thesis/project
Each student must successfully complete a thesis paper or project as a prerequisite for graduation. These consists of original research, focused on a topic in history, museum studies, or a related field. The body of a thesis paper must be at least fifty pages, though the entire paper should be no more than one hundred pages. The form of a thesis project varies, but examples include exhibit scripts, interpretive programs, and other similar products.
Students should begin thinking about potential topics as early as possible. Thesis Research can be taken during second or third semester, after a student has developed a general thesis topic. Each student is assigned a faculty advisor based on this topic. By the end of the class, students will have submitted draft and final proposals, conducted the majority of their research, and have a working bibliography.
The following semester students take the Thesis Writing class. During this semester, students will write and revise their thesis with the help of their advisor, and do any additional research as necessary. After the thesis is approved by the student's advisor, it goes to a qualified second reader, whose suggestions help mold the final version of the thesis. Completed copies of the thesis or project are bound, and kept at the NYSHA and SUNY College at Oneonta libraries.