Documenting the Culminating Experience for the MFA Degree

MFA Graphic and Interactive Design

Thesis Book Specifications

The student shall submit the following to the Department of Art Office by week 15 (the last week of classes, not finals week) of the semester in which they plan to graduate. If these items are not completed and submitted on time, the student will not graduate. Check the semester class schedule for the dates corresponding to Week 15.

1. A minimum of 15-20 images of the exhibition in electronic form (high-quality) and submitted to the Department of Art Office.

2. A Thesis Book.

The following are the requirements of the Thesis Book. Any deviation from these specifications will result in the rejection of the said book, and the student will be asked to redesign the book or print and bind it correctly.

3. The mandatory vendor is Blurb online books (http://www.blurb.com/?msclkid= 8647ec447d0d12063246b716620ab7ca&utm_ source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_cam paign=Bing_US_Brand_DesktopTablet_Al pha&utm_term=blurbs&utm_content=blurbs)

4. The mandatory book size is either 11” x 13” or 12” x 12.”

Image Specifications

• 300DPI, CMYK mode, saved as a jpg image at 100% of the size

• No image shall be over 4000 pixels either vertically or horizontally

• The dimension vertically or horizontally should be no more than 13.5.”

Type Specifications

• Use “Open Type” fonts. All other fonts will be substituted.

• Times New Roman set at 9pt. The type should be used as a barometer or measuring stick to determine body copy size. The font choice should be comparable to the X-heights of Times New Roman.

• No brush script or display type may be used for body copy.

• Display type may be used, but only for headline typography

• Multiple fonts may be used to create typographic expression and visual hierarchy. However, the typographic expression must be preapproved by the graduate faculty \ teaching Art 500D.

• Widows and orphans within the document shall not be accepted.

• The use of proper tracking in combination with line length font, and font size to alleviate rivers shall be used.

• A minimum of three points of leading may be used.

• Centered typography or force-justified typography shall not be used

• Hanging punctuation may be used.

• Running headers and footers may be used.

• Pullout quotes shall not be used.

• Hyphenation marks may be used, but no more than three in a paragraph and no more than one in a row. Hyphenation marks should be set between the prefix and root.

• Only one space after a sentence shall be used.

• Typographic bullets may be used for the listing of the information.

Design Specifications

• The thesis document must be designed as a book and printed on both sides of the page.

• The thesis document shall be prepared in InDesign.

• The choice of paper may be based on subject/ content, and more than one kind may be used.

• Depending upon the orientation of the thesis document (landscape or portrait), a grid system must be designed and preapproved by faculty before the layout begins.

• Outside and top margins should be no smaller than three picas, the bottom margin should be no smaller than six picas, and the inside margin shall be determined by the number of pages it takes to properly layout the book. The inside margin will vary, so there is no predetermined minimum. However, the inside columns of text should not be positioned, so the spine needs to be pulled open to read the content.

• Within the grid system, gutters shall measure 1 to 1.5 picas.

• The thesis document must be printed in color. All other document requirements are outlined in the thesis manual provided by the Graduate Studies Office.

Content Formatting

The student will develop a written thesis, with no set length, that either prove or disprove a hypothesis. The thesis will contain the following information:

• Thesis Statement

The student will fully develop a statement that tells the reader the significance of the subject matter, and that forms a hypothesis.

• Justification Statement

The student will fully develop and determine the project’s significance relative to their field of study.

• Delimitations

The student will fully develop and determine what the thesis project is not about.

• Antecedents

The student will determine what led up to and influenced the development of their thesis topic.

• Precedents

The student will establish a list of relevant published research materials (books, journals, magazines, online resources, other theses, works of art, and the like) that are similar in some way to the topic.

• Methodology

Through extensive writing, the student will fully establish the methods, rules, and principles required to govern their topic.

• Process

The student will fully demonstrate/describe a series of actions and/or operations that produce the outcome, including any interconnected and macro/micro relationships.

• Further Directions

The student will fully develop various directions in which the thesis topic could be altered to produce future rsearch, including publication.

• Citation Style

The student will properly cite resources that have influenced their research in developing their thesis topic. Textbook-- A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (newest edition), by Kate L. Turabian.

• Glossary

The student will develop a list of terminology specific to their topic.

• Bibliography

Students will establish a bibliography engendered by their research efforts suitable to the topic.

