There are four culminating activity options -  1. thesis, 2. project, 3. portfolio and 4. comprehensive exam

• Students must make a choice among the four culminating activity options using the Application for Admission to Candidacy (AAC) form before enrolling in their 19th credit. The AAC form must be approved by their advisor and department chair. Students should contact their advisor for assistance in making their decision before submitting the form.
• Students must have completed or be enrolled in their 33rd credit, including all the required courses, in order to take the comprehensive exam or portfolio defense.

[1-2] Thesis or Project Options (Defense Required)

Students selecting a thesis option will complete 30 credits of course work and 6 credits of IPT593 Thesis. The thesis will usually consist of five chapters (e.g., Introduction, Literature Review, Research Design, Findings, and Conclusions). Students who will conduct a quantitative research study should plan to take IPT531 Overview of Research Design, Measurement, and Statistics. Students who will conduct a qualitative research study should plan to take IPT532 Ethnographic Research in Organizations.

Students selecting a project option will complete 30 credits of course work and 6 credits of IPT591 (Culminating) Project. The project report will usually consist of five chapters (e.g., Introduction, Literature Review, Project Design, Outcomes, and Conclusions).

The student will present and defend their thesis or project and respond to any questions that the examining committee might ask.

See the IPT thesis procedures.

[3] Portfolio Option (Defense Required)

Students must have completed or be enrolled in their 33rd credit, including all the required courses, in order to take the portfolio defense.

Students selecting the Portfolio experience will create and document products and projects from course projects, directed research, and work done for employers or clients. If this alternative is selected, at the end of a student's program the student will present and defend the portfolio and respond to any questions that the examining committee might ask. These questions will deal primarily with the way the projects in the portfolio relate to the field of IPT and with the student's explanations of why they conducted particular projects in the way presented.

All students will be admitted with the tentative presumption of the portfolio approach, since it will be difficult for them to reconstruct the past if they do not capture it in professional documents during their earliest classes. Although students are initiated in the portfolio undertaking, they may select a different culminating activity at any time.

See the IPT portfolio guidelines.

[4] Non-Thesis Option (Comprehensive Exam)

 Students must have completed or be enrolled in their 33rd credit, including all the required courses, in order to take the comprehensive exam.

The student will request the department to schedule a comprehensive exam. Exams are generally only given during Fall and Spring semesters and must be completed within the Graduate College deadlines. An information sheet about the exam is available from the IPT Office.