Thesis Guidelines

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for an MLIS degree from the Information School, you may elect to write a thesis to fulfill your Culminating Experience requirement. The thesis should provide evidence of your ability to carry out independent investigation and to present results in a clear and systematic format. The thesis option involves a highly-structured and well-defined research project that you pursue under the guidance of your faculty advisor and a thesis committee.  MLIS students who choose the thesis option must actively be setting it up (refer to MLIS Thesis Student Checklist) during their first year in the program, ideally winter and spring quarters. 

LIS 700 Credit

Register for LIS 700 for 9 (minimum) to 15 (maximum) credits. These credits are typically spread over three or four quarters and completed during the final year in the program.  Note: LIS 700 credits are not eligible for the UW Tuition Exemption program.

Thesis Selection

To pursue the thesis option, you must consult with a member of the Information School faculty who shares this field of interest to discuss the possibility of a thesis, with the intent of asking the faculty member to become their Thesis Committee Chair. Talk with your faculty member of choice early on, during your first year in the program.  Once a faculty member has agreed to take on the role of Thesis Chair, you and the faculty member together will forward suggestions for members of the Thesis Committee to the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Thesis Committee

A Thesis Committee consists of two to four faculty members. The Thesis Committee will be appointed by the Graduate Program Coordinator for the thesis work. The Thesis Chair and at least one other Thesis Committee member must be members of the UW Graduate Faculty of the Information School. In addition, we recommend that all members of the Thesis Committee be UW Graduate Faculty, although a maximum of two faculty members may be chosen who are not. The Thesis Committee is responsible for evaluating your 700-level work and for examining and approving the completed thesis.  The names of the Thesis Committee members should be forwarded to the Office of Student and Academic Services (OSAS) to be put in the student's permanent academic file.

Timeframe for Thesis Completion

During the duration of the thesis, you are responsible to the Thesis Chair for all matters relating to thesis work. You are responsible for maintaining sufficient contact with the Thesis Chair to ensure satisfactory progress with the thesis.

Thesis format must follow the requirements outlined in the UW Graduate School's Policy and Style Manual for Theses and Dissertations. Thesis advisers are available from the UW Graduate School for consultation on style and formatting during the thesis preparation process.

MLIS students pursuing the thesis option must register and complete a minimum of 9 credits of LIS 700. You will be allowed to register for a maximum of 15 credits of LIS 700. In cases where the thesis is not satisfactorily completed by the time you have completed 15 credits of LIS 700, an extension may be negotiated jointly by you and the Thesis Chair in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Required Forms



Thesis Review Process

When the thesis is completed, the Thesis Chair schedules an examination, which may be oral or written, and all members of the thesis committee must certify its results.

During the quarter in which you plan to graduate, you must submit copies of the following pages of your final, approved thesis to the Office of Student and Academic Services (OSAS) no later than the day prior to the last day of the quarter in which you plan to graduate.

  • Thesis Title Page
  • Thesis Signature Page (signed by committee)
  • Thesis Abstract Page

Receipt of these pages serves as verification to OSAS that the thesis has been formally approved and completed. Note: OSAS does not need a full copy of the thesis.

However, two copies of the final approved thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School by the last day of the quarter in which the student intends to graduate, in accordance with Graduate School guidelines and requirements.