Psychology Master’s Thesis Project

Psychology Thesis Guidelines:

General Information

  • Please refer to the CSULB Thesis and Dissertation Office website for information on deadlines, the submission process, and formatting. 
  • Contact your Thesis Chair and/or the Graduate Advisor to answer any questions that are not addressed below.  

Beginning the Process

  • Consider a topic area and schedule a meeting to ask a tenured/tenure track Psychology Professor to serve as your committee Chair. Note: MAPR Students are assigned mentors upon admission to the program.  Nevertheless, this formal meeting must take place. 
  • Report Chair’s agreement to the Graduate Advisor.
  • Enroll in PSY 698 for either 3 units for two semesters or 6 units for one semester. (Consult with the Graduate Advisor to determine the number of units and timing that would be best.)  You must have a committee Chair to enroll in thesis units. 
  • Consult with your thesis Chair to determine faculty members that would be suitable for your additional two committee members. Schedule a meeting with each to request membership on your committee. 
  • Conduct literature review and write thesis proposal.

Preliminary Orals

  • After your thesis Chair has approved your proposal, consult with all committee members to schedule a date and time for your preliminary orals meeting.
  • Provide a copy of your proposal to the committee one week prior to the meeting.
  • At the meeting, you will present your proposal to the committee. The members may make suggestions for you to incorporate into the proposal. 
  • After the committee approves your proposal, you work with your thesis Chair to ensure IRB approval of the project.

Final Orals 

  • After your thesis Chair has approved your thesis, consult with all committee members to schedule a date and time for your preliminary orals meeting.
  • Provide a copy of your thesis to the committee one week prior to the meeting.
  • At the meeting, you will present your thesis to the committee, with a particular focus on the results and discussion. The members may make suggestions for you to incorporate into the thesis.