Description

The master's Supervised Research Project (SRP) is an option designed for students whose main educational objective is to seek life-long, continuing education through which to build personal competency in the areas of one’s need. The KDI School offers an array of specialized courses. There will be proper supports if you wish to go beyond the discipline-based curriculum requirements and pioneer the depth and breadth of cutting-edge, specialized knowledge and skills (e.g., quantitative methods, the global environmental regime, trade negotiations, conflict management). Those are consulting with your POS committee and taking the supervised research option. The SRP shall be a critical review of cutting-edge, frontier research on the subject you have chosen to investigate. The frontier research means a body of research articles recently published in refereed(academic) journals and in some cases in scholarly books (not textbooks) or publications by research organizations.

Formation of the Program of Study(POS) Committee

Suppose you are contemplating on taking the supervised research project option. In that case, you should contact one professor in your research interest and invite him or her to be your major professor and supervise your research paper.

If you take this option, you will need to take one 3-credit additional course from which to produce an independent research paper (supervised research paper). Your major professor may be the instructor from which you take the additional course. This additional course is above and beyond the required course work. Typically, an independent research paper is an elucidation of literature (knowledge and skills) on a specific topic, a topic of some novelty to you.

Submission of the Supervised Research Plan

Upon completion of the consultation, summarize the learning contract that you have made with your supervising professors. Submit your plan (prospectus) in two or three pages to your major professor by the 8th week of the 2nd semester with the following information included

• 1The purpose of taking the supervised research project
• 2The area(s) of specialized knowledge and skills you wish to enhance for your personal competence
• 3Identification of one additional course you wish to take
• 4The expected learning outcomes with respect to specialized knowledge and skill sets.

Format of a Supervised Research Project

Since the supervised research project is individually supervised research, the paper format would vary from topic to topic. We suggest that you consult your supervising professors and receive direction from them concerning the specific format. In general, however, we suggest that your paper include the following information

• 1Title page
• 2Introduction
  • i.Learning objectives
  • ii.List of major literature reviewed
• 3Summary of literature
• 4Discussion
• 5Conclusion (e.g. outcomes of learning)
• 6References (The APA Manual)

Final Report

Upon successfully completing of the full draft, you will need to submit the final draft to your POS committee and Academic Affairs Division by the 5th week of third or fourth semester (sixth semester for part-time students). Your POS committee members will review the final draft. Upon the committee approval, you will award the remaining 3 credits counted toward your graduation.