Requirements & Formatting
Wondering what your thesis or dissertation should look like? There are a variety of dissertation and thesis options that vary depending on whether you are a DMA or PhD student and what your area of focus is. The School of Music's Graduate Handbook will offer guidelines and requirements for each.
If you would like to see examples of completed dissertations, the Thesis Office has a list of examples divided by department on their website. You can also view the School of Music's collection in IDEALS (the repository for dissertations and other academic work created at UIUC).
- Graduate College Thesis RequirementsIn addition to laying out the formatting requirements, the Thesis Office lists good examples of completed dissertations on this site.
- School of Music IDEALS CollectionYou can browse completed dissertations and theses others at the School of Music that have been uploaded to IDEALS.
Writing Support on Campus
The Music & Performing Arts Library cannot proofread your thesis or dissertation. However, you can find resources and support for your writing at the Writers Workshop in the Center for Writing Studies. They provide free writing assistance for students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines at all stages of the writing process.
- Writers WorkshopThe Writers Workshop supports all writers in the campus community across all forms of academic and professional writing, at any stage of the writing process. They offer writing groups, writing-related presentations, and writing consultations where we provide feedback on essays, research papers, personal statements, cover letters, theses and dissertations, manuscripts for publication, presentations, digital compositions, and anything between and beyond.
Dissertation Writing Guides
Libraries across campus have a variety of books in their collections devoted to the dissertation and thesis writing process. We have included some below to help structure and guide your writing process. You can find other related materials in the library catalog by doing a search for "dissertation writing".
From Student to Scholar: a guide to writing through the dissertation stage by Call Number: SSHEL P301.5.A27 H56 2019From Student to Scholar guides graduate students through the "hidden" developmental transition required in writing a dissertation and moving beyond, to become a successful scholar. Identifying common rhetorical challenges across disciplines, author Hjortshoj explains how to accommodate evolving audiences, motivations, standards, writing processes, and timelines.
Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation by Call Number: Online ResourceProvides practical tips and examples from real life for doctoral students who may not be aware of the problems and pitfalls of writing a doctoral dissertation.
Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation or Thesis Faster by Call Number: Online ResourceThis book gives the doctoral candidate a comprehensive, yet easy-to-follow, map through the dissertation process. The authors' goals are to help students finish their degree faster. Pragmatic in its intents and writing, the treatment of the topic is practical, building on years of expertise as to what causes the dissertation process to stall or fail.
