FAQ

How do I find a mentor?

• Look for a faculty member who has research interest/experience in an area related to your potential question.

  • To get ideas: look on the department website; gather ideas at the annual meeting; ask faculty about their research; attend thesis defenses; attend other departmental research activities; attend professional conferences (e.g., ASHA, NYSSLHA)

• Approach potential mentor(s) to discuss your ideas.

  • Moving forward with a thesis is a shared decision between student and mentor.

  • The student and mentor should discuss workload, timeline, and feasibility before committing to the project.

How do I know if a thesis is a good idea for me?

• A thesis may be a good idea for you if you are self-motivated, persistent, open to feedback, and if any of the following describe you are:

  • a flexible thinker interested in identifying unique solutions to problems

  • committed to the pursuit and development of knowledge

  • thinking about getting a doctoral degree

• A thesis requires beginner-level skills across the following areas.  These skills will be further developed throughout the process:

  • ability to manage a long-term project and meet milestones as part of a multi-step process

  • proficient writing skills

  • beginner-level research skills (e.g., database searching, reading and interpreting journal articles, synthesizing information from journal articles)

  • oral presentation skills

What is a reasonable scope for a thesis project?

• You and your committee should all agree that your project can be completed within the available timeline.

• Your project should be rigorous enough that it could conceivably be presented at a professional conference.

• The following are examples of strategies to generate a thesis/research question(s) (Nelson, 2017): 

  • Extend a Published Study (e.g., different population focus)

  • Apply of Different Outcome Measures (e.g., qualitative and/or quantitative assessment/source)

  • Address Social Validity of a Study (e.g., functional relevance or impact on client and.or clinician) 

  • Change Setting of Research (e.g., school to home) 

  • Evaluate an existing program (i.e., program evaluation methods) 

  • Define Different Analysis Procedures (e.g., meta-analysis) 

What happens if I start doing a thesis and wind up changing my mind?

• This happens and it is okay.  A thesis is a big undertaking and it is not for everyone. If you decide not to complete your thesis, talk with your advisor and the Graduate Program director.  Together, we will make an alternate plan of study. 

What about my portfolio?

• You still must complete a postfolio and it is due in your final semester at the same time as everyone else’s portfolios, although you may find it beneficial to complete your portfolio earlier so you can focus on your thesis.

• You should include some sort of artifact pertaining to your thesis.  This could include:

  • posters or presentations from CARS, ASHA, etc.

  • one of your class reflections could be about your thesis class

• Before you finalize your portfolio at the end of the semester, you should upload a PDF of your completed thesis.

• Your portfolio will be reviewed by two of your committee members, not including your mentor; in the case that you have an external committee member, another member of the CSD department will serve as your second reviewer.

  • Your reviewers will provide you with feedback on your portfolio during comps week.

When should I register for the thesis class (CSD 605 thesis)?

• You will take CSD 605 Thesis Independent Study in the last semester of your graduate work. This course counts as an elective in your required program coursework.  In order to register for this class, you need to complete the Independent Study Course Proposal

• This is also the semester when you should register to take the Praxis exam and complete your graduate portfolio (CSD 699).