Master’s Thesis Information

The Graduate School performs manuscript format checks and oversees the publication process for Master’s theses. Master’s essays, however, should not be submitted to the Graduate School for format checks; these must meet departmental requirements. For all Master’s students, degree-related functions, e.g., degree certification, are performed by the student’s school/college graduate office, not by the Graduate School.

Departments establish deadlines regarding thesis submission and defense, and master’s students must adhere to their departmental deadlines. Thesis advisors have primary responsibility for approving the content and style of Master’s theses. However, the thesis manuscript format -- margins, spacing, pagination, page layout, parts and their order -- must conform to Graduate School specifications. Approval of the manuscript format by the Graduate School is a degree requirement.
 

Resources that you might find helpful:

• Graduation Deadline Dates
• Dissertation and Thesis Format Guidelines - Wayne State specifications for the format of the dissertation/thesis manuscript: Margins, spacing, pagination, order of parts, title page, table of contents, format checklist
• Thesis Manuscript Format Check - Format check procedures
• Publishing and Copyrighting - Publishing requirement and copyrighting option
• Archiving and Disseminating the Published Thesis - Procedures for archiving the thesis at WSU
• Binding the Thesis - Options for binding the thesis
• Contact the Graduate School - Betsy Baumann 577-7740 or phdstudents@wayne.edu
• Submit Manuscript - Submission site for format check and final manuscript

Graduation Deadline Dates

Master's Graduation Deadlines for August 2012

Master's Gradaution Deadlines for December 2012

Dissertation and Thesis Format Guidelines

Students should follow the Dissertation and Thesis Format Guidelines in formatting their manuscripts.

Thesis Manuscript Format Check

Immediately following the defense, the thesis manuscript must be submitted electronically for a format check by the Graduate School. The manuscript should be submitted as a PDF file to the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) Administrator web site of ProQuest/UMI, the publisher of dissertations and theses.

To begin, the student should create an account on the ETD web site. The site prompts the student through the steps of creating a profile and completing a Publishing Agreement (see below). Once all the requested information has been provided, the student will be prompted to upload the thesis manuscript as a PDF file.

Graduate School staff will check the thesis and notify the candidate of any format corrections necessary. The Graduate School staff, as the ETD Administrator, will notify the student of “changes required” or “manuscript accepted,” which requires no format changes.

Publishing and Copyrighting

After completion of the student’s account profile and before submission of the initial manuscript for a format check, the student is asked to complete a Publishing Agreement. This is mandatory. The student also has the option to copyright the thesis through the site. It is recommended that s/he do so.

View Master's Thesis publishing information from Wayne State University's Graduate School.

View more information from ProQuest/UMI

Please Note: Although completion of the Publishing Agreement is required at the time the thesis is submitted for the initial format check, the thesis manuscript will not be submitted to ProQuest/UMI by the Graduate School until all formatting revisions have been made.
 

Archiving and Disseminating the Published Thesis

Wayne State University Libraries maintains electronic copies of students’ dissertations and theses and would like to make these available to the Wayne State community and the general public through Digital Commons@WSU. Students can control the level of access to their thesis. Students should complete the permission form on the Libraries’ website.

Binding the Thesis

Students wishing to have their theses bound should find a bindery service. LB Offices provides binding services that include the WSU logo on the cover. Information is available on their website.