Thesis Research

Starting in the Summer Term of 2026, all MALS students will be required to enroll in and pay tuition for MALS 137: Thesis Research. Eligible students can apply their MALS Scholarship toward their Thesis Research tuition.

Students enrolled in Thesis Research must reside within commuting distance to Dartmouth campus and have a completed Thesis Residency Agreement on file, which must include their Advisor's (first reader) signature to verify their availability.

Students in Thesis Research are expected to meet regularly with their Advisor and make significant progress towards completing their thesis each term. Advisor are responsible for assigning a grade of credit/no credit for students enrolled in Thesis Research each term.

To be enrolled in MALS 137, students must:

• Have an approved Thesis Proposal.
• Be present on campus (within commuting distance) each term they are enrolled in Thesis Research.
• Meet regularly with their Advisor to update them on progress; ideally, this should happen every week or at least every two weeks.
• Show satisfactory progress in research or writing each term.

The duration of thesis research is determined by the student in consultation with their advisor. This timeframe will depend on the scope of the work and the time needed to complete the project to the standards expected of a master's thesis. Students can enroll in Thesis Research (MALS 137) for a maximum of four terms, whether they attend part-time or full-time.

If a student does not make adequate progress, as judged by their Advisor, or does not follow the meeting schedule, they will receive a grade of 'No Credit' (NC) at the end of the term.

Beginning in the Summer Term of 2026, students enrolled in MALS 137 will be required to pay the full tuition for the course. Scholarships for eligible students will be applied just as they are for any other course.