College of Arts, Culture, and Scientific Inquiry

Degrees Offered

The Master of Arts degree is offered with majors in English, History, Psychology, and Sociology. The Master of Science degree is offered with majors in Biology and Applied Computer Science. The Master of Music degree is offered with majors in Music Education and Performance. We also offer a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology, concentrating on the study of Consciousness and Society.  Satisfactory scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) may be required for some programs. Some programs may accept the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).

Thesis or Dissertation Requirement

The significance of a thesis or dissertation is as a scholarly or research project that carefully addresses a certain set of ideas, data, or other arguments in a manner approved by directing faculty and written to the highest standards. Dissertations are intended to be an original contribution to the field. An important element that contributes most to the attractiveness and readability of the thesis or dissertation is consistency in format. Consistency means the student establishes a series of conventions or protocols regarding heading sequencing and other aspects of appearance to visually guide readers through the document, thus enabling them to concentrate on the content. 

The following regulations apply regarding the completion of the thesis or dissertation: the subject must be approved by the major professor and the department chair. The formatting of the thesis or dissertation must be approved by the Format Reviewer.  When the thesis or dissertation is completed, required Content Pages approved, and the Format Review form is properly signed, a pdf of the final document and scan of the signed review form should be sent to edreview@westga.edu.  After receiving the signed form and pdf, the student will be sent directions to the appropriate website to upload the final document to ProQuest.  Students must adhere to the appropriate discipline style manual and the “Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines Handbook” of the University of West Georgia. Where conflicts between the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook and a style manual exist, the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook must be followed. Students must also comply with all institutional policies involving research.