Information on this page pertains to a master's thesis that is supervised by Professor McAdams in the College of Journalism and Communications. These guidelines are for students who have selected Professor McAdams as the committee chair for their thesis.
A master's thesis takes at least two semesters to complete. A basic timetable goes something like this (note: University deadlines are the student's responsibility):
Fall Semester
- Sept. 1: Meet with me and talk about the research you want to do.
- Sept. 7: Submit a brief concept document to me via e-mail. Revise as needed.
- Sept. 14: Form your committee; complete and submit the paperwork from the College’s graduate division.
- Oct. 1: Submit the completed proposal to me for review. Revise as needed. (Note: A proposal is a detailed document containing an introduction, a formal literature review, a methodology, and a formal reference list in APA style. References will be articles from recent scholarly journals, which will also be used in your literature review. The usual length of a proposal is 25-50 pages.)
- Nov. 1: Hold the proposal defense, with all three committee members present. It is necessary to get this done as early as possible; it absolutely must happen before Thanksgiving.
Spring Semester
- Jan. 7: Set up a meeting schedule with me for this semester, and show me the work you have completed so far.
- Feb. 7: Submit the completed thesis to me for review. Very important: Review all results in detail in a meeting with your methods adviser.
- Feb. 21: Meet with me to discuss the revisions needed. Make all revisions. Schedule defense meeting with all committee members.
- March 1: Hold the final thesis defense, with all three committee members present. (Note: The university has a firm deadline for what is called "First Submission." This defense meeting is the "First Submission," and if you miss the university's deadline, you absolutely cannot graduate in May.)
- Immediately revise and submit the thesis to the UF Graduate School Editorial Office for review.
Summer
I will not be available to work with you, or to hold a defense, in the summer months (early May through mid-August). I am not on salary during that time, and usually I will not be in Gainesville.
Extremely Important
Read everything here: UF Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation information. Your graduation depends on it.
The formatting templates from the UF Graduate School are a vital part of the process of producing a successful thesis. Please download them right away and use them from the very start of your thesis writing.
Project in Lieu of Thesis
A thesis is different from a project in lieu of thesis. Follow that link if you might want to do a project instead of a thesis.
Links