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Thesis

In this section: Thesis criteria and deadlines. Ā For writing tips, visitĀ Student Resources.

Thesis Criteria

The M.A. thesis demonstrates familiarity with previous work in the field and the ability to carry out research and organize results. It must be written in good literate style.

  • An exhaustive review of work in the particular field is not required, nor is original scholarship necessarily expected.

Length: Typically between 80-100 pages (excluding musical examples and other illustrations). It cannot exceed 150 pages in total, including all preliminary pages.

Thesis Evaluation Criteria

  1. Grasp of subject, powers of criticism and awareness of previous work.
  2. Resourcefulness, alertness to significance of findings.
  3. Diligence, care, technical skill in research.
  4. Organization of findings.
  5. Quality of presentation (coherence, lucidity, grammar, style, freedom from typographical errors).

Thesis ProposalĀ 

  • Summary, defining and situating topic, explaining goals/objectives, explaining methodology (2 single-spaced pages of text)
  • Bibliography (one or two pages)
  • CompletedĀ  thesis proposal form (PDF icon M.A./M.Mus. Thesis Proposal Form)

Thesis Proposal Submission Deadline

After the proposal has been approved by the candidate's supervisor (or co-supervisors, if applicable), it should be submitted to the Music History Area Chair by:

  • November 1 for approval during the Fall Term
  • March 1 for approval during the Winter Term

Evaluation of the Proposal

Faculty members in the Music History Area (and any co-supervisor outside the Music History Area, if relevant) will vote on one of the following three outcomes, to be determined by a simple majority:

  • Pass (with no revisions):Ā indicates that the Area Chair may sign the Thesis Proposal Form, and the proposal and the proposal form will be forwarded to the Music Graduate Studies Office.
  • Provisional Pass (with minor revisions):Ā indicates that the candidate must revise the proposal based on feedback provided at the proposal presentation.
    • The revised proposal will be approved by both the Area Chair and the candidateā€™s supervisor(s).
      Once they are satisfied with the revisions, the Area Chair will sign the Thesis Proposal Form, and the revised proposal and the proposal form will be forwarded to the Music Graduate Studies Office.Ģż
  • Fail:Ā indicates that major revisions are needed.

Thesis Submission Timeline

Graduation date Initial submission Thesis evaluation semester Final submission deadline
May/June December 15 Winter April 15
Fall (October, November) April 15 Summer August 15
Winter (no convocation) August 15 Fall Ā December 15

Initial Submission Steps

Your supervisor may find some useful tips for selecting examiners on the Graduate Supervision website.

  • At least two months before initial submission:

Students must submit their ā€œIntent to Submit Thesisā€ through myThesis.

You will be asked to provide your thesis title, abstract, length of thesis and date of submission.
You will also be asked to nominate examiners (please discuss the examiners with your supervisor(s) prior to submitting the names). Once this is submitted, the request will be sent to your supervisor(s) and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music for approval. Then an invitation to the examiner will be sent through myThesis for the examiner to accept or decline. This whole approval process must be completed prior to your submission date.

Masterā€™s students can access myThesis through the GPS website.Ģż Detailed guidelines and an instructional video are available on this page.

Verify MyProgress to ensure that all components of the program are complete or components of the program are marked as ā€œCompleteā€ or ā€œIn Progressā€.

  • Day of submission:

Submit your thesis through the submission page on myThesis on the date submitted in your ā€œIntent to Submit Thesisā€ form. Your supervisor(s) and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music will be advised of your submission and they will be asked to approve it.

Final Submission Steps

  1. Review the examiner's comments with your supervisor and make revisions if required. Consult the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) and the GPS website if the thesis has not been passed.
  2. Complete all required revisions and proof-reading.
  3. Submit online as per instructions by the date in the above table.
  4. Notify your supervisor that this has been completed. Ā Your supervisor will review and issue the final confirmation.
  5. Check out the convocation website for further details, and prepare to celebrate!

Colleagues' Tips for Surviving the Thesis Journey

  1. Begin talking about your thesis or paper topics as early as the first semester and develop a schedule for developing the idea and completing the research with your supervisor. For helpful hints on how to develop the schedule as you define your topic, visit the Graduate Supervision website.
  2. Begin using a bibliography such as endnotes or Zotero at the beginning of your research process.
  3. Take time for fun, nourishment and living lifeā€”each day, each week, each month!
  4. Assemble all software packages that your work will require at the outset (statistical or other analytical tools, notational, word processing, bibliography, illustration tools, etc.). Write a short ā€œtestā€ document and apply the Ćå±±Ēæ¼é software package formatting to understand style implications and any potential challenges for your work (margins, fonts, headings, etc.). Visit the Graduate Studies websiteĀ for troubleshooting tips.
  5. Review the Schulich School of Music Style Guide pertaining to style manuals and music. Keep a file tracking the style choices you make from the very beginning.
  6. Attend a concert, a movie, or some other live cultural event at least once a week.
  7. Collect written permission to use materials as soon as possible and track the progress of this process by assembling musical examples, illustrations, photographs, etc. in a separate folder.
  8. Use the talents of others to format musical examples as a major time-saver and to facilitate proof-reading.
  9. Attend the thesis defenses and lecture-recitals of your colleagues ā€“ enjoy in particular the wine!
  10. Share the results of your work in a variety of formal and informal settings. The more people you share with, academic and non-academic, musical, non-musical, the clearer the expression becomes! Ā You can find tips on the Graduate Supervision website.
  11. Draw on the resources of the whole Schulich School of Music Team, Library, and beyond.
  12. For other helpful hints, go to the Graduate Supervision website. Know that usually you are not the most effective proof-reader, that it takes much longer than you ever imagined and that, at least once, the computer, the electricity, the plumbing or some other critical disaster will occur at the most inopportune moment.

Other Resources

Tools for writing and research (including the Schulich School of Music style sheet)

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