M.A. in Rural Geography

Northern Arizona University

 

NON-THESIS PRACTICUM GUIDELINES



Practicum requirements will be determined by the advisor and student, and approved by the other two practicum committee members. Three basic requirements must be included:

  1. There must be a formal (physical) practicum product in the form of a report or paper.
  2. The practicum must be presented at a public forum, similar in manner to that of a thesis presentation.
  3. The practicum must be defended, similar in manner to that of a thesis defense.

 

The practicum product will have due dates and general formats similar to those of the thesis, including:

  1. A cover page like the thesis which shall be signed by the practicum committee.
  2. A complete copy, including all appendices, that will be filed in the Department.
  3. A tape bound copy on 20% cotton bond paper that will be filed with the Cline Library (the appendices may be omitted from this copy).


A Practicum Product Agreement Form – must be on file before the student begins the practicum work.

 

The following are examples of a Basic Research Paper practicum and an Applied Research Report practicum. With the approval of the student’s committee, the practicum product may take different forms than presented in these two examples.  The guiding principal in committee deliberations is that the effort and educational outcome should be comparable to that of a thesis.

 

  1. A Basic Research Paper Practicum
    1. A final paper that is ready both in content, format and presentation for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. 

                                                               i.      The paper will demonstrate an appropriate theoretical context, literature review, methodology, and conclusions. 

                                                             ii.      A detailed set of sample data sets, correspondence letters, meeting notes, and similar research material shall be included in appendices.

    1. Submission of the paper (excluding appendices) to a peer-reviewed journal.
    2. A presentation and an oral defense of the research to the practicum committee and general public, which includes a reflection of the results and what was learned.

 

  1. An Applied Research Report Practicum
    1. A written report that details the goals, process and outcomes of the project. Incorporated within the report the student will critically reflect on the project, its theoretical context, its usefulness, its methodology and its conclusions.  Specifically, the report shall include:

                                                               i.      A literature review consisting of academic and applied work related to the project, providing a historical and theoretical context to the applied research project.

                                                             ii.      A chronological journal that documents the process of the project from beginning to end.

                                                            iii.      A detailed set of sample data sets, correspondence letters, meeting notes, and similar project material shall be included in appendices.

    1. A final presentation and defense of the project to the practicum committee and general public, which includes a reflection of the results and what was learned.