Expectations for BNR Master's Students
Most students spend their first semester getting trained in the lab and helping with other projects while they develop ideas for their own thesis. They generally take Proposal Writing in their first year and prepare the IRB documents. You are strongly encouraged to have extensive discussions with your advisor during this initial design stage.
Your completed thesis will need to be approved by your advisor and another faculty member Reader within the Department prior to graduation. Please discuss with your advisor the selection of an appropriate Reader for your thesis. Your Reader must be designated at the time of your Application for Graduation which will be at the start of your last semester. Please discuss the timing of your desired graduation date with your advisor so that he/she can assist you with your thesis and will be able to advise you on whether it is a reasonable deadline for completion.
You must have your thesis approved by your advisor before sending it to your Reader. Final approval from your advisor typically involves several revisions after all data and figures have been discussed/revised. Please send your thesis to your advisor a month before sending it to your Reader. It is best to give the Reader two to three weeks to review your thesis. Also, you should request that they give you their comments a couple of weeks before your graduation deadline so that you have time to make any revisions.
It is preferable that the manuscript be submitted for publication prior to graduation. Please note that the graduate school will require a different format than the scientific journal.