In those cases where a thesis is required or elected, the student is expected to do as a minimum the equivalent of six semester hours of work toward the thesis. The thesis is almost always prepared under the supervision of a faculty member of the major department who is prepared to undertake the supervision of the student's research. Students will need to have frequent conferences with their thesis advisor and, therefore, should not expect to receive supervision by mail. Research may be initiated by the student at a time approved by the department, but not until after the thesis topic forms have been approved by the department. Some departments may require a scholarly report in lieu of or in addition to a thesis. Consult departmental sections for details.