Faculty and Student Guidelines for Completing the MPH Thesis – Overview

Preface

These guidelines are intended to serve as a guide to students and faculty in the Department of Health Services for planning, conducting, and submitting the master's thesis. The outline presented here incorporates departmental and Graduate School requirements, and includes discussion of the standards for acceptable theses, the roles and responsibilities of the committee members and the student, and detailed guidelines and timeline for completing the master's thesis. The goal of the document is to help make the thesis process predictable, enlightening, and yes, even enjoyable for both students and faculty.

Faculty and Student Guidelines for Completing the MPH Thesis – StandardsScholarly, rigorous, generates new knowledge

The master's thesis is an original research study that is carried out using rigorous methods that are appropriate to the research questions, that generates new knowledge, applies concepts and methods from one or more branches of science relevant to public health, and is presented in a scholarly format. The thesis demonstrates the student's comprehensive knowledge of the substantive area of the study and the research methods used. It represents the culmination of the master's program, and an opportunity to integrate and apply the concepts and methods learned in coursework. 

Students in Health Services approach the thesis with varied skills in research methods and data analysis. The thesis is primarily a learning experience for the student, designed to challenge the student at her/his skill level, while adhering to a standard of high quality regarding the questions posed, the analytic methods, and the written product. 

Types of acceptable thesis projects

Several different types of projects may fulfill the thesis requirement: case studies, policy analyses, descriptive studies, analytic studies, program evaluations, or experiments. Each type of study requires a slightly different approach to formulating research questions, and to collecting and analyzing data. Regardless of the type of study chosen, the student investigator must apply critical thought, systematic analysis, and clear presentation.

Case study: a detailed review of a unique or important program that captures the background, process, outcomes, successes, failures and lessons learned. The case study may include either qualitative or quantitative data or both. The case study provides an opportunity to explore a single program in depth, but places the onus on the investigator to provide clarity, organization, and scholarship to the investigation. Case studies typically have limited generalizability.

Policy analysis: a synthesis of existing and newly collected data brought together in an organized, structured, and thoughtful manner to answer a policy question or present and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of policy options for decision makers. A policy

analysis usually employs multiple sources and types of information (e.g., literature, documents, interviews, secondary data). The policy analysis also places the onus on the investigator to identify relevant data, and provide clarity, organization, and structure to the analysis.

Descriptive study: a qualitative or quantitative study to measure magnitude, variability of a need or problem, and to explore associated factors. Descriptive studies are often guided by questions rather than formal hypotheses, and are often the first step in more directed research.

Analytic study: a case control or cohort study, although other approaches may fit into this category. Analytic studies utilize quantitative methods, and are often guided by hypotheses. Analytic studies typically have clearer methodology than 1. and 2. above, and produce obvious results. Analytic studies conducted by master's students typically use existing data.

Program evaluation: structured study to assess whether a program, intervention, or technique was effective at accomplishing its goals (effectiveness or efficacy for interventions). A program evaluation addresses explicit questions, and the methods and measurement may be complex.

Experiment: a study with randomized or otherwise highly controlled allocation of two or more identifiable intervention strategies to test an hypothesis, frequently one regarding causation or treatment effectiveness/ efficacy. The experiment most explicitly addresses the study question, results are clearly relevant, and can be communicated in a straightforward way. Feasibility of conducting an experiment is usually limited within the time frame and resources available to the master's student, given that the student must take significant initiative in study design and execution.

Some types of projects are not acceptable as theses, including: 

A literature review, though a review with critique and suggestions to the field can be acceptable. A formal meta-analysis is acceptable in that it generates new knowledge.

A group project, though the thesis may be part of a collaborative project, provided the student had the lead role in that part (original work).

A "warmed over" class or practicum project, though the thesis can be a significant extension of work that began as a class paper, project, or practicum.

Publication of the thesis

Students are encouraged, but not required, to prepare the thesis in a potentially publishable format, with the support of the committee. This topic is discussed in more detail in section (Publishing Your Thesis ) of this handbook. 

Standard thesis format

Standard thesis format includes four sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Topics within each section are described below. The organization of subsections may vary, depending on the topic and the preferences of the student and committee.

1. Introduction Introduces the problem, research questions, previous research on the problem, and the conceptual approach used in this study. 

