Historic Preservation Program - University of Oregon

Home > Thesis and Terminal Project Requirements

Thesis and Terminal Project Requirements

THESIS AND TERMINAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Students in the Historic Preservation Program must choose to complete either a thesis or a terminal project to fulfill their degree requirements. The following descriptions are consistent with Graduate School guidelines.

THESIS
A thesis is an extended paper presenting independent and original research that makes a contribution to the current body of knowledge in the field. The data, including field evidence, is analyzed—not just described—and placed within a conceptual framework in explaining the study’s significance to the field of Historic Preservation. The author may conduct an original investigation, or develop an original interpretation of existing research and/or literature, but it is incumbent upon the researcher to establish the significance of her/his findings.

The thesis must meet standards of style and form as set forth by the Graduate School. The Graduate School suggests five basic chapters or divisions: an introduction of the problem (the thesis question to be tested), a review of the literature in the field, and explanation of the materials and methods used in solving the problem, a discussion of results found from review of the data, and a conclusion. A full bibliography must be included.

Theses must confirm to Graduate School specifications as stated in the University of Oregon Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (available on the Graduate School website). The Graduate School will reject a completed thesis that is not in compliance with this format (note, in particular, that only a certain type of paper—acid free, archival stable-- is accepted). Completed copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School and Historic Preservation program by its deadline (typically Tuesday of the week before final exam week). There is no required length for a thesis, but fifty to one hundred pages (double spaced) is usually an appropriate range.

TERMINAL PROJECT
A terminal project is a presentation that embodies the knowledge and skills acquired in the study of historic preservation. Terminal projects are often directed toward a known audience, are field based, stress the application of professional skills, and may require a more flexible presentation of work than a written document. The topic is selected by a student, but requires committee approval. Different in scope and conceptual framework than a thesis, a terminal project has no set format. However, selection of the terminal project option does not lessen the necessity for academic rigor in substance and documentation. Thesis standards related to content and notes must still be followed. Projects of more than local interest would be better served through the thesis format, since a national database of thesis topics can alert other scholars to the work. There is no similar database for terminal project topics.

The terminal project option can accommodate original and likely oversized drawings, or can integrate drawings and text in a less restrictive manner. Because suitable and accessible storage of large drawings is not available, the terminal project format is limited to a bound document for inclusion in the collection of the A&AA library. Because of library requirements, the maximum dimension of the bound volume in this format is thirteen inches for vertical, horizontal, or both dimensions. A written statement of purpose, methods of application, and documentation must be included. The prescribed format for a terminal project must be approved by the student’s terminal project advisor. The Graduate School does not review a terminal project.

THESIS COMMITTEE SELECTION
Students select their own thesis or terminal project committee. The committee should be comprised of one chair and one additional committee member. For students completing a thesis, the committee chair must be a UO tenure-related faculty member (ideally, this would be an A&AA faculty member associated with the HP program); the additional committee member may be an adjunct. For students completing a project, it may be possible to secure an HP adjunct faculty member as the committee chair, but this must be approved by the HP program director. The basis of approval for selection of an adjunct will be based on the content of the research. For both theses and projects, the chair and committee member are both responsible for approving and signing the final document prior to submission. It is the responsibility of the student to work closely with the proposed committee both individually and collectively during development of the proposal.

MASTER'S THESIS OR PROJECT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
The proposal is an intitial statement of intention and forms the basis for further development of the project. The proposal is developed over the course of two classes with the assistance of School of Architecture and Allied Arts faculty.

Year 1, Spring Term
In the spring quarter of the first year of study, students should enroll in AAD 630/AAAP 510 Research Methods (4 credits, graded). This course introduces a range of research methodologies and methods in arts administration and historic preservation. Students explore their own research interest area(s) and methodological interest area(s) throughout the course and develop a preliminary research concept for their master’s thesis or project. The proposal is an initial statement of intention and forms the basis for further development of the project. Feedback on this research concept is provided by the HP program director at the end of the term.

