Master's Project Handbook
MASTER'S PROJECT HANDBOOK
Table of Contents:
Introduction to the Master’s Opus
Master’s Project Structure and Planning
- Establishment of Office Space and Phone Access
- Establishment of a Student Project Business Manager
- Budget Development
- Externally Funded Projects: Financial Operations
- Grading
Production and Presentation of the Written Project
- Timeline
- Format for Page Layout
- Images
- Electronic Media, Printing, and Binding
- Organization of Presentations
Project Completion Requirements
Appendices
Format Guidelines
Sample Title Page
Opus Verification Form
Deep Blue License Agreement
Master’s Project Funding Information:
Click to view this handbook as a printable pdf
Introduction to the Master’s Opus
As part of their degree requirements, all SNRE master’s students must complete a project, thesis or practicum. All master’s students are admitted as project students. The project option gives students a team experience that approximates future work environment. Students can petition for the thesis option when they plan to conduct original research and produce a scholarly work. Although students are not admitted under the practicum option, a student may petition into this option under circumstances described below.
Projects, theses, and practica share common academic expectations and provide different educational experiences. Regardless of the opus type, all include the following academic expectations:
• the mastery of an appropriate set of academic material;
• an understanding of the major steps of the scientific approach (research design) or decision analysis (evaluation of management alternatives) and the successful application of these steps to an environmental problem;
• the ability to demonstrate critical thinking about an environmental problem and the application of appropriate analytical techniques in solving that problem;
• experience in both writing a scientific paper or technical report and giving an oral seminar to peers on the process and results of the study; and
• faculty evaluation of the final product.
Occasionally, students wish to substitute another opus option for the one they were admitted to complete. SNRE’s policy is that changes in the form of the opus must be supported by a faculty advisor and approved by the Associate Dean. Students should submit a written statement that explains why this change is needed. Project students who wish to substitute a thesis must show that they have had or will acquire the integrative team problem-solving experience missed by not participating in a project. In addition, a student may petition the Associate Dean to undertake a practicum as his/her opus work. The practicum is an individual experience, often developed around an internship experience or the design of a project (see the Practicum Handbook.)
To request a substitution, use the “Petition to Change Master’s Opus” form. SNRE established these substitution requirements to protect the focus and intention of the different Masters options. Petitions will be evaluated on the basis of the rationale for substitution and the availability of faculty resources to support the proposed opus. Such changes must be approved by the Associate Dean.
Master’s students who wish to change their opus option should do so by the middle of their second semester (fourth semester for three-year or dual degree programs.) Students who are enrolled in NRE 701 (the Master’s Project Course) and wish to change their opus option need to make their decision in advance of the drop/add date or expect to continue with the course through completion.
The Master’s Project
What is the Master’s Project?
The Master’s Project is an interdisciplinary group project in which students work closely with a faculty member to analyze and propose solutions to a real-world environmental problem. Each project requires both individual analysis and reporting as well as interdisciplinary analysis conducted by the group. Projects provide an integrative team-focused experience that approximates the work-world. The majority of SNRE masters’ students fill jobs that involve interdisciplinary, group-based problem solving. At least one presentation to the SNRE community of the group’s findings is required. The group is also responsible for completing a single written document, which is to include an abstract.
Master's Projects began as a result of SNRE's awareness that most work being done in natural resources and environmental protection involves interdisciplinary, group-based problem solving. Preparing students to work in such settings is one of the goals of the Master's Project. In addition, the Master's Project format helps to concentrate the efforts of both faculty and students to promote timely completion of their work.
The format of a project differs from a thesis largely because it is an interdisciplinary team effort resulting in a jointly authored document about some real-world environmental situation. Another acceptable version of a project is an integrative seminar course, which falls under the same rights and responsibilities as a regular master’s project. Such a seminar will result in 6 credit hours of activity (2 for the seminar and 4 for the research) and will produce a jointly authored document, equivalent to a master’s project. It will be based more on literature and current thought than on a real-world problem. An integrative seminar will be defined by faculty or established by students under the advisement of faculty.
Master’s Project Structure and Planning
General Structure
The Master's Project experience is at most a 6 credit effort spread over 3 or more terms. The Master’s Project Course (NRE 701, section 888) is required of all non-thesis students and elected for 2 credits—typically during winter term of the first year of graduate residency (or the second year for Erb or 3-year MLA students). Students in a joint master’s program between SNRE and another unit can join the project class in either their first or second year. In this course, students form projects, establish team memberships, and determine initial plans, scope, timetable, and budget. The remaining 4 credits of NRE 701 consist of the actual project and are elected before graduation.
