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 nomination form 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.
- Consult with your committee chair whether you are required to submit an IRB application.
- 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.
- After submitting your thesis, please email the URL for your thesis on eScholarship website to idpgrads@international.ucla.edu.
- For information about diploma availability and your final transcript, please refer to the Registrar’s Office webpage.
