Thesis Option

Thesis option

The International MA Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation allows exceptional students to continue on and write thesis after completing the MA program. The thesis is separate from the MA program; students will receive the degree regardless if they write a thesis or not. The thesis is as an option for those who plan to continue towards a PhD.

 

In Short

Requirements:

  • Minimum GPA of 93% in the first semester and keeping a final GPA 93% and above;
  • A thesis adviser;
  • Submitting a short proposal (3 pages);
  • Two letters of recommendation. At least one of the letters must be from a lecturer who is not the adviser.

 

Cost and Timing: Tuition is $5,000 and includes the fall and spring semesters. There will be an extra fee of $500 for an additional year for students who require an extension. Tuition includes the Thesis Workshop course, library access, meetings and supervision from your adviser, and health insurance for the year.

 

Key dates and deadlines

  • June 30th (before the thesis year)
    • Email sent to the program director of the intent to apply for the optional thesis. The email must include:
      • A few sentences outlining the planned research;
      • Proposed thesis adviser.
  • September 1st (before the thesis year)
    • Send the program director the following:
      • Confirmation of adviser and the signed Thesis Confirmation Form;
      • Submission of short proposal (see below for details);
      • 2 letters of recommendation;
      • Submission of all course and cumulative assignments for grading.
    • The program director will forward this information to the program Research Committee for consideration;
    • Applicants may need to present or be interviewed by the Research Committee in early September.
  • October: student will be notified by email if accepted to the optional thesis;
  • June 30th (of the thesis year) submission of final draft to the thesis adviser and program

Length: between 20,000-30,000 words (approximately 80-120 pages).

 

 

Steps:

To apply:

  • Decide on a topic for your thesis research;
  • Find a thesis adviser - a thesis adviser must be a tenured/tenured track professor from The School of Social and Policy Studies. Exceptions will be made for tenured/tenured track professors from the Faculty of Social Sciences.  Advisers from other Tel Aviv University faculties will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  For a list of possible thesis advisers see https://resolution.tau.ac.il/thesis-advisors;
  • By June 30th, declare interest in the thesis option by sending an email to the program director;
  • All program assignments must be submitted before August 31st . The final cumulative assignment will be sent to the student early to be able to comply with this requirement.
  • Submit to the program director by September 1st:
    • A 3 page short research proposal that includes a bibliography outlining the unique research you plan;
    • Two letters of recommendation. At least one of the letters must be from a lecturer who is not the adviser.
    • Along with the thesis adviser, fill out and sign the Thesis Confirmation Form sent by the program director;
    • Apply to the thesis year by September 1st on the student portal (“MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation - Thesis Year XXXX”).
  • The program Research Committee will give an answer through the program by early October if accepted to the thesis or not.

 

During the thesis year:

  • Thesis research officially begins at the beginning of the thesis year;
  • Thesis students are required to take the Thesis Workshop course in the fall semester of the thesis year. The Thesis Workshop is designed to help the thesis student clarify their research topic, expand their literature review and clarify their research methodology. At the end of the workshop, the student will submit a final research proposal;
  • The spring semester is used for completing the thesis research and writing;
  • The thesis should be submitted electronically in Word format to your adviser, with a cc to the program director, by June 30th.  After the adviser and the Research Committee have given feedback, the student can make the necessary changes;  
  • Following this, the student will have an oral examination (defense). The oral examination is given by the Research Committee. Once the oral examination is completed, a final grade will be given.

Once the thesis is approved by the adviser, it is routed for completion. Once approved by the university, an electronic copy will be sent to the Tel Aviv University library database which can be accessed worldwide.

 

Notes:

The program’s thesis is only open to students who complete the International MA Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University.

A thesis is written by an individual and cannot be written by more than one student.

Acceptance to the thesis is only given just before the start of the thesis year as all grades must be received to receive final acceptance.

Graduates of the program can apply for the optional thesis up to five years from graduation. 

Advisers may require students to take courses related to their thesis topic. There is no additional cost to the student for these classes.

Students are required to attend the Thesis Workshop course. The meeting schedule will be determined at the beginning of the year. The student can attend in person or through Zoom/Skype if not located in Israel.

Thesis students are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance for the thesis year.

 

Outline for Short Thesis Proposal

A short research proposal is required for the application and should be submitted by August 31st. The research proposal must be submitted to the program and approved by your thesis adviser and program Research Committee.  It should be 3 pages in length, include a bibliography, and should be divided into the following sections:

Cover Page – Including student's name, student ID number, adviser’s name, proposed title in English, and date.

Introduction  – introduce your research question and define how it will be researched. Define the time and location of your study. If you are writing a historical thesis, you should define a span of time.

Scholarly Discourse – recount the main scholarly discussions of the subject. What research approaches have been used to discuss the subject thus far, and who are the main contributors to these discussions? What are the limitations and strengths of the existing discourse on the subject and why?  Identify the gaps in the current discourse, and why have they not been treated thus far. Explain any theoretical or interpretive approaches relevant to your study.

Research Questions and Assumptions – Present 2-4 research questions (formulated with question marks at the end). After each question, you should explain the importance of the question to the thesis, address any assumptions that stem forth from the premise you've asserted, and describe how answering this question will contribute to the overall discourse on the subject.

Hypothesis – Write answers to the research questions posed in the previous section based upon the research you've conducted thus far.

Research schedule outline

References– Briefly summarize major works that will be used in your thesis. Any special issues regarding source material should be discussed here.

Bibliography

The adviser must approve the research proposal by signing the Thesis Confirmation Form

Thesis Guidelines

Theses must be between 20,000-30,000 words (approximately between 80-120 pages), including bibliography.  Theses should be typed, double-spaced. The thesis must be submitted electronically in both Word and PDF formats.  

Thesis format is as follows:

Title Pages - includes the title of the work, name of author, date of submission (day, month and year), and the name of the adviser.  It must include the following statement: “This paper is equivalent to an M.A. Thesis”. The title page must be in English. There also must be a translated Hebrew version of the title page but as the last page of the thesis. A sample title page in English and Hebrew is available from the program. Your thesis adviser can translate your title page.

Abstract - minimum of 250 words, maximum of 750 words, stating the major thesis of the work, its goals and the methodology employed. The abstract is written in English. There is no need for a Hebrew abstract.

Table of contents - includes page references to all parts of the thesis, including bibliography.

Components of the Thesis - several chapters, including an introduction and conclusion. The chapters should preferably be divided into sub-sections as well, although this is left to the discretion of the author in consultation with her/his adviser. Sub-sections need not be listed in the table of contents.

Notes - every work must include the appropriate scholarly references and bibliography. Notes may be placed either at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the work (endnotes). They are to be numbered continuously throughout each chapter.

Citations – use one standard format for citations. You may choose either Chicago Manual of Style, Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA) or Turabian. Be consistent.

Bibliography - should be formulated according to the same style chosen for notes.

Other considerations:

Proofreading - you are responsible for proofreading the final copy of your work.

Foreign terminology - clearly mark (underline or italicize) all foreign terms employed in your thesis.

Transliteration - use one system of transliteration for terms in Arabic, Hebrew, or any other non-Latin language.

 

Sign Up Here for Our Brochure

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
Tel Aviv University makes every effort to respect copyright. If you own copyright to the content contained
here and / or the use of such content is in your opinion infringing, Contact us as soon as possible >>
Back to top