Developing a Topic
The process for forming master's project groups provides opportunities for students across the various disciplines in the School to discuss their respective interests and skills and to develop project topics. Faculty members sometimes suggest project topics. Some topics are suggested by outside sponsors who contact the School. The Career Services Coordinator will also help develop and coordinate projects, while working in conjunction with a faculty and students.
It is critical that students avail themselves of every opportunity to learn more about project possibilities and to share their own ideas with fellow students and faculty colleagues.
The planning process for master's projects begins informally during fall term with a series of informational sessions for all students intending to participate in a master's project. Sessions may include general orientation about navigating the project database, interim presentations by current or past project groups, and/or exploration of current project ideas. These early meetings are extremely important for students to begin thinking about potential project ideas, to get to know students from other parts of the School, and to develop a better idea of the scope of work expected in a group project.
Developing a Project Workplan
NRE 701.888 includes discussion and brainstorming about potential projects, and includes skill-building in project management, proposal writing, and group dynamics. As ideas for projects are developed, teams must seek out a faculty member to serve as Project Advisor.
The Project Advisor must be a regular SNRE faculty member or an instructor specifically hired for the role of Project Advisor. A faculty member who is already involved in the NRE 701 effort can serve the role of advisor as well. An adjunct faculty member can serve as advisor only if a regular SNRE faculty member is primary advisor. Occasionally, faculty from other units outside SNRE will advise master's projects; in that case, an SNRE faculty member must also serve as an advisor. The role of the Project Advisor includes the oversight of both the development of the project workplan and the daily business associated with implementation of the project. The Project Advisor also assigns final grades to team members.
By March, project groups are expected to develop a proposal. The project group should include six or more members whenever possible to optimize use of faculty advising, focus interdisciplinary teams on the project topic, and ensure broad coverage of the topic area. Group presentations are given in April. By the end of the winter term, teams must submit a completed workplan (a more complete proposal that includes a plan for how work will be accomplished) to the NRE 701.888 course instructor in order to receive a grade for the class. All project workplans should contain the following:
• clear educational objectives;
• the anticipated research question, tasks, and products;
• a description of the project’s interdisciplinary components;
• a description of each team member’s academic or previous professional preparation to undertake the tasks that will be their responsibility in the work plan; and
• a clear explanation of the criteria used to determine the final letter grade (A-E) for each student.
Once the workplan is developed, the NRE 701.888 instructor or GSI submits your group information [student & project advisor names, project title] to the SNRE Registrar. The SNRE Registrar will assign a project number (NRE 701.xxx) for course registration, and will notify students when a class number has been assigned and they may register for the course.
Division of Workload
A maximum of 6 credit hours can be used for the master's project, and should be taken before or during the final academic term. Generally, all students are expected to contribute equally to the project. Sometimes students will work on the project during the summer, but careful coordination and planning are required to ensure a fair and equitable workload among project team members. In addition, the Project Advisor is often unavailable during the summer; this requires prior planning on the part of project team members if they need access to a faculty member during this time.
Implementation of the project can be divided into three main categories: administrative tasks, project design, and substantive development. The following discussion addresses requirements for the first two topics; substantive requirements should be developed by the sponsoring faculty, with help from the project participants.
Establishment of Office Space and Phone Access
Establishing a place where all group members can work and meet helps to provide a cohesive working situation. Students should consult the appropriate staff in the SNRE Facilities Office (snre.facilities@umich.edu or 2046 Dana) to specify their space needs and request space for their project. Requests should be made early, as approval may take some time. Office spaces are assigned at the beginning of each semester. Applications will be sent out to be filled and turned in BEFORE the desired semester; during that time official notifications and reminders will be sent to all students, faculty and staff regarding student office space requests.
Keys for the office space are obtained by filling out a Key Request Form, which can be obtained from the SNRE Facilities Office. One student should sign out all keys for a given project. The student should take the completed Key Request Form to the University Key Office. There is a five-dollar deposit (cash only) for each key. At the close of the project the student is to return the keys, with receipt, to the University Key Office and collect the refunded deposits. Deposits are guaranteed with receipt; however a University of Michigan I.D. should also suffice.
If there is a telephone in the office, the group must keep a record or phone log of all long-distance calls associated with the project. Phone calls are considered part of the budget for the project.
Establishment of a Student Project Business Manager
Each project team should appoint one of its members as business manager and inform the Business Office of their choice. The student project business manager will have the sole authority to sign for new keys, authorize purchases, place photocopying orders, etc. The purpose of a business manager is to centralize budgetary activities and facilitate coordination with the SNRE Business Office (2038 Dana).
