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Academics

MA Thesis and Dissertations

Master’s Thesis Research Plan and Master’s Thesis

Master’s Thesis Research Plan

Submission Timing

September Completion：March in the same year
March Completion：September in the previous year

Who to submit

Your supervisor
*The contents, deadline, and other details regarding submission should be confirmed with supervisor in advance to the designated deadline.

Format

Download from here (Approx 3 pages. A4)

Eligibility to submit MA thesis

  1. Those who obtained/are expected to obtain the designated 22 credits
  2. Those who have submitted MA thesis research plan

Master’s Thesis Examiners

Master’s thesis examiners: one chief examiner and two deputy-examiners.

Criteria for Master’s Theses at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies

  1. Originality and insightfulness of perspective, methodology, content, and conclusion
  2. Appropriateness and importance of thesis topic
  3. Appropriateness of structure of thesis for addressing the thesis topic
  4. Effective use of existing research and contribution to the field
  5. Appropriate substantiation of data and materials
  6. Strength and persuasiveness of argumentation in the development of the thesis
  7. Accurateness, appropriateness and completeness in the use of terminology and concepts
  8. Clarity and accurateness of language
  9. Accurateness, appropriateness, and completeness of quotations, citations, use of materials and structure of the bibliography
  10. Excellence of thesis as a contribution to the fields of Area Studies, International Relations, and/or International Cooperation / Policy Studies

Notices

  1. Consult with your supervisor for details on research plan and thesis submission.
  2. The annoucement of Master’s thesis examiners’ list and the schedule of oral examination will be notified on the notification board/MyWaseda.
  3. Thesis and summary will become available in the GSAPS library.
  4. School Policy on “Plagiarism” in Term Paper and Thesis

Submission of Master’s Thesis

※Students who are expected to complete in September 2020 need to follow irregular procedures for thesis submission.
Please refer to this. 

Submission Schedule　※Updated on April 21,2020

See here for the schedule for September 2020 and March 2021 completion.

Submission Deadline  ※Updated on April 21,2020

10:00, 15 July, 2020 – 17:00, 17 July 2020  (for those who will complete in September, 2020)
12:00, 6 Jan, 2021 – 17:00, 8 Jan, 2021 (for those who will complete in March, 2021)

  • Should be strictly abode by.  No submission out of the period will be accepted under any circumstances.
  • It is strongly recommended to submit during the first two days. There have been cases where an emergency (ex. accidents, health issues) happened on the last day and students failed to make the deadline. Any circumstances will not be taken into consideration.

Procedures for MA thesis submission

STEP Timing What to do Notes
1 November Check what/how to submit ※1 Follow your own Zemi’s schedule
※2 You cannot resubmit the files even during the submission period due to the system setting. Pay an extra attention when you submit the files.
※3 It is recommended to submit during the first two days if possible to avoid the last day’s hustle and bustle. Be sure to have enough time.
※4 The schedule will be announced later.
2 December ※1 Check the content and formality requirements with your supervisor
3 Mid January  ※2 Submission of data files
4 Mid January  ※3 Submission of printed copies
5 Late January ※4 Oral examination

STEP Timing What to do Notes
1 May Check what/how to submit ※1 Follow your own Zemi’s schedule
※2 You cannot resubmit the files even during the submission period due to the system setting. Pay an extra attention when you submit the files.
※3 It is recommended to submit during the first two days if possible to avoid the last day’s hustle and bustle. Be sure to have enough time.
※4 The schedule will be announced later.
2 June ※1 Check the content and formality requirements with your supervisor
3 Late June  ※2 Submission of data files
4 Late June  ※3 Submission of printed copies
5 Late July ※4 Oral examination

Format

Master’s Thesis Writing Guidelines

Page Layout・Language

  • In Japanese or English
  • Single-sided printed
  • A top margin 35mm and a margin of 30mm on all remaining sides

Download a thesis cover from here and change parts in red.

Font(updated on 9 April, 2019)

Times New Roman
12 point

Word Count

About 8,500 words excluding the title, table of contents, a list of reference and space
*Put the count in the designated section on the front cover.

How to prepare

Refer to the list of items below, bind the documents in a folder, and stick cover sheets on the front and the spine respectively.
*2 hole binder recommended (purchasable at the CO-OP)
The sample is available here (pictures) and outside the Office/in the GSAPS Library (Floor 8).

*Make sure to seek instruction from your supervisor regarding how to write a thesis and other academic matters.

Summary (updated on 9 April, 2019)

Contents: research aim, main results, components of thesis, main reference list
A4(horizontal)・2 pages・one-sided printing ・1,300 words (about)
Download the format from here.

Items to be submitted

Items Copy/Format Where to submit
Thesis and Summary
*Bind the documents in the order below.
（Blank paper ＋ Summary ＋Blank paper ＋Cover of thesis ＋Thesis ＋Blank paper）		 3 Copies/ Printed

*One copy for each examiner

 Office
Attestation of Authorship and Check List 1 Copy / Printed Office
PDF file of thesis (Cover of thesis and thesis itself) and summary
【Title of File】
Thesis:Student ID number<ex：40XXR001>
Summary:Student ID number ＋－S<ex：40XXR001-S>
※Only the first 8 digits. “-S” is common for all students (standing for summary). No other information (name or date) should be included.
※You cannot resubmit the file, and the Office does not edit the files. Submit them after confirming everything is perfect.
※Make one digital file respectively for thesis and summary.
Please check the manual(PDF) for checking how to submit the data from Course [email protected]		 PDF File/ Data To the designated folder on Course [email protected]

Check before submission!

  • The summary has 2 pages.
  • Make one file each for thesis and summary separately.
    PDF file of thesis: combine “Cover of thesis (designated form)” and “thesis itself” only (No summary, No blank paper)
    *Check the former examples　as reference on the dedicated computer in the GSAPS library
    *The files submitted, even the ones without the cover or with typos, will be published as they are.
  • The title of the files: Thesis→Student ID number<ex：40XXR001>・Summary →Student ID number-S<ex：40XXR001-S>
  • The name of the data files follow the rules designated on the website.
  • The titles written on the thesis and summary are exactly same. (Upper/lowercase letters/－,; etc)
  • The files have been saved for your own record（As a rule, the Office does not return the data）.
  • The title on the cover of thesis is changed from red(sample) to black.
  • The names of supervisor/deputy-supervisor are correct.
  • The deputy-supervisor 1 and 2 are in the designated order (check the notification/bulletin board) .
  • The covers of thesis folder (front and spine) are stack to properly.
  • There are NO typos in the title.
  • The documents are bound in the correct order. <Blank paper ＋ Summary ＋Blank paper ＋Cover of thesis ＋Thesis ＋Blank paper>

List of Master’s Thesis Titles

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