Fulbright School MPP candidates must complete a master’s thesis as part of the requirements for the MPP degree. The thesis is approximately 40-pages double-spaced (12,000-words) in length and consists of analysis a specific public policy issue, including policy implications and recommendations. Detailed thesis guidelines are available on the FETP website and from the School in hard copy. The thesis accounts for 15 percent of the final grade.
Students may only proceed to thesis writing once they have completed a detailed outline. Once the thesis outline has been accepted, each student will be assigned a supervisor who has expertise relevant to the student’s thesis topic. Students are required to submit a first draft of their thesis by the end of February and a final draft by the end of April. We encourage students to adhere to these deadlines so that we have sufficient to time to organize examinations. In practice the School may allow some flexibility on a case by case basis. However, students who submit their thesis after May 2, 2012 will not be able to graduate with their class in July 2012.
This section presents some basic guidelines for thesis advisors. It is not intended to replace the thesis guidelines already given to students, though it does cover some of the same material. It concentrates instead on the responsibilities of the supervisor and the School’s expectations for successful thesis supervision.