Applied Project Procedures

Once you have no more than 6 credit hours of coursework remaining in the MMC program, you are eligible to enroll in MCO 593, Applied Project. You must be regularly admitted at the time of registration. The applied research project is to be an original study utilizing an academically acceptable methodology or it can be a creative project. Methods can include survey research, content analysis, historical research, legal research, etc. You must attend the Applied Project Seminar before being permitted to register for MCO 593. The process to complete the research or creative project and the required oral examination is as follows:

Pick up the Applied Project Committee Selection form from the graduate adviser. Meet with the senior associate dean to select a chair and committee members. The student must then contact each of the proposed committee members to discuss the project and to obtain their signatures. (Faculty while on sabbatical or during the summer are not expected to meet with students.) Once all the signatures are obtained return the Committee Selection Form to the graduate adviser for the senior associate dean’s approval and signature. The committee is not official until the senior associate dean has approved it and signed the Applied Project Committee Selection form. The student will work with the committee chair to develop the proposal.
Once the chair has approved the proposal and has given the student permission to distribute it to the other members of the committee, the student may meet with the graduate adviser to schedule the proposal defense. The proposal defense must be scheduled at least 10 business days in advance so all members of the committee have time to review the proposal. The student will present a proposal that details the topic of the study, the background of the study, research questions to be answered, methodology, the sample or sources to be consulted, and a time-line for completion. Once the proposal has been successfully defended and the committee members have signed the Proposal Defense Form, the senior associate dean will authorize the student to register for MCO 593.
On a continuing basis, the student will work with the chair of the Applied Project to complete the project. It is recommended that a student meet with his/her project chair in person or via email or phone on a weekly basis to make certain that the project is progressing appropriately and in a timely manner. If a student is not in contact with his/her project chair at least once a month s/he may be considered failing to make satisfactory progress. This may result in a recommendation to the Graduate College to withdraw the student from the program.
Once the chair has approved the project and has given the student permission to do so, the student may schedule the defense (oral examination). The defense date must be convenient to all members of the student’s Applied Project committee. The student may obtain the Application for Authorization to Schedule a Defense form from the graduate adviser. The student must provide each member of the committee with a copy of the final draft of the project at least 10 business days prior to the defense.
The Report of Final Master’s Culminating Experience form will be brought to the defense by the graduate adviser and if the student passes the defense the committee will sign the form. The form will be forwarded to the Graduate College once the graduate adviser receives the final, clean copy of the applied project for binding.
It is expected that students will have revisions after oral examinations. Changes will be completed under the direction of the student’s project chair.
The student will provide one clean copy to be bound and kept in the Walter Cronkite School. For personal copies see the current binding requirements available at the Graduate College web site.

Rev. 11/2004; 03/2006; 8/2006; 11/2006; 5/21/2007; 9/2007