Studies Leading to the Master of Science Degree

In some departments you may earn your master's degree by doing either a thesis or independent study. The exceptions are biology, chemistry, hydrology, and mechanical engineering, which do not have an independent study option. Both thesis and independent study approaches require that you write a paper, but the independent study option does not require you to publish or publicly defend the research, as is required by the thesis option. It’s highly recommended you start working on your thesis or report as soon as you decide on a topic with your committee. This approach will help you stay on target and produce a good quality thesis or report. All Masters degrees require a minimum of 30 credit hours, which are broken down as follows: