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OFFICE
OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Cal
Poly, San Luis Obispo
General Instructions for Master’s Theses/Project Reports
Final approval of your thesis or project report involves committee approval for content AND Graduate Programs Office approval for format. If your Master's program requires a thesis or project report, your degree work will not be complete and you will not graduate until the Graduate Programs Office has approved your thesis or report.
The quarter in which all corrections are completed is the quarter of graduation if all other academic requirements for the degree have been met.
An application for graduation is available at the Evaluations Office. The diploma is ordered through El Corral Bookstore.
An optional step is having one or more paper copies of your thesis bound for your own use. You can contact binding vendors, such as HF Group’s online Thesis On Demand binding service (http://www.thesisondemand.com/) directly. The Kennedy Library no longer requires deposit of bound copies.
Submission Process
Beginning November 1st, 2008, students submitting Master’s theses and project reports are required to submit their work in electronic format to the DigitalCommons@CalPoly. Becky Powell (bpowell@calpoly.edu / 805.756.2328), the Research and Graduate Programs Thesis Editor, will review theses for formatting and will provide feedback on a first-come first-served basis. All of the electronic theses and project reports will be made publicly available on the DigitalCommons@CalPoly website.
Step 1: Download the Electronic Thesis Style and Format Guide
All theses and project reports must be in compliance with the Guidelines for Preparing Master’s Theses and Project Reports set forth by the Research and Graduate Programs Office.
Step 2: Download, print out and complete the Master’s Thesis/Project Approval Form
You should complete Section I: Student Information and Section IV: Student Agreement. After your defense, collect your committee approval signatures in Section II: Review and Acceptance.
Consult with your thesis committee on Section III: Student and Committee Agreement. If you and your committee agree to place a restriction on your thesis/report for patent or security reasons, you must indicate this in Section III: Student and Committee Agreement of the Master’s Thesis/Project Approval Form. Your thesis will not be viewable or accessible during the restriction period. After the restriction expires, your thesis/report will be made publicly available by the Research and Graduate Programs Office. Kennedy Library will provide access to the documents by creating a bibliographic record in the library catalog. A link to the document will be available through the library’s online card catalog.
Step 3: Get a Cashier’s Receipt
Pay the $56 digital archiving fee at the Cashier's window in the Administration Building. One copy of the cashier's receipt should be attached to the Master’s Thesis/ Project Approval Form; the other copy is for your records. The thesis/project report will not be accepted without this receipt.
Step 4: Deliver the committee-approved paper copy of the thesis/project report with a Cashier’s Receipt and the Master’s Thesis / Project Approval Form to the Research and Graduate Programs Office
Sections I, II, III and IV on the Master’s Thesis / Project Approval Form should be completed before submitting to thesis editor, Becky Powell, in the Research and Graduate Programs Office (Building 38 Room 154). Staple the cashier’s receipt to the front of the form. A hardcopy of your thesis should be provided to Becky for review.
Step 5: Formatting Review
The thesis editor will check the document for formatting and style, according to the standards set forth in the Guidelines for Preparing Master’s Theses and Project Reports. If corrections are needed, you will receive a memo from the thesis editor detailing what needs to be done. Once you make all your necessary formatting corrections, the thesis editor may ask you to resubmit the revised document. You will need to get approval from the thesis editor before proceeding to the next step.
Step 6: Upload electronic Master’s thesis to the DigitalCommons@CalPoly
Once your paper has been approved by the thesis editor, you should submit your electronic thesis/project report to the DigitalCommons@CalPoly, a digital archive for the University. Download detailed DigitalCommons instructions to ensure you submit your electronic document correctly. The Kennedy Library no longer collects paper theses or project reports.
Step 7: Document is made public on the DigitalCommons@CalPoly site
After the thesis editor approves your document, the Research and Graduate Programs Office will “post” your thesis/project report to the DigitalCommons, making it publicly accessible to anyone on the web. Robert E. Kennedy Library will create a bibliographic record in the library catalog. Paper versions will not be collected by Kennedy Library.
For Cal Poly Alumni
If you are a Cal Poly graduate school alumnus(a) and wish to have your thesis or project report available on the DigitalCommons@CalPoly, you will need to first formally grant permission to the University to do this. For instructions on this process, please consult the DigitalCommons@CalPoly at http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/policies.html
Questions
Becky
Powell, thesis editor, is available daily to answer questions about thesis and
project report preparation and processing.
Phone:
805.756.2328
Email:
bpowell@calpoly.edu
Office:
Building 38, Room 154
Last Updated: July 24, 2009
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Research
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California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
805-756-1508
dahart@calpoly.edu