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Northern Illinois University

Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations

M.S.Ed.

An interdisciplinary individualized program of study. A minimum of 33 semester hours selected in consultation with the student's advisor. For more details please consult the Graduate Catalog.

Master's Thesis

Each student is required to complete Master's Thesis A or B. The purpose of the work is to provide students with an opportunity to integrate their learning across courses and content areas in order to demonstrate skill in employing acquired understandings, and/or to contribute to research, and/or practice in the field. Each student completes this work under the direction of a Foundations of Education faculty adviser (thesis chair) and two additional faculty members. The student chooses their committee members and thesis chair.

What is Thesis A?

Thesis A (formal thesis) is a study that is divided into chapters, follows Graduate School guidelines, and is bound and submitted to the University Libraries. Students may opt to complete a formal master's thesis is in order to qualify for a Ph.D. program, or if their research interests invite such formal study. The following are several titles of theses in the Foundations of Education. Many others are available for review and will be read in EPFE 501.

Thesis A sample titles:

  • Character Education in an Independent Ukraine, Two Perspectives: Thomas Likona and Hrkhori Vashchenko (Viktoria Konisigir, 2000)
  • Citizenship, Social Capital and Public School Inequality (Emmanuel Allie, 2004)
  • Critically Transitive Pedagogy ( Nicholas J. Shudak, 2003)
  • Pioneer Girls: A History of the First Thirty Years, 1939-1969 (Marilyn Schneider, 2002)
  • Reflections on a Sense of Place: From Intuition to Teacher Praxis (Eliezer Colon-Rivera, 2003)

What is Thesis B?

Though still intellectually rigorous, Thesis B (cumulative project) is different from the formal master's thesis in that it may take a variety of forms, and is submitted to the LEPF Department library. The project cannot be an assigned paper, project, or activity in courses taken prior to or part of the master's degree program. Such work, however, may be used as a springboard for a cumulative project.

Thesis B sample titles:

  • Class Matters: Fostering Democratic Discipline in a Third Grade Classroom (Dana Ullrich, 2005)
  • Making Room for Democracy: A Deweyan Analysis of Student-Initiated Newpaper Reporting (Sheila Dillon, 2005)
  • Reflections on Teaching Philosophy in Sixth Grade (Gail Gattis, 2007)
  • Teaching the Vietnam War in the 21st Century: Reflections on a Postmodern Writing Odyssey (Jason Kling, 2006)
  • The Power of One: Education and the Low-Income Student: Practical Ways to Enhance Education in Communities with High Rates of Poverty (Matthew Parker, 2005)

What is the process for completing Thesis A-B?

A written proposal discussed and approved by thesis committee members.

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) application submitted after a successful proposal defense (IRB training is required prior to submission of the IRB application; to be completed in the EPFE 501 research course.).

Oral defense of the approved thesis or culminating process fulfills the Comprehensive Examination requirement. Upon the successful completion of the oral defense, the LEPF Department will submit a comprehensive examination form, with a passing grade, to the Graduate School. It is imperative that the student remain aware of NIU Graduate School calendar as there are very specific deadlines for graduation.