1. Specification of the problem; significance , magnitude, and importance of the problem

2. Specific research questions or hypotheses addressed by the study

3. Literature review

4. Conceptual model

2. Methods Describes in detail the research methods used in the study. 

1. Study setting

2. Selection of study subjects 

i) Source ii) Sampling method/recruitment iii) Criteria for eligibility/exclusion of cases

3. Description of intervention (if any)

4. Data collection

i) Source (e.g., questionnaire, interview, record review, vital records)

ii) Protocol for typical subjectiii) Steps taken to assess and assure data quality

5. Analysis plan

i) Hypothesis testing/generationii) Definition of key analysis variablesiii) Sample size/power considerationsiv) Statistical methods

3. Results Provides a clear, systematic presentation of results, linked back to the research questions and conceptual model. It does not include interpretation or discussion of results. 

1. Characteristics of the study sample, including the number of subjects and the response rate.

2. Table(s) or figure(s) addressing each research question. Tables and figures usually progress from univariate, to bivariate, to multivariate analyses. Text highlights (but does not duplicate) results shown in tables and figures.

4. Discussion Provides the opportunity to discuss the findings, compare them with previous research, and consider the implications of the findings. 

1. Study strengths and limitations

2. How key findings compare or contrast with previous work

3. Implications of findings

i) For the theory or conceptual model described in the Introduction.ii) For public health practitioners or cliniciansiii) For future research

5. Appendixes Contain detailed materials related to the thesis, such as cover letters to respondents, instructions for computing a scale score from the raw data, documentation of the mathematical equations used in the data analysis, and so forth.

Grading of the thesis

The MPH program requires a total of 9 thesis credits. All thesis credits may be taken in one quarter, but are usually distributed over two or more quarters. The chair assigns a grade of N for each quarter until the thesis has been completed and approved by the committee. (N is a grade that indicates that work is in progress, and it is acceptable for purposes of continuing student financial aid. An “I” for incomplete should typically NOT be given.)

The Chair assigns a final grade for the thesis; previous N grades will convert to this final grade. The final grade may be either Credit or a decimal grade. Criteria for thesis grading have been adapted from general departmental grading guidelines (Grading Criteria for Theses ). 

A thesis must meet the standard for a grade of 2.7 or higher before it can be accepted by the committee.

Faculty and Student Guidelines for Completing the MPH Thesis – Roles

Roles and Responsibilities of the Supervisory Committee and Student

A. Master of Public Health Thesis Committee (The Master's Supervisory Committee)

(These guidelines apply also to students pursuing the Master of Science (MS) degree.)

The Supervisory Committee for students aspiring to the Master's degree in Public Health must consist of at least two faculty members, a chairperson and one other committee member. The chairperson must be a member of the University's graduate faculty, and hold a faculty appointment in the School of Public Health, preferably in Health Services. Adjunct faculty in Health Services can qualify. On a 2-member committee, the second member does not need to be a member of the graduate faculty, nor of the SPH, and can be drawn from almost any of the faculty of the University. In addition to regular and adjunct faculty, clinical and affiliate faculty can qualify, if approved by the MPH Graduate Program Director. Non-faculty, or faculty at another university, may serve on UW master's committees. But because the Graduate School requires one-half of committee members to be on the graduate faculty, this would result in a 3 or 4 member committee. (The best practice is to have only 2 faculty; others who make a contribution can be acknowledged in the thesis credits section and/or in any publication that results from the research.)

It is generally expected that the chairperson of a master's supervisory committee be selected from the faculty in the concentration the student has chosen, e.g., among the Maternal & Child Health (MCH) faculty if enrolled in MCH. The second member of the committee should be on the faculty in Health Services if the chairperson is not.

General questions on committee formation can be directed to hservmph@uw.edu. Students should notify the MPH Program Office at hservmph@uw.edu when their committee is formed by

submitting the MPH Thesis Plan Form. Committees are generally expected to be formed no later than the end of autumn quarter in the second year.

Chairperson

The Chairperson has the overall responsibility for guiding the student through the process of the successful completion of a thesis which fulfills the requirements of the Graduate School, the School of Public Health, and the Department of Health Services. The master's thesis should be evidence of the graduate student's ability to carry out an independent investigation and to present the results in a clear and systematic form.

More specifically, the Chairperson's roles and responsibilities are to:

Guide students' expectations about what can and cannot be done within the time constraints of their 2-year program.

