All students are required to complete CIS 693, or both CIS 690 and 695 to complete the Master's degree. You can find helpful information on getting started and general expectations for both a project and thesis below. Before enrolling in any research course students are required to complete an online course in research integrity (select "Online RCR Training" at the top of the page) prior to completing 50% of their coursework (16 credits) or enrolling in CIS 690 (Thesis Research Preparation) or CIS 693 (Master's Project) 

Which one is right for me?

Unsure whether you should complete a project or thesis? View our Project-Thesis Comparison Guide.

Starting a Project

In order to register for the Master’s project (CIS 693)…

1. Several weeks before starting their project, decide upon a topic for you project and write up a brief project proposal outlining the work to be done. Please review the faculty's current research interests.
2. When complete, obtain a faculty member's agreement to serve as your project advisor. Generally, ask faculty members that are likely to have specialization or interest in your topic area. After a faculty advisor is found, complete the Project Form.
3. At the same time, complete the research integrity training at https://www.gvsu.edu/rcr/.
4. The completed project form should be sent to the faculty advisor asking them to forward the form along with their approval to the Graduate Program Director.
5. The Graduate Program Director will enter a registration override permit allowing you to enroll in a section of CIS 693 corresponding to the faculty advisor.

Project Expectations and Grading

1. Students have three responsibilities during CIS 693: (1) complete the project work, (2) complete a written report, and (3) prepare and deliver a presentation. CIS 693 is not considered complete until all three components are satisfactorily finished. Written reports must be a minimum of 2 pages in length (not including cover page and table of contents). Templates are available to get you started (here).
2. Throughout the semester, students will meet periodically with their advisor.  
3. During the final exam week of classes students give a formal, oral presentation of their project to the project advisor and to other members of the GVSU community.  
4. When the project work, report, and oral presentation have been satisfactorily completed, the advisor signs the final section of the project form indicating final approval of the project, and assigns students a grade. Projects are graded as “NC” (no credit), “P” (pass), or “PD” (pass with distinction). Criteria for grading projects is given here.
5. All project reports must be submitted to the School of Computing for inclusion in ScholarWorks. Students and advisors must jointly complete the ScholarWorks Submission Form.

Project Continuation

CIS 696 is our project/thesis continuation class. It is used when students don’t complete their project (CIS 693) in one semester. It is a 1 credit course that simply allows students access to university services (library, computer labs, etc.) while they are finishing their thesis.

If a student doesn’t complete their work in CIS 693, they should be given an “X” (deferred) grade. They should then be given a permit to enroll in CIS 696. Assuming they finish the project work in CIS 696, they are given a grade of “R” (research) in CIS 696, and then the “X” in CIS 693 should be resolved into a grade (see above). If not resolved, the “X” will be converted into “NC” (No Credit) after two years.

Starting a Thesis

1. Several weeks before starting their thesis, students must complete the top portion of the Thesis Form. Students decide upon a topic for their thesis and write up a brief thesis proposal outlining the work to be done. When complete, students obtain a faculty member's agreement to serve as their thesis advisor. Generally, students solicit faculty members that are likely to have specialization in the topic area. In addition, students are expected to complete the research integrity training mentioned at the top of the page. Please review the faculty's current research interests.
2. The student and thesis advisor will work together to select the thesis committee.  The committee consists of two other members in addition to the advisor.  The other committee members are usually computing faculty, but faculty from other departments and from local industries are eligible. The thesis advisor will complete the portion of the thesis form specifying the committee members.
3. The thesis advisor then sends the completed form to the Graduate Program Director who will enter a registration permit allowing the student to enroll in CIS 690.
4. The form is then sent to the School's secretary for archiving.

General Expectations

Throughout the semesters in which CIS 690 and CIS 695 are taken, students have four primary responsibilities: develop a thesis topic (CIS 690), perform research in support of the thesis, produce a written thesis document, and prepare an oral defense of the thesis research (CIS 695).  A thesis is not considered complete unless all four components are satisfactorily finished.

CIS 690 Expectations

1. During the CIS 690 semester, students research and develop their thesis topic. Prior to the end of the CIS 690 semester, students prepare a formal written presentation of their thesis topic, which must be orally presented to the thesis committee.  The thesis proposal acts as a contract specifying the work to be done by the student, and is used to judge completion of the thesis. 
2. Once the committee approves the thesis proposal, the advisor signs the thesis proposal form and sends the completed form to the Graduate Program Director who will enter a registration permit allowing the student to enroll in CIS 695.
3. The form is then sent to the School's secretary for archiving.

CIS 695 Expectations and Grading

1. Throughout the semester in which CIS 695 is taken, students perform research to support their thesis and work in close conjunction with their thesis advisor to prepare both the written thesis and the oral defense.  At least four weeks prior to the end of the semester, students distribute copies of the written thesis to all members of the thesis committee in order to solicit feedback.  Improvements to the written thesis typically continues until the end of the semester. The GVSU Library has full information regarding the preparation of theses. At minimum, the thesis must include a thesis final approval form.
2. During the final exam week of classes students give a formal, oral presentation of their thesis to the thesis committee and to other members of the GVSU community. 
3. When the written thesis and oral defense have been satisfactorily completed, the advisor and the two members of the thesis committee sign the thesis proposal form as their final approval of the thesis, and submit a final grade. Theses are graded as “NC” (no credit), “P” (pass), or “PD” (pass with distinction). Criteria for grading theses is given here. The final thesis is then submitted to the dean of the College of Engineering and Computing, as well as the Graduate Dean for their signatures. Once the thesis form has all the required signatures, the thesis is submitted to the library for inclusion in ScholarWorks.

Thesis Continuation (CIS 696)

CIS 696 is our project/thesis continuation class. It is used when students don’t complete their thesis (CIS 695) in one semester. It is a 1 credit course that simply allows students access to university services (library, computer labs, etc.) while they are finishing their thesis.

If a student doesn’t complete their work in CIS 695, they should be given an “X” (deferred) grade. They should then be given a permit to enroll in CIS 696. Assuming they finish the thesis work in CIS 696, they are given a grade of “R” (research) in CIS 696, and then the “X” in CIS 695 should be resolved into a grade (see above). If not resolved, the “X” will be converted into “NC” (No Credit) after two years.