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245 Regardless of the type of major associated with a master’s program, degree coursework typically terminates with some kind of capstone project or a thesis in order to demonstrate, in a holistic way, the mastery of particular subject matter. Some programs require a thesis, project, or comprehensive exam, while others let students choose one of these options. Since the 1980s, there has been a trend in many academic degree programs to replace theses with capstone projects, due to problems with low completion rates for theses. In general, however, there is a lack of research on the positive and negative aspects of the empirical research thesis, capstone project, or comprehensive examination in assessing student learning, and even less on how these activities relate to future professional endeavors. This chapter addresses the need for empirical theses in historic preservation degree programs and how a curriculum might accommodate this goal. The thesis is nearly as old as the university itself, with origins in the medieval period as a requirement of graduate programs. Over the centuries it has evolved from an articulated debate to a document that contributes to a discipline’s knowledge through a rigorous research program. As it is envisioned today, a thesis provides an opportunity for a student to understand the process of research and its importance in empirical decision making. In social work, for instance, there appears to be a correlation between students who complete a thesis and the increased use of research findings in professional decision-making processes. Conversely, students who do not undertake a rigorous research project in graduate school, such as a thesis, may therefore be unable to adequately understand research in general and therefore have limited abilities to interpret and understand original research as it applies to their professional work. Theses have value that extend beyond the academic experience and enhance a discipline while providing experience applicable to a professional Jeremy C. Wells 16Social Science Research Methodologies and Historic Preservation: Broadening the Possibilities for a PreservationThesis 246 P R E S E R V A T I O N E D U C A T I O N setting. Programs that emphasize the empirical thesis do so based on the expectation that the student will advance knowledge in a particular field through original research that questions existing paradigms and theories . In nursing research, for instance, there is evidence that students who produce theses do in fact publish their research and make a measurable impact on advancing their discipline. John P. Carroll, Robert J. Cooper, and Karl V. Miller argue that contrary to the stereotype of the thesis as only being relevant in academic contexts, it instead presents “the most dif- ficult task that [students] have ever undertaken, and following a difficult, challenging, and often tedious effort through to completion is an excellent way of learning perseverance. More than any other university educational experience, the thesis mimics the ‘real world.’” Moreover, rather than being driven by relevance to professional practice , master’s programs have dropped requirements for theses and substituted extra coursework in order to generate additional income, making a master’s degree little more than an extended bachelor’s program. If an assumption can be made, therefore, that there is a benefit to a student completing a master’s thesis, then what form should it take to offer maximum benefit to the student, the discipline, and professional practice? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to differentiate the empirical thesis from other kinds of capstone projects. The EmpiricalThesis as Opposed to a Literature Review, Policy Analysis, or Project In 1930, Ernest Earl Lindsay and Ernest Otto Holland described a research thesis as “an original study contributing something to the total of human knowledge” while emphasizing the application of a rigorous research methodology toward a particular research question. This essential definition remains unchanged today, but some master’s programs allow a student to produce a “thesis” that is not empirically derived from research. These papers manifest instead as a literature review or policy analysis with limited capacity to contribute to human knowledge. While these works may undoubtedly be useful in some contexts, they lack methodological rigor employing the collection and/or analysis of data to produce empirical findings within the framework of “original research” and as such, have limited utility in advancing the epistemological boundaries of a particular field. The essential difference between a thesis and a project is that the former emphasizes generalizability or transferability...

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