Graduate Program in Research Psychology
The Masters Thesis (from Dr. Wuensch)
Successful completion of a thesis is a requirement for graduation in our Academic/Research programs. The student is expected to conceive a research idea, survey the relevant literature, design research appropriate to answer the questions posed, form a thesis committee, obtain necessary approvals, conduct the research, analyze and interpret the research data, write a formal document presenting the research (the thesis), and orally defend the thesis.
You can find a brief description of what is involved in doing a thesis by reading the Online ECU Graduate Catalog.
If you would like to get an idea of what sort of theses have been completed in the past in our Academic/Research programs, just consult the online vitae of our faculty members. From the link just provided, you should be able to connect to the home pages of each of our Academic/Research faculty members. From their home pages, you should be able to link to their vitae, within which should be a listing of the theses they have directed. For a quick example, you can here connect directly to Dr. Wuensch's list of completed theses. You can also stop by the departmental office and browse our library of completed theses.
Your thesis should be directed by a person who has an interest in the topic of your thesis. While you are browsing the online vitae of our faculty, pay attention to their stated research interests and the topics of their published research. For a quick example, link to Dr. Wuensch's research interests and Dr. Wuensch's publications. Dr. Wuensch has a series of documents addressing the topic of theses in the Department of Psychology at East Carolina University. If you are interested in reading these documents, link here: Theses & Dissertations Links.
