Thesis Plan
Master thesis is a piece of original research paper with focus on Africa written under the direction of three faculty committee. A master’s thesis is about 50-page long and it should be publishable as a single article. It is the student's responsibility to formally appoint their Faculty Thesis Committee but all nominations must be approved in consultation with the African Studies MA Program Chair and the Division of Graduate Education (DGE).
Students who intend to complete the degree by submitting a thesis need to follow these steps:
- Complete and submit the AS MA and DGE thesis committee nomination forms to the program's office by Friday of week 2 of the final quarter of enrollment. The AS MA nomination form has to be signed by each of thesis committee members. After the AS MA nomination document is approved by the Program Chair, the DGE nominationform is forwarded to the DGE for review.
- Students need to communicate clearly and in a timely manner with their committee about their progress. In some instances, enrollment in 598 (Research and Preparation of M.A. Thesis) course may be required.
- Students must attend thesis workshop offered by the UCLA Graduate Division during their final quarter. Please check the website for schedule.
- Thesis must be filed with the DGE by the filing deadline.
- Review the official UCLA manuscript preparation guide that contains established criteria for uniformity in the format of theses.
Regulations Governing the Nomination of Master's Thesis Committees
For more information please check Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study:
"Nominations for the thesis committee are listed on the “Nomination of Master’s Committee” form and sent to the Division of Graduate Education for consideration and approval."
1. Master's Thesis committees are appointed by the Dean of the DGE, acting for the Graduate Council,
upon nomination by the Chair of the Department (or interdepartmental degree committee), after consultation with the student.
2. Master's Thesis committees consist of a minimum of three faculty members from UCLA.
3. Master's Thesis committee members must hold one of the following academic ranks:
A. Professor (any rank, regular series)
B. Professor Emeritus
C. Professor-in-Residence (any rank)
D. Acting Professor (any rank)
4. Adjunct professor (any rank), professor of clinical X (any rank), and visiting professor (any rank), and Lecturer or Senior Lecturer with (potential) security of employment (Teaching Professor, any rank) may serve as one
of the three regular members (not as chair) on master's thesis committees.
5. Acting Assistant Professors may serve as regular members but not as chairs on thesis committees.
6. The chair of the committee and at least one other member must hold academic appointments in the student's department or in the case of a student in interdepartmental program, must be selected from the AS MA Program Active Participant List.*
7. By petition, one of the minimum three members may be a faculty member from another UC campus who holds an appropriate appointment as listed above.
8. Additional members (above the minimum) from any of the above titles as well as those with the title of lecturer may be appointed to the committee and/or serve as co-chairs, and shall have the same voting rights and responsibilities as the other committee members. In addition, subject matter experts who have specialized knowledge and expertise relevant to the student’s thesis work may be nominated to serve as additional members. A CV must be submitted for subject matter experts. A resume or biographical statement is acceptable in lieu of a CV for subject matter experts who do not hold an academic appointment. Nominations for non-faculty subject matter experts to serve as additional members must include a statement from the Chair of the department attesting to the nominee’s expertise in the field and suitability for service on master’s thesis committees.
Please note that non-UC faculty is not allowed to serve on thesis committee.
*The nomination of a member who is not on the active participant list requires review by the Program Chair, and approval is not guaranteed.