Year 2, Fall Term
In the fall term of the second year of study, students should enroll in AAD/AAAP 631 Research Proposal (3 credits, P/NP). In this course, students revise and develop the research concept prepared during AAD/AAAP 630, prepare a detailed research design for their master’s thesis or project, and develop data collection and analysis tools to allow them to commence research in the following winter quarter.

In the fall term of the second year of study, students should also enroll in AAAP 601 Independent Research (2 credits) with their committee chair for developing their annotated bibliography. They should also meet regularly with their committee chair to discuss development of their thesis or project research proposal (they should register concurrently for Thesis or Project credits with the committee chair). The annotated bibliography will inform the literature review portion of the final proposal as well as the final research document.

Detailed guidelines and formatting instructions for preparation of the research proposal are provided in AAAP 630 and AAAP 631. The final proposal will be in Chicago/Turabian style, roughly 15-20 pages in length, with two additional attached visual schematics, attached research instruments and consent forms, and attached reference pages. The proposal will include the following major headings: statement of the problem; conceptual framework; research methodology; research design; and data collection and analysis procedures.

MEETING TO APPROVE THE PROPOSAL
At the end of the fall term, students will formally present their research proposals (a 20 minute power point presentation) to their committee members, as well as HP students and faculty. The proposal presentation should focus on the problem statement, conceptual framework, main research questions, and research design of the proposed study. Questions and comments related to the proposal are then offered by those in attendance. Four outcomes of this meeting are possible:

1. Approval: If all members of the student’s thesis or terminal project committee agree that the proposal is satisfactory as submitted, it is approved.

2. Approved as modified: If the student making the proposal and all members of the student’s thesis or terminal project committee agree on modifications to the proposal, the proposal is approved as modified. These modifications will be written by the chair of the student’s committee on the file copy of the Thesis or Terminal Project Proposal Approval form, or on a record copy of the proposal that is attached to this form.

3. Approved with instructions to the student’s committee: If the student making the proposal and all members of the student’s thesis or terminal project committee agree that modifications to the proposal are not fully resolved at the conclusion of the meeting but can be satisfactorily resolved by the student’s committee at a subsequent meeting, the proposal is approved, subject to general instructions to the student’s committee about this resolution. These instructions will be written by the chair of the student’s committee on the file copy of the Thesis or Terminal Project Proposal Approval form, or on a record copy of the proposal that is attached to this form.

4. Resubmit: If none of the three potential outcomes listed above is satisfied, the proposal must be resubmitted and the presentation repeated.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the chair of the student’s committee and the Director of the Historic Preservation Program will indicate their support for the approved proposal, plus any approved modifications or instructions, by signing the file copy of the Thesis or Terminal Project Proposal Approval form. This file copy will be kept by the HP Program’s Office Coordinator, who will distribute copies of the form and the approved modifications or instructions to the members of the student’s committee and to members of the Historic Preservation Committee. The student cannot register for thesis or terminal project credits until after the proposal has been approved and the approval form has been submitted.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the student’s research advisor (committee chair) will sign (if necessary) the student’s application protocol to be submitted to the Office for Protection of Human Subjects. The research advisor and the HP program director will also sign the Graduate School Research Clearance form.

ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PROPOSAL AFTER APPROVAL
The student's committee has sole responsibility for directing the thesis or terminal project after the proposal has been approved.

EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Each member of the committee is expected to play a significant role in guiding the thesis or terminal project. The Chair of the Committee is expected, in addition, to provide administrative oversight to the project, monitoring in general the participation of other committee members, attempting to resolve conflicts, and ensuring that regulations are followed. Should any member of the committee become unavailable for a major portion of the duration of the project, the Chair of the Committee, together with the Director of the Historic Preservation Program, will determine whether that member should be replaced.

Committee members are expected to make themselves personally available to the student and to view and comment upon draft materials. They should return comments to the student within two weeks of the receipt of the draft materials or the receipt of requests for clarification or assistance.

