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Seminar Option
Core Courses 18 hrs.
Free Electives 15 hrs.
Seminar (TCM 726) 3 hrs.
Total 36 hrs.
Thesis Option
Core Courses 18 hrs.
Free Electives 9 hrs.
Research/ Thesis 6 hrs.
Total 33 hrs.
Thesis Option. 6 hrs
Completion of a satisfactory thesis in the candidateâs discipline is required. The thesis is a complete document that describes the studentâs work on a research topic. TCM 798 â Research, is completed prior to the semester of graduation and in any semester the student is working on research. A minimum of 3 hours of TCM 798 must be completed. Students must register for TCM 799 in their final semester and may not count more than a total of 6 semester hours combined, TCM 798 and TCM 799 towards their degree course requirements.
Seminar Option 3 hrs
Completion of two significant graduate-level research papers based upon seminar work and directed research are required. Seminar students must prepare at least one of these papers as part of the course requirements for TCM 726. No more than 3 semester hours of TCM 726 shall be counted towards the degree requirements.
Opinions?
Don't miss out on something great just because it might also be difficult.
Road traveled: AA (2013) > BS (2014) > MS (2016) > Doctorate (2024)
If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. Psalm 94:16-19
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I don't really have a background here to give a strong opinion. Largest things to note to me is that you still need to have two papers regardless of which you choose. Although I'm guessing the Thesis is a bit more in depth than the research papers that the seminar options require. The seminar option allows you to have more free electives but you're required to have another 3 extra credits.
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I would see if I could find out the actual graduation rates for masters candidates using both options and strongly consider going with whichever had a higher graduation rate. It is not uncommon to see people decide to take the thesis option because they think they will finish sooner, only to discover that they need 3 or 4 semesters to complete it. Their funding ends after 33 hours and they wash out of the program with a lot of debt and not much to show for it.
On a related note, if you are in humanities or social sciences, may I highly recommend the book "Destination: Dissertation" for help in creating an accomplishable and accomplished thesis or dissertation.
BA, MA, EdS, MMT, etc.
83 hours of ACE-worthy credits
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KayV Wrote:I would see if I could find out the actual graduation rates for masters candidates using both options and strongly consider going with whichever had a higher graduation rate. It is not uncommon to see people decide to take the thesis option because they think they will finish sooner, only to discover that they need 3 or 4 semesters to complete it. Their funding ends after 33 hours and they wash out of the program with a lot of debt and not much to show for it.
On a related note, if you are in humanities or social sciences, may I highly recommend the book "Destination: Dissertation" for help in creating an accomplishable and accomplished thesis or dissertation.
My MS will be in Project Management (God willing). I haven't been accepted yet. Do you think this book would be helpful for that?
Hmmmm...I will start my google search on that (graduation rates). Thanks!
Don't miss out on something great just because it might also be difficult.
Road traveled: AA (2013) > BS (2014) > MS (2016) > Doctorate (2024)
If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. Psalm 94:16-19
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soliloquy Wrote:My MS will be in Project Management (God willing). I haven't been accepted yet. Do you think this book would be helpful for that?
Hmmmm...I will start my google search on that (graduation rates). Thanks!
For business students (Mgmt/MBA) below are two I would suggest:
Research Methods for Business Students. 5th Ed
Authors: Mark N.K. Saunders, Philip Lewis, Adrian Thornhill
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2009
ISBN: 9780273716860
Management Research Methods. 7th Ed
Authors: Phyllis Tharenou, Ross Donohue, Brian Cooper
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007
ISBN: 978-0521694285
Check your PM in a few minutes.
"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan." -Tom Landry
TESC:
AAS, Admin Studies. 2010
BA, Social Sciences. 2010. Arnold Fletcher Award.
AAS, Environmental, Safety & Security Technologies. 2011
BSBA, General Management. 2011. Arnold Fletcher Award.
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If you are considering a PhD/DBA down the road - I would go with the thesis option. Writing a thesis will prepare you for doctoral studies and the dissertation.
If not, then go with the seminar option.
Good luck!
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Do you still have to do a thesis defense presentation for online schools/ how would that be accomplished, video chat?
If you do, you might consider how well you do in public speaking and debates. I've sat in on two defenses for masters in engineering and both candidates were grilled hard on their whole project.
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I'm pretty certain that the MPM is the last stop for me. I have no interest in pursuing a degree on a doctoral level. I just want to be marketable and able to provide for my family and help my son pay for college. I'm not interested in a career in academia.
Don't miss out on something great just because it might also be difficult.
Road traveled: AA (2013) > BS (2014) > MS (2016) > Doctorate (2024)
If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. Psalm 94:16-19
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If that's the case, I would go with the non-thesis option.
BA, MA, EdS, MMT, etc.
83 hours of ACE-worthy credits
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Shawn A Wrote:If you are considering a PhD/DBA down the road - I would go with the thesis option. Writing a thesis will prepare you for doctoral studies and the dissertation.
If not, then go with the seminar option.
Good luck!
I agree with Shawn. If there is some reason that you need this, your thesis "can" result in being published and or having some street-cred academically for those who care about such things. If I were to do another master's degree and had the option of a capstone/seminar vs a thesis, I'd likely choose the capstone/seminar. My thesis only counted as 3cr though I logged more hours and work than a 3 cr course. In fact, my thesis was more work than 3 or 4 of my courses (I did conduct original research, whereas a literature review may not have required as much time? I don't know?). It's all about what you need in your career.
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