granting period. At any time after degree requirements have been satisfied and the thesis has been deposited, the student may request a Certification of Degree letter or use the on-line Degree Verification system. See the Graduate College web site for additional information.

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