Assess the student's ability to actually carry out all parts of the proposed thesis project and, if gaps are identified, advise the student on how to gain the skills necessary for completion of the thesis project.

If necessary, help the student identify an appropriate second faculty member for the thesis committee.

Help the student negotiate with outside "players" (i.e. agencies) for thesis opportunities (i.e. access to data, opportunity to collect primary data). 

Help the student set up a timeline for completion of the various thesis key milestones such as chapters of the thesis and the oral presentation, if required.

Make sure all committee members have read and approved the thesis "proposal" (i.e. brief overview of problem statement, data collection, and proposed analyses) early in the thesis process. The proposal should be presented in writing.

Negotiate with committee members the extensiveness of their roles (see below) on the thesis.

Read and give feedback on draft "chapters" within two weeks.

Advise student on designing the project, preparing the Human Subjects application, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing up the thesis. Note that the chair must sign the Human Subjects application.

Monitor the student's progress. However, it is not the Chair's responsibility to "hold the student's hand." It is the student's responsibility to meet deadlines. 

Convene and chair meetings of the committee.

Be a mediator when conflict arises. Chairperson has final word.

Work with other committee members to achieve consensus on the acceptability of the thesis and to determine an appropriate grade.

Sign the Graduate School’s Master’s Supervisory Committee Approval Form

Grade the thesis. 

Second Committee Member

Read, give advice, and sign off on the initial thesis proposal.

Negotiate the tasks for which s/he will carry primary responsibility in guiding the student (if necessary).

Work individually with the student on the thesis aspects for which the committee member carries primary responsibility.

Attend meetings requested by chairperson.

Advise the student outside "formal" meetings.

Read drafts forwarded by Chairperson and provide comments to student and Chairperson.

Give input on time-line in light of his/her own availability, time constraints, and the amount of work required for the part of thesis the 2nd member oversees.

Give feedback to the student within two weeks.

Sign the Master’s Supervisory Committee Approval Form

B. Student Responsibilities

Although it is expected that the student receives a great deal of help and support from his/her committee members, the student is responsible for carrying out the thesis. S/he is expected to take the lead in setting up all aspects of the thesis project, and to complete the project in a timely fashion. It is important that students begin thinking about the thesis project (and what may be required to conduct such a project) during the first year of graduate school. 

Thus, it is the student's responsibility to:

Formulate and communicate thesis ideas to his or her academic advisor during the first year of graduate school.

Discuss with academic advisor (and later with Chairperson and/or second committee member) what classes may be needed/useful for execution of specific thesis projects.

Explore leads to gain access to data for thesis.

Approach faculty members who have relevant, complementary expertise regarding the thesis project and ask them to be on the committee.

Fill out the Human Subjects application and conduct the other necessary research activities required for completion of the thesis.

Get a thesis committee together PRIOR to executing the thesis project. Students NEED input and approval from both committee members BEFORE they actually conduct their thesis project.

Set up (with help of committee members) a realistic time-line for completion of tasks.

Stick to the agreed upon time line. *

Communicate REGULARLY about your progress (or lack thereof) with committee members and make sure that all members receive revised and realistic timelines.*

Provide the Chairperson with interim products as requested.

Communicate clearly about when feedback is requested, but make the requested deadlines realistic based on Committee members' work/travel schedules.

Write up the thesis according to the basic guidelines set by the Graduate School. Otherwise, the manuscript of the thesis can be formatted according to the specifications of a journal in which it might be published, e.g., AJPH.

Submit final draft of entire thesis to committee members by at least 6 weeks before the intended graduation date (roughly November 1 for autumn, February 1 for winter, May 1 for spring, July 1 for summer). If the full draft has not been received by that time, the student should expect to graduate the following quarter.

Conduct an oral presentation of research findings, if required by concentration or program.

Obtain signatures on the master’s supervisory committee approval form, and submit it to the Graduate School.

Submit the thesis to the Graduate School.

  

* Note: Committee members are NOT required to approve a thesis that is incomplete to meet a pressing deadline imposed by the Graduate School.

 

Faculty and Student Guidelines for Completing the MPH Thesis – Completing

Guidelines for Completing your MPH Thesis in Health Services

The section presents guidelines for completing the thesis requirement for the MPH in Health Services. While classes have well-defined start and end dates, the thesis has far less structure and can vary considerably in content and duration. In most cases, your ability to complete a thesis depends on what you know about your thesis topic and research methods; your skills in time management, organization, and working with other people; and your attention to completing logistical details required by the Graduate School. These guidelines are designed to help you navigate the thesis terrain from beginning to end. The guidelines apply to students in the in-residence MPH program and the Executive MPH Degree Program (eMPH), although eMPH students have a slightly different time line. 

