Overview
The master’s thesis allows students to apply knowledge and skills they have gained in their academic courses to produce a substantial piece of scholarly work. The produced thesis must represent the results of the student’s independent research working with a supervisory committee.
After completion of the research orientation (COMP 600), MSc CIS students taking the thesis route need to develop a research proposal for their thesis. The thesis shall be in an area directly related to CIS and must have a strong research component.
The purpose of the thesis proposal stage (COMP 676) is to produce a thesis proposal that satisfies the requirements of the program and ensure that the research objectives are achievable and the outlined implementation plan executable.
The thesis involves two milestones for evaluation: a thesis proposal examination and a final thesis examination. Each examination includes an oral defence in addition to the written report, both of which are assessed by an examination committee.
Outline
After completing COMP 600, students taking the thesis route should have completed the research scoping, the research initialization, and a good part of the literature review to help them grasp different aspects of the research question and problem.
Therefore, during COMP 676, students develop a thesis proposal that defines the research questions and hypothesis, outlines research methodologies, and assesses the suitability and applicability of these methodologies to the research problem. This stage also involves a literature review and ethics approval if that applies to the data collection method used in the research.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the integration thesis, the student must obtain a PASS grade for each of the required courses.
Materials
The course materials are available in electronic format and include a Thesis Handbook that provides guidelines and explains the thesis stages.
Special Course Features
A thesis proposal examination is conducted at the end of COMP 676. A supervisory committee is required for the thesis proposal examination.
Information on Athabasca University Graduate Research fund can be found on the Research Centre's website.