Graduate Programs
Thesis/Dissertation
All graduate students in the School of Informatics must submit a thesis to fulfill graduation requirements. Ph.D. students will use the term "dissertation" to refer to the thesis process. Much of the procedure is the same for both master's and doctoral candidates. Where information is specific to the Ph.D. dissertation, we'll use (Ph.D.) to point it out.
Due Dates
For thesis and dissertation due dates, check the academic calendar.
Exceptions and additions
Media Arts and Science students: read the exception to this under Policies for Graduate Study. Human-Computer Interaction students should use this document in addition to any relevant topics here.
The Process
1. Proposal
All thesis work requires a proposal to direct the overall project. This must be established before the thesis begins, and must be approved by your research advisor and committee.
Criteria for Judging Thesis Proposals
2. Developing and Writing Your Thesis
After the proposal has been approved by the research advisor and committee, you may begin work on your thesis. As the project nears completion, the research advisor and committee will suggest revisions for the final defense.
Example Thesis Format:
3. Defense
When your thesis is finished, you'll defend it in an open seminar with the research advisor, committee, and other interested attendees. Based on your defense, the committee may recommend final changes to the thesis prior to publication.
4. Publication
The final step in the thesis process is to have your thesis bound and archived. Prior to binding and committee sign-off, it must be reviewed to ensure proper formatting.
More information
Credits - thesis
Course credit for thesis work is earned by registering for the appropriate I69(x) course. Your registration can vary from 1-6 credit hours per semester, for a total of six credits for the entire thesis. We recommend you split up the hours over at least two semesters, since the thesis usually takes more than one semester to complete.
If all I69(x) credits are complete and still need time to finish your thesis, you must register for INFO G599 each semester.
(Ph.D.) Credits - dissertation
Course credit for dissertation work is earned by registering for the appropriate course. Your registration can vary each semester for a total of 30 credits of dissertation. We recommend you split up the hours over several semesters, since the dissertation usually takes several semesters to complete.
Format
Your thesis must follow specific formatting requirements. Most of these are described in the IU thesis guide. Text must be in 12 point Times (or Times New Roman) typeface.
The reviewer will help ensure your thesis is properly formatted before binding and archival.