Budget Development
Development of the budget is the project team’s responsibility and must include projection of both funding and expenditures. The group must operate within this budget unless additional funding is obtained. Cost overruns must be covered by the project team members. Failure to balance the account may result in a university hold credit. Funding may be allocated by the School, received from a sponsoring organization, accumulated by additional fundraising, provided by team members, or a combination of the above.
Contingent upon justification, the School may allocate up to $1500 per student to the project. This funding will be made directly to the students through their student accounts and then either to a bank account (if the student has direct deposit authorization) or by check (mailed to the current address on file in WolverineAccess). Please refer to the Project Guidelines for eligibility, procedures, and application materials.
Students are encouraged to pursue outside funding options (beyond the client). Please coordinate external sponsorship from the onset with the SNRE Business Office. External funding should be reflected on the project proposal budget. The faculty project advisor is responsible for ensuring that such pursuits comply with all University requirements and procedures regarding the solicitation of outside funding.
External funds (funding from clients, for example) are not normally distributed directly to the students (tax implications and financial reporting are the top two reasons why organizations would rather give to a registered non-profit 501c3 institution such as U-M). Projects with externally funded master’s project monies will be assigned a Project Grant number since expenditures will be made through the U-M. The faculty project advisor will be responsible for all funds within that budget, so the Student Project Business Manager should work closely with him/her. The Student Project Business Manager must approve all expenditures on externally funded projects before requesting payment from the Business Office.
It’s each group’s responsibility to develop an expenditure list to include in the budget. All projected costs associated with the project should appear in this listing, including the purchase of maps, phone calls, travel, etc. If project groups have multiple sources of funding, it is best to divide the list into costs that can be met using SNRE funds and those covered by other funds. This allocation of costs will help group members and faculty to plan for costs that may have to be incurred by the members of the group. Outside funding may be used to meet those costs, but it is not unusual for students to bear some of the costs.
Externally Funded Projects: Financial Operations
Each project must operate within the budget established for it. The SNRE Business Office manages the funding and spending of externally funded projects. The Office is also where the Student Project Business Managers obtain petty cash approval forms, travel vouchers, and purchase order requisition forms. The Student Project Business Manager must coordinate and approve all expenditures before payment is requested from the Business Office. This encourages the project team to maintain good records of project costs on an ongoing basis, avoiding surprises as the project continues. To minimize administrative costs and time, students are encouraged to save receipts and submit them as a batch.
Processing travel vouchers and other reimbursements often takes 4-6 weeks. Original, itemized receipts are required for all reimbursements. Petty Cash is an option for quick reimbursement of small, non-travel project expenses. Petty Cash is limited to $200/per person per day. Other rules apply. See detailed instructions on the Web at http://www.finops.umich.edu/cashier/forms/pettycashinstructions. Completed Petty Cash forms are taken to the Cashier’s Office in the Student Activities Building.
Student Project Business Managers with funds managed by SNRE can place orders via the Business Office to M-Marketsite (the University’s online catalog ordering system) and the amount will be billed directly to the project. Requisitions for supplies are available in the SNRE Business Office. The Business Office oversees all project externally funded budgets. Please contact the Business Office for a budget’s current status only after the faculty project advisor has been consulted. Billing to a project account must be completed by the end of the term in which the project is completed.
Grading
All participants are responsible for the project as a whole, not just their own portion of the project. The project advisor is responsible for the final letter grade each student receives for the project (A-E). Advisors may choose to share with students the responsibility for developing the criteria for grading.
In addition to the above, all participants should remember that students are permitted to enroll in a project only during the term in which they are actively working on the project. If the project will span multiple terms, students must be made aware of the credit load for each semester at the onset of the project. Responsibilities for each of the terms must be clarified at the same time.
Unless it is the final term of the project, all students in the group will receive a "Y", meaning that the project is ongoing and the work continues after the term ends. Final grades for a project will be assigned at the end of the final term for the project.
If some students have not completed their portion of the project during a term, the faculty project advisor is responsible for ensuring that the following procedures are used. If it is the final semester of the project, the student is assigned an "I" or incomplete. Refer to Rackham regulations on timelines for completion of "I" grades. Students who will have completed their work on the project should reach an understanding with those who may not be finished by the end of the term as to final details of the project production and distribution and who will be responsible for carrying out those details. It is strongly advised that students reach an accord on this point well before the end of the final term. The group as a whole is held responsible for the final completion of their project which includes final editing, production, distribution, and so on.
