Thesis/Essay/Capstone Project Guidelines

The Thesis, Essay, or Capstone Project for Master’s degree programs requires students to identify a worthy problem in their field, research and analyze that problem, and communicate their findings in clear and competent writing to an academic audience. Completion of this requirement signals John Carroll students’ capability to define and complete a complex project that situates their findings in the disciplinary discourse.

Every thesis, essay, or capstone project approved for the Master’s degree is a mature piece of scholarship that engages with the field. Since it represents John Carroll University to the wider public, it must meet University standards of presentation. All theses, essays, and capstone projects required in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree are electronically archived in Grasselli Library’s Carroll Collected. Electronic submission enables dissemination and access locally, state-wide, nationally, and internationally.

Thesis, essay, and capstone project guidelines set forth by the College of Arts & Sciences outline the format requirements for all masters’ theses, essays, and capstone projects. These guidelines offer a basic guide to format; they are not an exhaustive guide to style or the process of developing and writing a thesis. Individual departments or programs may stipulate additional requirements.