• Layout

The student will demonstrate the ability to orchestrate the above information in combination with examples from their creative show to engender a comprehensive thesis

MA in Graphic and Interactive Design

The student shall submit a formal exhibition record electronically to the Department of Art Office by Week 15 (the last week of classes, not finals week) of the semester in which they plan to graduate. If the permanent record is not completed and submitted on time, the student will not graduate. Check the semester class schedule for the dates corresponding to Week 15.

Contents of the Permanent Record

Contents shall be complete and assembled in the following order:

• Title Page. The student must obtain the signatures of members of their Graduate Committee on the title page before submitting the permanent record to the Graduate Program Advisor. Upon submission, the Graduate Program Advisor will sign the title page—provided everything is included and in proper form—as a confirmation of sumission and not as an evaluation of the permanent record. Signatures of all Graduate Committee members and the Graduate Program Advisor are required before the degree is awarded.

• ART 500A Thesis. A research paper related to the student’s scholarly and creative interests.

• ART 500B Statement. An essay on the student’s philosophy, intention, purpose, goals, and concepts.

• Printed Announcement. A copy of the exhibition announcement.

• Wall Statement. An image of the signed wall statement from the exhibition.

• Images for the Permanent Record. A minimum of 15-20 images of individual design works are required for the student’s permanent record. All images must be of 300 DPI, TIFF formatted, and representative of the student’s work. Images must be of each work submitted for the permanent record, not just the work in the exhibition. Images of work do not have to be taken in the gallery. Include a document with labeled thumbnails listing the designer’s name, title, date, medium, size in inches (height always precedes width), and additional details, if applicable.

Please see the Graduate Administrative Coordinator for examples of past permanent records. All of the student’s official records will be destroyed after seven years. The permanent record will be the only remaining documentation of the graduate student’s time as a graduate student at CSUF.

Contents of the Permanent Record

Contents shall be complete and assembled in the following order:

The student’s Graduate Committee provides guidance on the academic content and English usage in theses and the correct use of forms of documentation and bibliography. The student shall consult with their Graduate Committee concerning the approved style manual for the Department of Art.

The Office of Graduate Studies publishes a Thesis Manual and offers resources to assist the student in preparing the thesis. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all requirements are met. Theses from the library or departmental offices should NOT be used as examples of correct form.

The final version of the student’s thesis must be submitted for committee approval at least six weeks before the last day of classes. Deadlines for submission to the university thesis reader are posted on the Graduate Studies website

All of the student’s official records will be destroyed after seven years. The permanent record w

Ill Be The Only Remaining Documentation Of The Graduate

Contents of the Permanent Record

For MA students, the contents shall be complete and assembled in the following order:

• Title Page. The student must obtain the signatures of members of their Graduate Committee on the title page before submitting the permanent record to the Graduate Program Advisor. Upon submission, the Graduate Program Advisor will sign the title page—provided every thing is included and in proper form—as a confir mation of sumission and not as an evaluation of the permanent record. Signatures of all Graduate Committee members and the Graduate Program Advisor are required before the degree is awarded.

• ART 500A Thesis or ART 500C Research. ART 500A Thesis: A research paper related to the student’s scholarly and creative interests. If the student received transfer credit for the ART 500A paper, a summary of the paper or a copy of the entire paper is required, per the decision of the members of the Graduate Committee.

• ART 500B: An essay on the student’s philosophy, intention, purpose, goals, and concepts.

• Printed Announcement

• A copy of the exhibition announcement.

• Wall Statement

• An image of the signed wall abstract from the exhibition.

• Images for the Permanent Record. Images for the Permanent Record. A minimum of 15-20 images of individual design works are required for the student’s permanent record. All images must be of 300 DPI, TIFF formatted,and representative of the student’s work. Images must be of each work submitted for the permanent record, not just the work in the exhibition. Images of work do not have to be taken in the gallery. Include a document with thumbnails adequately labeled with the listing name of the designer, title, date, medium, size in inches (height always precedes width), and additional details, if applicable.

Please see the Graduate Administrative Coordinator for examples of past permanent records. All of the student’s official records will be destroyed after seven years. The permanent record will be the only remaining documentation of the graduate student’s time as a graduate student at CSUF.

As part of your graduate experience, students must download the following forms: The below link will take you to their location on the university website.

• Working Study Plan Master of Arts in Art, Graphic and Interactive Design

• Working Study Plan Master of Fine Arts in Art, Graphic and Interactive Design

• Summary of Meeting with Graduate Committee

• Submit to Graduate Administrative Coordinator, A DEPARTMENT OF ART RECORD OF THE GRADUATE PROJECT https://www.fullerton.edu/arts/art/students/areas_of_study/graduate-1.php