Start and Organize Your Study

Target Deadline: Most students have assembled their committee and are working toward their thesis by the beginning of their second year.

While it may seem obvious to everyone, a key step in completing your thesis is simply to start. There are several sources of inertia that can slow or deter a student from starting the thesis: lack of time, comfort with structured course work and discomfort with a less structured thesis, feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task and no clue of where or how to begin, stress from personal or family problems, and so forth. The best way to overcome this inertia is to make a commitment and start the process no later than the Winter or Spring quarter of your first year. Many students follow these steps.

Step 1: Find a Topic

1. Some students start their MPH Programs with well-defined thesis topics. Others do not have a thesis topic, or want to use what they learn in the first year of the program to identify their thesis topic.

2. Whatever your situation, your thesis topic should be something you are really interested in. The thesis is a long process. When you pick a topic of great interest, you are more likely to be motivated and complete your thesis

3. If you do not have a topic, you can arrange to take independent study (HSERV 600) with a faculty member to do background reading or pilot work on a project that you might want to use for your thesis 

o Negotiate terms with the faculty member

o Try to aim for a tangible product, such as a thesis proposal (see below for more details)

o Guidelines for credits: 3 clock hours per week (throughout the quarter) qualifies for 1 credit hour.

4. You also can meet and talk over possibilities with faculty in the general area of your interests

o Can start with your academic advisor or program director

o Get names of additional possibly helpful people from those you talk with

o May be able to piggy-back onto a larger ongoing project, or use previously collected data

o Can get useful feedback about possible research questions and study designs

o Help you decide who you want as members of your thesis committee

5. The Health Services Web site contains a page which has links to an alphabetical list of student theses as well as a list by year of publication. The list of student theses is undergoing development and currently contains bibliographic information on theses back to 1989. Bibliographic information means Author, Title, Place and Date of Publication, Subject Headings, call number, and location.

6. It is worth spending the effort to develop one or a few (e.g., 1-4) well-focused research questions 

o "Too broad" is more common than "too narrow"

o Well-focused questions greatly facilitate planning, conducting, and writing up the thesis research

o Primary goal is educational--this will probably not be the biggest or best project of your career, since you are working with limited resources

Step 2: Form a Thesis Committee

Once you have one or a few topics and well-focused research questions, the next step is to organize your thesis committee. The following points are important in forming a thesis committee.

1. At least two faculty members are required on the thesis committee. The average thesis committee is composed of 2 faculty members; the Graduate School allows up to 4 members.

2. The chairperson of a thesis committee must be a member of the UW Graduate Faculty. This is a status for which a faculty person applies through the graduate degree-granting department to which s/he belongs. It is based largely on the faculty's research productivity, as evidenced by published research. Most SPH faculty are Graduate Faculty members. Students should check with their MPH program if there are any questions about the status of proposed committee members.Graduate faculty locator

3. Students choose the thesis committee themselves, with general guidance from their faculty advisers. They should approach prospective members to see if they are able to serve in this capacity. An important consideration in putting together a committee is ensuring that its members can work together. The specifics of how often a committee meets, and whether this is in-person, is worked out between the student and the committee members. Also, students should confirm that committee members will be available (and not away on sabbatical) when they are working on their thesis. 

The thesis chairperson is often the student's academic adviser. However, a student is free to choose any faculty member of their department or program who holds Graduate Faculty status as the committee chairperson. Faculty from other departments and programs at UW can serve on a student's thesis committee, but the thesis chairperson is generally expected to hold some kind of faculty appointment in the student's home department or program.

4. Once a committee has been chosen, students are responsible for making sure that their program or track administrators are notified about the choice of committee members, committee chair, general topic area and proposed completion date. This arrangement can also be formalized with a written agreement, if desirable to the student or committee members (see Step 3 for details). 

eMPH students provide this information by completing the required initial thesis contract, which must be submitted to the eMPH program office before registering for thesis credits.

