Students who earn an M.A. or M.S. degree at the university are required to submit a master's thesis or a critical or expository essay in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. Students seeking a master of philosophy degree are viewed as meeting the writing requirement for that degree if they already have submitted a formal thesis for the lower-level master's degree. Students who have not submitted a formal master's thesis can meet the master of philosophy writing requirement with a critical or expository essay that was accepted by their program faculty for the lower master's degree or with a similar essay written during their graduate work at the university. The thesis or essay must have been written under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty and approved by two other members of the graduate faculty.
