The Dissertation

Appointment of Dean's Representative to Dissertation Committee Form (MS Word document)

During the second year of study, students will prepare a professional research paper suitable for presentation at a professional meeting or publication in a professional journal. The maximum length of the paper should not exceed thirty pages double-spaced. Students must give a presentation of the paper at a department colloquium. Students will be expected to provide two copies of their paper to the department, one of which will be placed in the student's file and another placed in the departmental library.

The purpose of this requirement is to strengthen the department's emphasis on research by ensuring that students are capable of preparing a professional research paper. It also provides a scholarly writing experience in a genre scholars actually use and engages the talents and skills of students in organizing and analyzing data beyond the typical term paper.

It is not a requirement of the Ph.D. program that a student obtain a Masters' Degree. Obtaining a Master's degree is not necessary and not encouraged.

For those students who do not intend to obtain an M.A. degree, doing the second year paper is still one of the requirements of the Ph.D. program. You do not have to enroll in SOC 899 at all and it is best if you do not do so. Instead, enroll in SOC 890 for the work you do on the paper. You do not have to have the second year paper bound or typed according to the special university format. You do have to submit a clean, typed, final copy to the department in some standard format.

For those students who do intend to obtain an M.A. degree, the second year paper serves for what the university calls a masters' thesis. You must enroll in at least 4 credits of SOC 899 (maximum of 8 credits). If you have changed your mind about getting the degree and have SOC 890 credit for work on the paper, we can change the 890 into 899 credits by submitting an administrative action form. You must submit a copy of the paper to the graduate school in the format they prescribe and pay all of the fees for binding, etc., that are required. The graduate school provides a booklet that tells you what you need to do and how to do it.

For all students the completion of the second year paper is a time of evaluation. Each student's committee will recommend to the department whether or not the student should be allowed to continue in the program. This is true whether or not the student intends to continue. For those students who have completed a Masters' thesis at another school the second year paper requirement is waived.

The second year research paper itself is essentially a report of research findings such as would be submitted for publication in a journal. It is to be article length (30 typed pages), article style (e.g., no long literature reviews) and data based. Of course, all kinds of data are included. If new data is collected, the approval of the human subjects committee (UCRIHS) must have been obtained in advance no matter what kind of data it is. Even if secondary analysis of an existing data file is performed, approval of UCRIHS may necessary. Check out their web site for current instructions. (http://www.humanresearch.msu.edu/)

The presentation is not a simple reading of the paper. Instead it is a verbal presentation of the material in the paper but in the form of a talk or lecture such as would be given at a professional meeting. Use of overheads, charts, handouts, visual aids and the like is encouraged. It is hoped that every student will try to do the same presentation at an appropriate professional meeting at some time in the future. Each person will have something like 15 to 20 minutes to do the presentation. The audience will be all faculty and graduate students in the department. There will be only two times each year when presentations may be given. These will be announced at the beginning of each year.

Prior to the presentation, the student's draft must have been approved by a committee of three faculty members. This approval shall mean that the paper is acceptable for final approval with only minor revisions. The student will only be permitted to give the oral presentation if a signed form or letter, indicating the committee's approval has been filed with the Graduate Coordinator.

When the final version of the paper is complete, a form or letter with a final grade for the paper should be submitted and signed by the chair and two other members of the guidance committee.

Second year papers written elsewhere

Students who started graduate programs elsewhere and transferred into our Department, may have already written papers that meet the requirements for our Second Year paper. To be acceptable, the paper must use some form of data and must use social science methodology to answer some question in the social science literature. A master's degree using approaches other than social science will not be accepted. While social science content is necessary, it is not necessary that the degree be received from a social science Department.

To be officially approved as meeting the second year paper requirement, such papers must be approved by two faculty members who have agreed to advise the incoming student. This approval may be issued, before the student arrives, if the student sends the Department the paper. The approval shall consist of a letter to the Graduate Coordinator, signed by both approving faculty members.