Theses in Foreign Languages
As presentations of original research to the academic community, theses are ordinarily prepared for the university in the English language. In certain cases, however, for a foreign language degree, a student's thesis in the history and literary analysis of non-English languages and literatures may be presented in the subject language. When the departmental graduate adviser and the prospective thesis committee deem this academically appropriate for the specific research topic, the appointment of the student's thesis committee and authorization of the thesis research by the Graduate Dean shall be based on the provisions that:
- An abstract of the thesis shall be presented in English,
- All members of the thesis committee shall be fluent in the subject language, and
- Student competency in standard written English shall be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a departmental procedure that has been approved by the Graduate Dean.
To obtain approval by the Graduate Dean:
- The "thesis in a foreign language" box must be checked on the Appointment of Thesis Committee form, and
- Written verification by the departmental graduate adviser that provisions 2 and 3 above have been met must be attached to the Appointment of Thesis Committee form when it is submitted to the Division of Graduate Affairs.
(This is the policy as reflected in the SDSU 2007-2008 Graduate Bulletin.)
Last revised: 6-08-07
