A Guide to the ALM Thesis - iSites - Harvard University

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| Chapter 1: Introduction and Administrative Procedures
Between the start of preliminary work leading to and the completion of the final thesis, the student should
expect to devote at least a year and a half. Although the time allowed for the writing of the thesis itself is nine
months, an equal amount of time generally must be spent on developing the proposal, obtaining the approval
of the research advisor, and finding a thesis director.
Submission of the Thesis
In planning a date for May graduation, the student should expect to complete the thesis—including the
revisions, final preparation of the manuscript, and binding of the finished copy—at least six weeks prior to the
date of graduation. Degrees are also awarded in November and March. The major graduation activities take place
in May. Candidates who earn the degree in November or March may participate in the following May ceremonies.
Candidates who expect to graduate in November must submit the final copy of the thesis for format review to
the research advisor and for grading to the thesis director no later than September 15 and an approved bound
copy of the thesis by November 1. Those who expect to graduate in March must submit the final copy of the
thesis for format review to the research advisor and for grading to the thesis director no later than January 15
and an approved bound copy of the thesis by March 1. For graduation in May the thesis must be submitted for
final evaluation by the thesis director and format review by the research advisor by April 1. Evaluation and format
review normally require at least two weeks. An approved bound copy must then be submitted to the research
advisor no later than May 15. No student will be allowed to graduate until after the bound copy has been approved
by the research advisor.
The thesis, which is a detailed written statement of the project, must include full citations, documentation,
bibliography, and other scholarly devices as set forth in this Guide, and it must be prepared in a suitable writing
style. This research and the text prepared by the student together constitute the master’s thesis.
In general, 50 pages of text is the acceptable minimum length of a master’s thesis. However, the length is
determined in part by the nature of the topic. Ordinarily, a thesis in the humanities and some of the social
sciences will consist of 60-80 pages of text, plus notes and bibliography. Occasionally, theses exceed 100 pages
in length. Since research in the social and biological sciences may take many forms, the nature of the project
and views of the thesis director are the best guides to the length of a thesis in these instances. Theses in the
biological and behavioral sciences, particularly those using experimental methods, are often shorter, and
prepared analogously to a journal article with greater detail in both the background and the research method
sections than would typically be found in a published paper. Copies of completed ALM theses are available on
reserve in Grossman Library. These should prove useful guides. Sample research proposals from each area are
available on the ALM website.
The final draft, submitted no later than the due date on the Dean’s letter of registration, is then evaluated by
the thesis director, who forwards a letter grade and a narrative evaluation of the entire research process to
the ALM program office. The final draft is also submitted to the research advisor for the format review. For this
purpose, the research advisor checks the thesis against the specific requirements stated in this Guide and
notes any discrepancies. After all of the requested changes have been incorporated and both approvals have
been obtained, the final, master copy of the thesis is laser-printed, bound, and delivered to the ALM office. The
research advisor inspects the bound copy one last time before the thesis is placed on the shelves of Grossman
Library. Only after the thesis passes this final inspection will a candidate be allowed to graduate.
A thesis awarded a grade below B-minus by the thesis director cannot be accepted by the Extension School as
fulfilling the ALM thesis requirement. The candidate will be permitted to enroll for the thesis only once more,
preparing another or a modified proposal, submitting another tuition, and, in conjunction with the research
advisor, obtaining a thesis director again, who may or may not have served on the earlier thesis.
A Guide to the ALM Thesis