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The culminating experience of your education at MCC should represent your strongest scholarly, critical, and/or creative effort to date. It offers you a final opportunity to hone specific MCC knowledge and master the analytical tools and subject matter expertise most relevant to your interests and goals.
While each option is different, each one is a means for you to integrate key aspects of your graduate learning and showcase your research and achievements. Master’s students must complete a required culminating experience in order to graduate.
MCC students can apply for the following options:
Thesis (independently or with a seminar)
The required Culminating Project Information Session in early Spring will guide students through the various academic, financial, and equivalency implications for each project. Students then have the spring semester to decide which project makes the most sense for them, and are welcome to discuss their options with their primary advisor. The application form will open April 1st and students must submit their application by 5pm on May 1, 2025 and then be registered for the culminating project in May/June.
Have a plan B! It is important to understand that submitting an application does not guarantee access to a particular project. Students should be prepared to have alternatives in case their first choice does not work out.
Considerations for Choosing a Culminating Project
Considerations for Choosing a Culminating Project
The Writing or Media Project and Research Application, and Thesis experiences should demonstrate your ability to engage in significant, independent, and sustained research at an advanced level.
Conducting Original Research: You are responsible for conceptualizing, researching, producing, and presenting a project of your choice (with advisor approval for thesis, with professor approval for writing/project). With the support of your thesis advisor or writing/project professor, and the help of solid time management, clearly set goals, clearly defined outlines and timelines, you can leverage your culminating experience as an empowering and enjoyable experience. These experiences are also a means for you to produce concrete evidence of your qualifications to showcase to current and potential employers upon graduating, or as part of your application for further graduate work.
Figuring out topics: Take courses, attend events and lectures, etc. Choose your courses carefully, as every course is an opportunity to identify topics, questions, and challenges that could serve as the foundation of your culminating experiences. Proactively make connections between concepts introduced in class and your academic/professional interests.
Align your topic with your interests and goals: Culminating projects are intensive in nature and can be challenging and formative, while also being demanding. Select a topic and a type of culminating experience (thesis, writing, project) that can sustain your interest. Consider that the experience can be a bridge to the next step in your career, although it is important to recognize that all culminating experiences are relevant for all career or academic goals. Nonetheless, thinking strategically beforehand is important in maximizing the benefit of your hard work.
Manage your time: You need to be vigilant about time discipline and time management and setting incremental and manageable goals. Culminating projects require depth and breadth of research and work. You need to be proactive from the beginning and have the time, stamina, and bandwidth to see your project through. If you prefer to have greater flexibility with your coursework, the exam or the theoretical synthesis course may be a better option.
None of these culminating experiences are “easier” or “harder,” as they are all different and lead to different outcomes. They are all similar and comparable with respect to the demands on your time and effort, and the work required of you to complete them.
Full Time Equivalency and Graduation Timeline: The culminating experiences have different requirements regarding what terms you can file for full-time equivalency, which may impact your graduation timeline. Full-time equivalency terms range from:
Fall only: Writing and Research Applications, Media Project and Research applications
Fall and Spring: Thesis (Independent & Seminar)
None: MA Exam (Independent)
We know this is a lot of information and there's a lot to consider! We strongly recommend that you meet with an advisor to discuss your options and preferences well ahead of the application date.
Application Instructions
Application Instructions
The application for all culminating projects will be open on April 1st, and is due no later than May 1, 5pm (You will receive an email with the application link). Students will then apply for one of the following culminating projects:
MA Exam
Thesis
Writing and Research Application
Media Project and Research Application
Students will need to submit the following to apply for their first choice project:
MA Exam
Indicate interest and semester you will take the exam in the application form
Thesis (Independent or Seminar):
Thesis Application Form, signed by your faculty advisor
Your thesis proposal (3-5 pages)
Writing & Research Application (seminar):
Submit a brief statement in which you explain:
1 - 2 paragraph about yourself: your general interests and intellectual trajectory; any previous experience in writing or publishing; your goals post-graduation and whether/how they include any professional writing;
1 - 2 paragraphs about your proposed writing project:
your goal (academic paper, popular press article, business plan, etc.)
the central topic of your paper; the central argument or claim of your paper or project; your method of analysis (i.e. discourse analysis, semiotics, cultural flows, ethnography, etc.) and what theoretical concepts or concerns drive your approach to this topic;
the significance of this research;
1 page maximum annotated bibliography in which you identify the sources you will draw from to inform your research/paper
4. Media Project & Research Application (Seminar):
Submit a brief statement in which you explain:
1 - 2 paragraph about yourself: your general interests and intellectual trajectory; any previous relevant experience (such as in coding, film-making, photography, etc.); your goals post-graduation;
1 - 2 paragraphs about your proposed project:
type of project (multimedia, data visualizations, audio installation, podcast, film, etc.) and your goal for this project (publication, web-launch, exhibit, to include in your portfolio, grad school application, etc.)
the central topic and theme of your project; the central argument or claim of your project; your method of analysis; what theoretical concepts or concerns drive your approach to this topic;
the significance of this research;
A list or description of your relevant technical knowledge and any training, experience, or certification that you may have in this area; or include any planned training, workshops that you intend to take while working on and completing this project (this does not have to be an academic course or within NYU, e.g. photoshop workshop, online training, etc.)
2025 MA Culminating Experiences Advising Session.pdfPage updated
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