REVIEWS AND DEVELOPMENT
It is the responsibility of the student to maintain contact with each member of the thesis/terminal project committee during the development of the thesis or terminal project, to keep all members informed of procedures, and to make all arrangements for committee meetings.

In the event of procedural conflicts that cannot be resolved by the student and the student’s committee, any of the parties may bring the conflict to the Historic Preservation Committee for mediation.

Portions of the thesis or terminal project may be accomplished away from the campus if circumstances require it, but this must be approved in advance by the student’s committee, and at least one meeting per term should be held with the full committee. University regulations prohibit faculty members from participating in the review of thesis or terminal project work if the student is on leave or not currently enrolled.

A meeting of the full committee should be held to discuss major issues in the student's progress and to resolve differences between committee members. At least one full committee meeting should be held during each term. University regulations prohibit faculty members from participating in the review of thesis or terminal project work if the student is on leave or not currently enrolled.

FINAL PRESENTATION AND SUBMITTAL
You must be registered for 3 credits of Thesis or Terminal Project in the term in which you make your final presentation.

The student is responsible for all arrangements for a final public presentation within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts of the thesis or terminal project. The student notifies all historic preservation faculty members and graduate students, the A&AA dean, and other interested people, of this presentation and posts announcements in Lawrence Hall at least one week before the presentation. This presentation is scheduled to allow two prior weeks for the student’s committee to review a complete final copy of the thesis or terminal project, including references and illustrations. The format for this presentation consists of a presentation by the student of the work (usually twenty to thirty minutes in length), followed by questions and general discussion. The student’s committee attends the presentation and, after its completion, meets to determine whether the work has been satisfactorily completed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: FINAL PRESENTATIONS FOR THESES AND TERMINAL PROJECTS
In order for the thesis candidate to perform at his/her best, and to allow faculty advisors to have sufficient time to evaluate submitted drafts properly, students who anticipate submitting their work for final review at the end of the year should send a draft of their completed work to their reviewers at the beginning of Spring quarter. (Note: This requirement applies to both full-time and on-leave students).

Since the university prefers that students who are not enrolled for at least 3 credits not draw upon university resources, the review of the thesis document for students not currently enrolled should be limited to discerning the “degree of readiness” to present. The thesis committee should make recommendations for further development of a substantive nature at the beginning of the quarter in which the student is enrolled and scheduled to present.

The final document draft (once revised) must be submitted to all reviewers at least two weeks prior to the final presentation date to allow adequate time for advisors to review the document and for changes to be made.

Once the final document is presented to the committee and the student has completed their final presentation, minor adjustments to the text or design documents (related to reviewers’ remarks) should be made by the candidate before the document is approved. (The turn around time is negotiated between the student and the principal advisor).

The final document is then signed by the principal advisor and outside readers. TWO signed official copies of the document are required: one UNBOUND copy of the final document must be submitted to the Graduate School, and one BOUND copy of the thesis or terminal project is submitted to the Historic Preservation Program.

TERMINAL PROJECTS THAT DERIVE FROM A STUDENT'S PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT
Students receiving remuneration for work undertaken in an office cannot receive credit for that work even if he/she is the lead designer. Pro bono projects, and alternative design proposals may be considered if they are not (solely) work related. For example, work can be undertaken for credit that originates in an office if the design concepts and design development offers a solution different from what originated in the office, and puts forth a clearly-defined scholarly polemic by the graduate candidate.

Employers may not serve on the terminal project review committee; they may serve as a resource.



