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Research Guides

Dissertations and Theses

Capstone Deposit Procedures

In addition to requirements of specific programs (see below on this page), the general procedure to deposit a capstone project is:

  1. Apply for graduation in CUNYfirst.
  2. Complete the CUNY Cap & Gown Graduation Survey. All surveys are voluntary and information is aggregated and kept confidential.
  3. Obtain program's approval. Your deposit must be approved by the Program Director prior to uploading any materials, after any revisions required by your advisor are completed.  Master's students should be in contact with their program office before submitting anything to the library; the program Director will email confirmation to the library that the student is approved to deposit. Any revisions required by your advisor must be completed and approved before submitting to the library. The deposit is not considered complete until the program's approval has been verified by the library.
  4. Upload final approved manuscript (the project's "white paper") and any supplementary files to CUNY Academic Works. If you need guidance about what to submit, please contact the Dissertation Office.
  5. The library reviews uploaded documents and either approves the deposit or requests corrections. Graduates will be notified by email when their deposit has been completed and officially accepted by the library.

Format Guidelines

The format guidelines for capstone projects are the same as those required for theses and dissertations; these are available in detail on the Format Requirements page of this guide. All manuscripts should be uploaded to CUNY Academic Works in PDF format and must include elements in the following page sequence, with close attention to the pagination requirements:

Title page (no pagination appears)
Copyright page (see sample pages below)
Approval page
Abstract
Preface, Foreword, and/or Acknowledgments
Table of Contents (required)
Lists of tables, illustrations, charts, figures, diagrams (required)
Body of Text (begins with Arabic numeral 1)
Appendix
Bibliography
Autobiographical Statement (optional)

Note: additional preliminary pages may be required for projects with significant digital components in the submission. See the library's Digital Project Documentation Guidelines below.

Audiology (Au.D.)

Every graduate of the Audiology program is required to prepare a capstone project to be preserved by the Graduate Center Library. A preliminary review meeting prior to defense is optional. See Format for Deposit guidelines for specifications about depositing in any file format, adding supplementary files, and pagination. Capstone projects are deposited in CUNY Academic Works only (not ProQuest).

M.A. in Digital Humanities & M.S. In Data Analysis and Visualization

The M.A. in Digital Humanities and M.S. in Data Analysis Program capstones require the submission of a "white paper" that records the methods, project accomplishments, and theoretical framework for the project undertaken. The "white paper" must be completed according to the program guidelines below and the library's guidelines, and must be submitted to the program and the library by their respective deadlines to satisfy the program's graduation requirements.

M.A. in Liberal Studies (MALS)

The MALS Capstone Project is accompanied by a brief white paper that details the conceptualization, methodology, and/or technology used in the project and how the project is related to the student’s track and studies. All graduating students must submit their manuscript and any supplementary files to CUNY Academic Works to be archived by the Graduate Center Library. Graduates producing capstone projects with significant online components (e.g., a website) should review the guidelines for depositing digital work and complete the digital component submission form.

Master's Degree Programs and Deposit

Library deposit is a degree requirement for all doctoral programs. Some master's programs at the Graduate Center do not require a library deposit in order to complete the degree. See detailed list below; direct questions to your degree program or the Office of the Registrar.

Degree Program Deposit Requirement
Astrophysics (M.S.) Must deposit thesis.
Biography and Memoir (M.A.) Must deposit thesis. Capstone projects not deposited.
Classics (M.A.) Must deposit thesis/capstone project.
Cognitive Neuroscience (M.S.) Must deposit thesis.
Comparative Literature (M.A.) Must deposit thesis/capstone project.
Data Analysis and Visualization (M.S.) Must deposit thesis/capstone project.
Data Science (M.S.) No deposit required.
Digital Humanities (M.A.) Must deposit thesis/capstone project.
International Migration Studies (M.A.) Must deposit capstone project.
Liberal Studies (M.A.) Must deposit thesis/capstone project.
Linguistics (M.A.) Must deposit thesis.
Middle Eastern Studies (M.A.) Must deposit thesis. Capstone projects not deposited.
Nanoscience (M.S.) Must deposit thesis.
Philosophy (M.A.) No deposit required.
Political Science (M.A.) Must deposit thesis.
Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (M.S.) No deposit required.
Women and Gender Studies (M.A.) Must deposit thesis.