For more information concerning the requirements of the final product, see "Project Completion Requirements" in this handbook.
Production and Presentation of the Written Project
At the beginning of the project, each group should determine the form and timing of the project report they hope to create. SNRE requires a written document and at least one final presentation. All master's project groups are strongly encouraged to give an interim presentation as a way of soliciting feedback from their project advisor, other students, and faculty. It is important that these interim presentations be planned into the overall project schedule so that work can be directed with this in mind.
Timeline
A timeline allows for planning the general direction of the project and helps to avoid both overlapping of work and last-minute rushes. Deadlines for review, presentations, drafts, site visits, formal presentations, etc., should be included within the timeline.
Format for Page Layout
It is important for group members to establish page layout formats early in the project. This allows members to produce illustrations, photos, tables, etc., in the correct size, avoiding last-minute problems. It also allows for better use of style options available with some of the previously discussed software packages. Margins, title sheets, type styles (fonts and sizes), illustration style, and the like should be addressed. Map, plan, and similar formats should also be discussed at this point. (View format guidelines.)
Images
Images often play a key role in a group's report and final presentation. Establishing guidelines for types of images early in the project helps to avoid last-minute field trips to re-shoot. While it seems like a simple task, it often takes time because individuals have their own preferences or may be unfamiliar with specific needs.
There are several privately owned businesses near campus that process images. The University also has a Photo Services http://www.umich.edu/~photos/who.html, and Biomedical Communications (BMC) Argus 1 Building, 535 W. William, Suite 2100, Ann Arbor. http://www.bmc.umich.edu/ These facilities allow groups to charge costs to a University account number.
Electronic Media, Printing, and Binding
The School is moving towards electronic media as the ‘copy of record’ for the masters project. “Deep Blue” is the University of Michigan’s permanent, safe, and accessible service for representing our rich intellectual environment online. The final version is to be delivered to OAP on CD, along with the signed “Opus Verification Form” and “Deep Blue License Agreement”. The electronic copy will be stored on “Deep Blue”, maintained by the Shapiro Science Library. You should discuss with your sponsoring faculty and the project’s client whether they would prefer an electronic, softbound or hardbound copy.
The group must determine the methods it will use for copying of the document. There are several privately owned businesses that offer quality copying at relatively cheap prices. These businesses can typically copy front to back, and offer 25%-100% cotton bond paper (for high quality hardbound copies). Plan on at least 3 days for the final copying as it is often done during "off hours". If mistakes are found, they must be corrected before the document is forwarded to the bindery. Binding of the document is done by one of the binderies in town (e.g. Kolossos Printing or Bessenberg Bindery).
Organization of Presentations
You may want to practice your presentation well ahead of time. Schedule a classroom or a conference room through OAP (e-mail snre.rooms@umich.edu); schedule the use of audio-visual equipment through the SNRE Information Technology (snre.consultants@umich.edu). Schedule backup projectors and light bulbs to avoid last-minute problems.
Project Completion Requirements
The following requirements must be met before a project is considered complete by SNRE. These completion requirements must be fulfilled prior to graduation for members who wish to graduate at the end of the term.
Written Document
Each group is responsible for a written document. The final version is to be on CD or bound in a hardbound copy, along with the signed “Opus Verification Form”. The electronic copy will be stored on “Deep Blue”, maintained by the Shapiro Science Library. The finished copy of the final report required by the School must be submitted to OAP by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of scheduled classes for the term in which the degree is expected. Failure to submit this copy will delay your graduation. A completed "Project Verification Form", the Deep Blue Licensing Agreement, along with a photocopy of the title page and abstract of the project, must be submitted at the same time.
Typical turn-around time for binding a thesis or project is three weeks. Plan well in advance to allow this lead-time whenever possible. However, if you cannot complete the work by those deadlines, binderies can provide a “rush job” in two weeks, three days, 48 hours, and 24 hours—all at varying higher costs. Bindery receipts will not be accepted in lieu of a complete, hardbound write-up.
Presentation(s)
The School requires a presentation of the group's findings, open to the SNRE community. In addition, the group's findings may be presented to other groups and organizations (e.g., the sponsoring organization, natural resource organizations who are interested in the topic, community groups). The presentation should be well organized and of professional quality. ‘Project Symposiums’ will occur at the end of the Fall and Winter terms.
Evaluation
Evaluations provide an opportunity to determine the success of a project and guide any future changes. As such, each group member will receive a course evaluation pertaining to the project advisor at the end of the final project term. Students may also submit a written evaluation to the Office of Academic Programs which focuses on their client, if such will be useful for future project groups.
