All specific references for the thesis must be documented in the proper form as required in the latest edition of A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian or The Chicago Manual of Style.  We accept the use of either footnotes or endnotes as long as they follow the directions in Turabian’s book.  The writing style must follow the rules for grammar, punctuation, and syntax presented in the latest edition of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.  If you would like to see examples, copies of West Georgia theses are available in the History Office and the campus library.

Students who wish to write a thesis should choose at least a preliminary topic in their second semester (or after having taken at least nine hours of classes) and arrange for a thesis advisor knowledgeable in the field of history most relevant to the chosen topic.  The student and thesis advisor then select two more professors to serve on the student’s Thesis Committee and discuss with them what role they will each play at different stages of the development of the thesis.  The committee members need to be official graduate faculty and to have some special knowledge that is relevant to the topic.  One member may come from outside of the History Department, but any outside committee member requires the approval of the Graduate Coordinator and the Chair of the department.  The Thesis Committee will be responsible for reading and approving the entire thesis and then administering an oral exit examination.

The student must hand in a final draft of the thesis in enough time to give the Thesis Committee at least three weeks to read it and make comments. Once the Thesis Committee has approved a final version of the thesis, the committee meets with the student for a thesis defense and oral examination of the student’s knowledge of history.  (See below for more on this.)  If the defense is successful, the three committee members will sign the proper form (available in the student’s file in the office of the Graduate Coordinator) indicating that the student has passed this oral exam.  Once this paper has been signed, the student officially has a Master’s degree.  This form must be signed and submitted to the Graduate School no later than two weeks prior to graduation.

At this point, the student must submit an approved version of the thesis to the Graduate School before being able to go through a graduation ceremony and receive a diploma.  Like the oral exam form, the final version of the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than three weeks prior to graduation. Students must follow the official regulations of formatting required by the Graduate School. Students are advised to look at a copy of an existing thesis and take note of the title and signature pages as well as the margins (which are wider than usual on the left to allow for binding).  It is highly advised that you take to the Graduate School a copy of part of a draft of your thesis and your title and signature pages to get their approval before you print your final version.  You also need to be sure to use the prescribed grade of paper (25% cotton fiber) for your final copy.