Students enrolled in the AM program may choose to write a master's thesis, but a thesis is not required to complete the degree; those considering further graduate study are strongly encouraged to write a master's thesis. All students who plan to write a masters thesis must take NEC 200b-Middle East Research Seminar in the spring semester of their first year of the program. In this course, students will conceptualize a topic, conduct initial bibliographic research, develop a hypothesis, and produce a formal thesis proposal.

The thesis proposal will then be used to recruit a Thesis Director, a faculty member or Harvard Ph.D. student whose research interests coincide with the proposed thesis. Students are responsible for securing the commitment of a Thesis Director by the beginning of the fall semester of their second year. The Thesis Director will meet with the student at regular intervals during their second year to ensure progress on the thesis. (Harvard faculty who serve as Thesis Directors may choose to supervise a 300-level reading and research course as a means of thesis supervision). See the list of AM thesis titles for a snapshot of the areas of interest to recent grads. 

All AM students are strongly encouraged to make use of the Writing Center.