Step 3: Obtain Committee Approval of Thesis Proposal

After your committee is formed, the next step is to write a thesis proposal that describes the purposes of the study and the methods for accomplishing them. Writing a thesis proposal is recommended because it forces you to be explicit about your research plans. It also facilitates getting good feedback from your committee members, which usually increases the quality of your project. Before asking the committee to review and approve your proposal, you may ask the Chairperson of the committee to critique your draft proposal, and then revise your proposal as recommended by the Chairperson before distributing it to other committee members. 

The next step is to obtain the approval of your thesis proposal by all members of your committee. For in-residence students, you should provide each committee member with a copy of your research plan, and then call a meeting of your committee about 1-2 weeks later after the members have reviewed the proposal At the meeting, committee members may ask you to improve elements of the plan. Your revised thesis proposal should be resubmitted to the committee for review (a meeting may not be necessary, if the revisions are small), and this process is continued until all committee members approve your proposal. When you reach this important milestone, your committee is essentially declaring that your research question and the methods for answering them are acceptable, and that you now have a "green light" to actually do the study. 

eMPH students follow a similar process, but may not be able to meet with the committee in person. 

Formal approval of the thesis proposal also has two important benefits. When everyone agrees that the student can begin the study, common expectations are created about what the final thesis

will look like. With everyone "on the same page," students are more likely to meet the committee's expectations, and committee members are more likely to approve the completed thesis. In addition, students with well-developed proposals often find that many elements of the proposal can be used with little modification to compose the Introduction and Methods chapters of the thesis. 

Students who start their study without bothering to obtain formal committee approval are in danger of producing a thesis that is later rejected by the committee, which can greatly lengthen the amount of time to complete the thesis and the MPH Program. 

Step 4: Obtain Human Subjects Approval

Regardless of the kind of population-based research a thesis involves, a UW Human Subjects review must be completed. This may be in addition to Human Subjects applications that are submitted to organizations affiliated with the UW (e.g. Group Health Cooperative).  Currently, there are different applications, and the Human Subjects Division (HSD) determines which one is right for the proposed research. HSD also determines if the research activity qualities for exempt status. To begin this process, see:

http://www.washington.edu/research/hsd/

Step 5: Establish a Realistic Time Line

Once you obtain committee approval of your thesis proposal, you and your committee should establish a schedule for completing your thesis that is feasible and has a realistic chance of being completed on time.

The time line for completion - and therefore, graduation - should specify the academic quarter when you plan to complete the final version of your thesis. For any given quarter, the Graduate School specifies the last possible date and time when it will accept a thesis. For example, in Spring Quarter the Graduate School may require that the thesis be uploaded electronically by 11:59 PM on the second Friday of June. To be conservative, a student and thesis committee may plan to complete the final version of the thesis at least two weeks earlier. To reach this goal, a student must complete the first draft of the thesis by the end of April.

Example Thesis Timeline

MPH Thesis Timeline

Conduct Your Study

Target Deadline: Most students will complete the research for their thesis and begin the writing phase by Spring quarter of their second year.

Once your thesis committee approves your thesis proposal, and you have obtained approval from the Human Subjects Division, you may actually start your study!

If you have not yet completed the Introduction and Methods chapters of your thesis, now is a good time to do so. By completing the two chapters now, you must only write the Results and Discussion chapters later in the quarter. In short, this breaks up the writing into manageable pieces and increases the likelihood that you will complete your thesis on schedule.

As you perform your study, you undoubtedly will encounter a number of methodological issues that were not addressed in the thesis proposal. When the way to solve these issues is unclear, you should obtain advice from one or more members of your committee on how best to address them. These steps also decrease the likelihood that committee members will find problems with your study after it is completed.

Rather than operating in "crisis mode" and contacting committee members only when problems arise, students and faculty may prefer meeting on a regular basis to monitor progress and address any problems that may have emerged. The frequency of meetings may vary during different stages of the thesis process, with more frequent meetings (e.g., every two weeks) in the first and last stages and fewer in between. In particular, students should meet periodically to discuss the data analysis and interpretation of results. 

Complete Your Thesis And Prepare to Graduate

Target Deadline: Most students will submit a request to graduate at the beginning of their last quarter and are prepared to submit their finished thesis to the UW Graduate School by the end of that quarter.

