Graduate Degree Exit Requirements

M.S. in Nutrition
M.S. in Computer Science and Health Science
M.S. in Education, Health Teacher
Comprehensive examination or master's thesis

M.A. in Community Health, Concentration in Thanatology
Master's paper or master's thesis

M.A. in Community Health, Concentration in Community Health Education
Comprehensive examination, master's paper, or master's thesis

M.P.H. in Community Health (all three concentrations)
Master's paper or master's thesis

The Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is offered as a degree exit option for the:

• M.A. in Community Health, Concentration in Community health Education
• M.S. in Nutrition
• M.S. in Computer Science and Health Science
• M.S. in Education, Health Teacher degree programs

The decision to take a comprehensive examination is final. The comprehensive examination is given each semester. Students are advised to take the exam before they complete their elective courses, as they must either be enrolled in a course or pay a Maintenance of Matriculation Fee during the semester in which they take the comprehensive exam.

Students who begin the M.S. in nutrition program as of spring 1997 must have completed each of the five required courses with a grade of B or higher prior to application for the comprehensive examination. Note that as of spring 2004, H&NTR 716X replaces H&NTR 716.1X as a required course; students may elect to follow the requirements in effect at the time they begin the program or the later requirements but not a combination of requirements.

To take the comprehensive examination, students must have a GPA of at least 3.00 and complete an application in the Office of the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for the M.A. in community health and the M.S. in nutrition degrees, or in the School of Education for the M.S. in education, health teacher degree at the beginning of the semester. Students in the M.S. degree program in computer science and health science must speak with the graduate deputies of each department to arrange their comprehensive exam. All M.A. and M.S. students must indicate their intent to the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences by notifying their graduate deputy chairperson. The graduate deputy or designee will provide instructions and any additional materials required prior to the examination for the student.

The passing grade for the comprehensive examinations given by the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences is 70 percent. Students who do not pass the first time may reapply to take the examination one additional time. On retake the student in the M.S. in nutrition program must complete and pass the questions for each of the courses for which the previous exam grade was below 70 percent. Students in all other programs must retake the entire examination.

Master's Paper

The master's paper usually involves identifying, with the help of the professor in H&NTR 791.3X and H&NTR 797X, a body of literature about an important topic or research question for community/public health, securing articles regarding that topic, critically evaluating and synthesizing those articles, and then writing a coherent, logically developed paper regarding the student's review of that body of literature. The master's paper is recommended for students who are more likely to become consumers, rather than producers, of research. The focus of the master's paper is to provide students with the analytic skills to review critically a body of literature, i.e., to enable them to weigh the relative strengths and weaknesses of published work in order to gain knowledge about an important health issue.

The master's paper option requires the student to complete a two-course sequence with the same instructor. The sequence consists of H&NTR 791.3X, Research Seminar III in Health and Nutrition Sciences, and an associated course in the sequence of courses H&NTR 797.1X through H&NTR 797.9X. The master's paper will be completed while enrolled in one of the master's paper courses (H&NTR 797.1X to H&NTR 797.9X). In order to begin the master's paper course sequence, the student is required to have completed H&NTR 791.1X, Research Seminar I in Health and Nutrition Sciences, and five other courses (15 credits) in the program with a minimum average grade of B. The student should ensure that these requirements are met. The student should also be prepared to present a transcript or other evidence, such as instructor-signed grade postcards, of courses completed in the program, to get permission to register for H&NTR 791.3X, the first course in the master's paper course sequence.

In preparation for writing the master's paper and as a safeguard against misunderstanding, the student should develop a proposal for writing the master's paper. In the early portion of the course, the instructor and the student should both keep copies of the final version of this proposal. In addition, the proposal should be included with the final version of the paper when it is submitted for grading. The student should hand in three copies of the final paper.

The final grade for the master's paper course will be based solely on the grade awarded for the paper. Copies of completed master's papers are available for perusal in the department office.

Master's Thesis

The master's thesis exit option provides students with firsthand experience in conducting a research study and helps them develop research skills. The master's thesis option is highly recommended for students who expect to continue their education on the doctoral level where research skills are necessary and have clear application.

The thesis usually involves conducting an original empirical research study. Specifically, a student must choose two faculty members to work with—one to function as a primary adviser and the other a secondary adviser. Together they specify a research question of relevance to community/public health or nutrition. After completing a thorough literature review, the student, in conjunction with his or her advisers, develops a research design to collect and analyze data to investigate the research question. The student must submit the title for the proposed thesis (using a specified form), signed by the primary thesis adviser, to the Office of Graduate Studies. The study and its results are then written as a thesis. The thesis typically contains five chapters: an introductory chapter outlining the research question, a literature review chapter, a chapter describing the research design, a chapter presenting the findings, and a final chapter discussing those findings, stating conclusions, and making recommendations for future research. It is not uncommon for a student to take a year or two to complete the research study and write the thesis. The thesis must be approved by the advisers before it can be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies. The student should register for H&NTR 780X, Thesis Research, during the semester in which the thesis is expected to be completed and submitted.

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