HP Home Program - Historic Preservation Program M.S. - Master of Science Degree Requirements Undergraduate - Undergraduate Minor Admissions - Application/Admissions Process - TOEFL Financial Aid - Financial Aid - Scholarships - - 2009 George McMath Historic Preservation Award News - News Courses - Course Offerings - Faculty - Faculty Field Schools - Preservation Field Schools - 2009 Croatia Summer Field School - 2009 Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School - Past Pacific Northwest Preservation Field Schools Yeon - John Yeon - John Yeon Center for Architectural Studies - The Shire: John Yeon Preserve for Landscape Studies Thesis Authors and Titles - Thesis Authors and Titles (1982-1989) - Thesis Authors and Titles (1990-1999) - Thesis Authors and Titles (2000-2009) Thesis and Terminal Project Requirements - Thesis and Terminal Project Requirements Contact Information - Contact Information Resources - Student Resources - - - Internships - Links - Useful Forms	Home > Thesis and Terminal Project Requirements Thesis and Terminal Project Requirements THESIS AND TERMINAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS Students in the Historic Preservation Program must choose to complete either a thesis or a terminal project to fulfill their degree requirements. The following descriptions are consistent with Graduate School guidelines. THESIS A thesis is an extended paper presenting independent and original research that makes a contribution to the current body of knowledge in the field. The data, including field evidence, is analyzed—not just described—and placed within a conceptual framework in explaining the study’s significance to the field of Historic Preservation. The author may conduct an original investigation, or develop an original interpretation of existing research and/or literature, but it is incumbent upon the researcher to establish the significance of her/his findings. The thesis must meet standards of style and form as set forth by the Graduate School. The Graduate School suggests five basic chapters or divisions: an introduction of the problem (the thesis question to be tested), a review of the literature in the field, and explanation of the materials and methods used in solving the problem, a discussion of results found from review of the data, and a conclusion. A full bibliography must be included. Theses must confirm to Graduate School specifications as stated in the University of Oregon Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (available on the Graduate School website). The Graduate School will reject a completed thesis that is not in compliance with this format (note, in particular, that only a certain type of paper—acid free, archival stable-- is accepted). Completed copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School and Historic Preservation program by its deadline (typically Tuesday of the week before final exam week). There is no required length for a thesis, but fifty to one hundred pages (double spaced) is usually an appropriate range. TERMINAL PROJECT A terminal project is a presentation that embodies the knowledge and skills acquired in the study of historic preservation. Terminal projects are often directed toward a known audience, are field based, stress the application of professional skills, and may require a more flexible presentation of work than a written document. The topic is selected by a student, but requires committee approval. Different in scope and conceptual framework than a thesis, a terminal project has no set format. However, selection of the terminal project option does not lessen the necessity for academic rigor in substance and documentation. Thesis standards related to content and notes must still be followed. Projects of more than local interest would be better served through the thesis format, since a national database of thesis topics can alert other scholars to the work. There is no similar database for terminal project topics. The terminal project option can accommodate original and likely oversized drawings, or can integrate drawings and text in a less restrictive manner. Because suitable and accessible storage of large drawings is not available, the terminal project format is limited to a bound document for inclusion in the collection of the A&AA library. Because of library requirements, the maximum dimension of the bound volume in this format is thirteen inches for vertical, horizontal, or both dimensions. A written statement of purpose, methods of application, and documentation must be included. The prescribed format for a terminal project must be approved by the student’s terminal project advisor. The Graduate School does not review a terminal project. THESIS COMMITTEE SELECTION Students select their own thesis or terminal project committee. The committee should be comprised of one chair and one additional committee member. For students completing a thesis, the committee chair must be a UO tenure-related faculty member (ideally, this would be an A&AA faculty member associated with the HP program); the additional committee member may be an adjunct. For students completing a project, it may be possible to secure an HP adjunct faculty member as the committee chair, but this must be approved by the HP program director. The basis of approval for selection of an adjunct will be based on the content of the research. For both theses and projects, the chair and committee member are both responsible for approving and signing the final document prior to submission. It is the responsibility of the student to work closely with the proposed committee both individually and collectively during development of the proposal. MASTER'S THESIS OR PROJECT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT The proposal is an intitial statement of intention and forms the basis for further development of the project. The proposal is developed over the course of two classes with the assistance of School of Architecture and Allied Arts faculty. Year 1, Spring Term In the spring quarter of the first year of study, students should enroll in AAD 630/AAAP 510 Research Methods (4 credits, graded). This course introduces a range of research methodologies and methods in arts administration and historic preservation. Students explore their own research interest area(s) and methodological interest area(s) throughout the course and develop a preliminary research concept for their master’s thesis or project. The proposal is an initial statement of intention and forms the basis for further development of the project. Feedback on this research concept is provided by the HP program director at the end of the term. Year 2, Fall Term In the fall term of the second year of study, students should enroll in AAD/AAAP 631 Research Proposal (3 credits, P/NP). In this course, students revise and develop the research concept prepared during AAD/AAAP 630, prepare a detailed research design for their master’s thesis or project, and develop data collection and analysis tools to allow them to commence research in the following winter quarter. In the fall term of the second year of study, students should also enroll in AAAP 601 Independent Research (2 credits) with their committee chair for developing their annotated bibliography. They should also meet regularly with their committee chair to discuss development of their thesis or project research proposal (they should register concurrently for Thesis or Project credits with the committee chair). The annotated bibliography will inform the literature review portion of the final proposal as well as the final research document. Detailed guidelines and formatting instructions for preparation of the research proposal are provided in AAAP 630 and AAAP 631. The final proposal will be in Chicago/Turabian style, roughly 15-20 pages in length, with two additional attached visual schematics, attached research instruments and consent forms, and attached reference pages. The proposal will include the following major headings: statement of the problem; conceptual framework; research methodology; research design; and data collection and analysis procedures. MEETING TO APPROVE THE PROPOSAL At the end of the fall term, students will formally present their research proposals (a 20 minute power point presentation) to their committee members, as well as HP students and faculty. The proposal presentation should focus on the problem statement, conceptual framework, main research questions, and research design of the proposed study. Questions and comments related to the proposal are then offered by those in attendance. Four outcomes of this meeting are possible: 1. Approval: If all members of the student’s thesis or terminal project committee agree that the proposal is satisfactory as submitted, it is approved. 2. Approved as modified: If the student making the proposal and all members of the student’s thesis or terminal project committee agree on modifications to the proposal, the proposal is approved as modified. These modifications will be written by the chair of the student’s committee on the file copy of the Thesis or Terminal Project Proposal Approval form, or on a record copy of the proposal that is attached to this form. 3. Approved with instructions to the student’s committee: If the student making the proposal and all members of the student’s thesis or terminal project committee agree that modifications to the proposal are not fully resolved at the conclusion of the meeting but can be satisfactorily resolved by the student’s committee at a subsequent meeting, the proposal is approved, subject to general instructions to the student’s committee about this resolution. These instructions will be written by the chair of the student’s committee on the file copy of the Thesis or Terminal Project Proposal Approval form, or on a record copy of the proposal that is attached to this form. 4. Resubmit: If none of the three potential outcomes listed above is satisfied, the proposal must be resubmitted and the presentation repeated. At the conclusion of the presentation, the chair of the student’s committee and the Director of the Historic Preservation Program will indicate their support for the approved proposal, plus any approved modifications or instructions, by signing the file copy of the Thesis or Terminal Project Proposal Approval form. This file copy will be kept by the HP Program’s Office Coordinator, who will distribute copies of the form and the approved modifications or instructions to the members of the student’s committee and to members of the Historic Preservation Committee. The student cannot register for thesis or terminal project credits until after the proposal has been approved and the approval form has been submitted. At the conclusion of the meeting, the student’s research advisor (committee chair) will sign (if necessary) the student’s application protocol to be submitted to the Office for Protection of Human Subjects. The research advisor and the HP program director will also sign the Graduate School Research Clearance form. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PROPOSAL AFTER APPROVAL The student's committee has sole responsibility for directing the thesis or terminal project after the proposal has been approved. EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS Each member of the committee is expected to play a significant role in guiding the thesis or terminal project. The Chair of the Committee is expected, in addition, to provide administrative oversight to the project, monitoring in general the participation of other committee members, attempting to resolve conflicts, and ensuring that regulations are followed. Should any member of the committee become unavailable for a major portion of the duration of the project, the Chair of the Committee, together with the Director of the Historic Preservation Program, will determine whether that member should be replaced. Committee members are expected to make themselves personally available to the student and to view and comment upon draft materials. They should return comments to the student within two weeks of the receipt of the draft materials or the receipt of requests for clarification or assistance. REVIEWS AND DEVELOPMENT It is the responsibility of the student to maintain contact with each member of the thesis/terminal project committee during the development of the thesis or terminal project, to keep all members informed of procedures, and to make all arrangements for committee meetings. In the event of procedural conflicts that cannot be resolved by the student and the student’s committee, any of the parties may bring the conflict to the Historic Preservation Committee for mediation. Portions of the thesis or terminal project may be accomplished away from the campus if circumstances require it, but this must be approved in advance by the student’s committee, and at least one meeting per term should be held with the full committee. University regulations prohibit faculty members from participating in the review of thesis or terminal project work if the student is on leave or not currently enrolled. A meeting of the full committee should be held to discuss major issues in the student's progress and to resolve differences between committee members. At least one full committee meeting should be held during each term. University regulations prohibit faculty members from participating in the review of thesis or terminal project work if the student is on leave or not currently enrolled. FINAL PRESENTATION AND SUBMITTAL You must be registered for 3 credits of Thesis or Terminal Project in the term in which you make your final presentation. The student is responsible for all arrangements for a final public presentation within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts of the thesis or terminal project. The student notifies all historic preservation faculty members and graduate students, the A&AA dean, and other interested people, of this presentation and posts announcements in Lawrence Hall at least one week before the presentation. This presentation is scheduled to allow two prior weeks for the student’s committee to review a complete final copy of the thesis or terminal project, including references and illustrations. The format for this presentation consists of a presentation by the student of the work (usually twenty to thirty minutes in length), followed by questions and general discussion. The student’s committee attends the presentation and, after its completion, meets to determine whether the work has been satisfactorily completed. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: FINAL PRESENTATIONS FOR THESES AND TERMINAL PROJECTS In order for the thesis candidate to perform at his/her best, and to allow faculty advisors to have sufficient time to evaluate submitted drafts properly, students who anticipate submitting their work for final review at the end of the year should send a draft of their completed work to their reviewers at the beginning of Spring quarter. (Note: This requirement applies to both full-time and on-leave students). Since the university prefers that students who are not enrolled for at least 3 credits not draw upon university resources, the review of the thesis document for students not currently enrolled should be limited to discerning the “degree of readiness” to present. The thesis committee should make recommendations for further development of a substantive nature at the beginning of the quarter in which the student is enrolled and scheduled to present. The final document draft (once revised) must be submitted to all reviewers at least two weeks prior to the final presentation date to allow adequate time for advisors to review the document and for changes to be made. Once the final document is presented to the committee and the student has completed their final presentation, minor adjustments to the text or design documents (related to reviewers’ remarks) should be made by the candidate before the document is approved. (The turn around time is negotiated between the student and the principal advisor). The final document is then signed by the principal advisor and outside readers. TWO signed official copies of the document are required: one UNBOUND copy of the final document must be submitted to the Graduate School, and one BOUND copy of the thesis or terminal project is submitted to the Historic Preservation Program. TERMINAL PROJECTS THAT DERIVE FROM A STUDENT'S PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT Students receiving remuneration for work undertaken in an office cannot receive credit for that work even if he/she is the lead designer. Pro bono projects, and alternative design proposals may be considered if they are not (solely) work related. For example, work can be undertaken for credit that originates in an office if the design concepts and design development offers a solution different from what originated in the office, and puts forth a clearly-defined scholarly polemic by the graduate candidate. Employers may not serve on the terminal project review committee; they may serve as a resource.