With results in hand, the next step is to complete the remaining Results and Discussion chapters of your thesis, and to graduate. There are 3 critical elements to completing your thesis on time: 

1. Submitting a Graduation Request to the Graduate School https://www.grad.washington.edu/student/mastapp.aspx

2. Time management

3. Following the formal guidelines for writing the thesis and submitting it to the Graduate Schoolhttp://www.grad.washington.edu/students/etd/info.shtml

Time Management

After all analyses are completed, students should write the first draft of the Results and Discussion chapters. Once completed, the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion chapters should be submitted to the committee for review. In most cases, students find they must revise the four chapters at least 2 times before all committee members will approve them. Depending on the study and the student, the revisions can take a month or more to complete. Given the realities of the review process, the first draft of the Results and Discussion chapters should be completed in April to allow sufficient time to complete the remaining review-revision cycles and produce a final thesis by the end of May. 

If a student does not complete the first draft of a thesis by April, a committee may defer final review and approval of the thesis to Summer quarter to allow sufficient time for the student to produce a quality product. 

Guidelines for Writing the Thesis and Submitting It to the Graduate School

Some general points to keep in mind about preparing an acceptable thesis are:

Neither the MPH Program nor the Graduate School requires your thesis to be a certain length. Therefore, it is wise to negotiate expectations about the length of your thesis with your committee.

Use the length and format of an article in a scientific journal. This still allows wide variation, but as a rough guideline typically entails:

o 20-40 pages of double-spaced text

o 5-10 tables or figures

o Appendices possible, for supplementary tables or copies of data collection instruments

An abstract is not required by the Graduate School, but we recommend that students write one.

The "Program Authorized to Offer Degree" on your title pages is Public Health, Health Services.

Oral Presentation of the Thesis Results

An oral presentation of a master's thesis is not a requirement of the Graduate School or the Department of Health Services, but some programs within the department require such a presentation. For programs requiring an oral presentation, the student is responsible for scheduling and presenting the results of the thesis in a forum approved by his/her program. 

Publication of Your Thesis

Publication of your thesis in a peer-reviewed journal is NOT a requirement for graduation, but everyone benefits from having done so after you have graduated. 

You benefit through the satisfaction of making a contribution. Also, through publication you and your work become known to colleagues, which builds your reputation and resume.

The field benefits by disseminating your results to other health professionals.

The MPH Program benefits, for publication advertises the quality and content of the program which you completed.

The thesis can usually be written in a format that satisfies both the Graduate School and a target journal with minor modification. It is often helpful to choose a journal before you start writing, and consult its "Instructions to Authors" (usually published in a regular issue of the journal a few times a year).

Co-authors usually include others who made a "meaningful scientific contribution" to the work-often the thesis chairperson, other committee members, and others outside the University who played a key role in your work. 

 

Faculty and Student Guidelines for Completing the MPH Thesis – Grading Grading Criteria for Theses

The following, modified from the guidelines for the assignment of grades to graduate students taking courses offered through the School of Public Health, can be used to grade theses.

Numerical Grade

Interpretive Statement

4.0 Excellent thesis work for a graduate student. Work at this level is thorough, well-reasoned, methodologically sophisticated, and well-written. Work is of good professional quality, shows an incisive understanding of public health-related issues and demonstrates clear recognition of appropriate analytical approaches to address health problems and questions. Is of sufficient quality as to be publishable in a peer-reviewed journal with relatively minor modification.

3.7 Strong thesis work for a graduate student. Work at this level shows some signs of creativity, is thorough and well-reasoned, indicates strong understanding of appropriate methodological or analytical approaches, and demonstrates clear recognition and good understanding of salient public health-related issues and problems. It is potentially publishable in a peer-reviewed journal with moderate but foreseeable modification.

3.5 Competent and sound work for a graduate student. Work at this level is well-reasoned and thorough, methodologically sound, but not especially creative or insightful or technically sophisticated. Work shows adequate understanding of public health-related issues and problems, although that understanding may be somewhat incomplete. A thesis with this grade displays neither unusual strength nor exceptional weakness.

3.3 Adequate work for a graduate student, even though some weaknesses are evident. Work is moderately thorough and well-reasoned, but there is some indication that understanding of the important issues is less than complete and perhaps inadequate in other respects as well. Methodological or analytical approaches used are generally adequate but have one or more significant weaknesses or limitations.

2.7-3.0 Borderline thesis work for a graduate student. Work barely meets the minimal expectations for an acceptable thesis. Understanding of salient issues is weak and methodological or analytical work performed is minimally adequate.