Description

You may take the master's thesis option if you wish to research to advance generalizable knowledge (basic or applied) in your chosen field. Typically, thesis research involves an empirical test of a hypothesis or a set of hypotheses in an attempt to validate, or refute, their truth status. Since generalizability is of paramount concern, the test is conducted rigorously—either by a quantitative method (e.g., statistical), a qualitative method (e.g., case study), or a combination of both. An example of a testable hypothesis is, “the more transparent the regime is, the less corrupted it becomes.” Another example is, “the more competitive the personnel recruiting practice, the better the organisation’s quality of human resources.” If you are interested in the thesis option, you must enroll in an “Advanced Research Seminar(ARS)” course (3 credits).

Formation of the Program of Study(POS) Committee

To complete your degree program successfully in time, you need to form a Program of Study(POS) committee as early as possible from among KDI School faculty members. The POS committee consists of two faculty members, one designated as major supervisor and the other designated as 2nd supervisor. If you wish, you may invite the academic advisor assigned to you at the time of your admission to serve as your major supervisor. If your concentration and research interests require that you work with a different faculty member, feel free to invite another faculty member to be your major supervisor. Regarding the 2nd supervisor, you may ask any KDI School professor of your preference to join your POS committee, provided that he or she is available. Note that the demand and workload on professors are heavy so you will want to initiate contacts as early as possible.

When forming your POS Committee, you must submit a short and practical research plan (a prospectus) to the POS committee.

This prospectus’s main purpose is to help you construct a practical road map that will guide your research and organize your time. The more precise the road map, the faster the speed of your research.

Once you have formed your POS committee, you will be working closely with the committee members most likely, with your major professor—on all matters relating to your course selection and research on your graduation project. The importance of your major professor and committee members cannot be overemphasized. Not only are they going to be your mentors, but they are also likely to be faculty members who provide your career reference.

Structure of the Thesis Report

There is no set requirement for the length of a thesis and its format. Given a relatively short period available for research, we expect that a thesis will be 30 or more double-spaced pages in length. In terms of the format, you may adopt the following, universal structure. Depending on your argumentation’s nature and the preference of your POS committee you may tailor the structure to your need.

• 1Title page
• 2Acknowledgement
• 3Table of contents
• 4Abstract
• 5Introduction
• 6Research method
• 7Results
• 8Discussion
• 9Conclusion
• 10Reference (The APA Manual)
• 11Appendix (optional)

Advanced Research Seminar (ARS)

The School also offers several sections of a 3-credit course “Advanced Research Seminar(ARS)” to help you complete the full first (rough) draft of your thesis, which is required upon the completion of your coursework or before your departure from the KDI School. You must enroll in an “Advanced Research Seminar(ARS)” course (3 credits) after submission of POS Committee Composition. The Advanced Research Seminar is not an instructional course but a research consultation course designed to provide you with a step-by-step completion of your thesis/capstone draft. This course is mandatory for those who are planning to write a thesis or capstone project.

Final Report

Upon successfully completing the ARS course, you will need to submit the final paper to your POS committee and Academic Affairs Division by the 4th week of each semester. Your two-member POS committee will review the final paper and another independent reviewer appointed at its discretion. Upon the committee's approval, you will be awarded the 3 credits toward your graduation requirements.