MALS students are required to complete a thesis under the supervision of three faculty advisors. The thesis may take the form of academic or applied research, or it may be a creative work.
Once you've completed six courses, you'll begin working on your thesis proposal. To get started, review the thesis proposal guidelines.
Once your thesis proposal has been approved, you may apply for a one-time MALS Thesis Research Grant up to $500.00 to help with with expenses incurred during off-campus thesis research.
As of Summer Term 2026, Thesis Research (MALS 137) is a required and paid course. MALS Scholarship will automatically be applied, students must register for four terms worth of Thesis Research Course Credits. Learn more about your thesis research course.
There are several steps to submitting your thesis, starting months before graduation. Make sure you read the directions for submitting your thesis well in advance.
To learn about other MALS students' thesis topics, read selected thesis abstracts.
As of Summer Term 2026, students will be required to give a formal defense of their thesis to the MALS Community and their thesis committee. This will be a registered course (MALS 411) and will be graded and added to both the transcript and bill. The grading criteria can be found here: thesis_rubric.docx
The Byam Shaw-Brownstone Thesis Excellence Award is awarded annually in recognition of the outstanding thesis in each MALS concentration (General Liberal Studies, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, and Globalization Studies).