Changes to MHS and MN Thesis Route Regulations

The following changes to the MHS and MN Thesis Routes have been approved by the Athabasca University Academic Council. Students who have completed MHST/NURS 691 will continue with MHST/NURS 692 and 693 and will not be affected by these changes to the regulations.

  1. Remove MHST/NURS 603, 607 and 611 and NURS 609 as required courses in the Thesis Route;
  2. Increase the number of curriculum courses by one for the MN thesis route and add an elective course to both the MHS and MN thesis route;
  3. Close MHST/NURS 691, MHST/NURS 692, and MHST/NURS 693. Open MHST/NURS 719 (3 credits) and MHST/NURS 720 (12 credits).

As a result of these changes, the course requirements for the thesis stream are as follows:

MHS / MN / Total credit value
Required Core courses / 601 / 608 / 3
Required research courses / 711 and one of 712 or 713 / 711 and one of 712 or 713 / 6
Required curriculum courses* / 2 / 2 / 6
Elective course* / 1 / 1 / 3
Thesis courses / 719 and 720 / 719 and 720 / 15
33

* Curriculum courses and elective courses are selected from the list found at

MHST/NURS 719 Thesis I (3 credits)

Pre-requisite/Co-requisite: MHST/NURS 711 AND one of MHST 712 OR 713

During MHST/NURS 719 Thesis I, the student will:

  • Select members of the thesis Supervisory Committee, in consultation with the supervisor;
  • Participate in course discussions/activities with classmates;
  • Develop the thesis proposal;
  • Complete instrument development and other preparatory work as required; and
  • Complete a draft Research Ethics Board submission.

Students must successfully defend the thesis proposal before they advance to MHST/NURS 720 Thesis Seminar II

One 4 month course extension may be granted for MHST/NURS 719. The regular CNHS three credit graduate level course fee will be charged for the extension.

MHST/NURS 720 Thesis II (12 credits)

Pre-requisite: MHST/NURS 719

Once the thesis proposal has been successfully defended students may then complete and forwarda supervisor–approved submission to the Athabasca University Research Ethics Board’s (REB) CNHS Expedited Review Committee. Students must receive REB approval and all other required site, institutional and/or organizational ethics approvals before beginning their research. Students will continue with their thesis research under the direction of their supervisor and Supervisory Committee and defend their thesis within this course.

The course contract for MHST/NURS 720 will be one year in length. The course fee for MHST/NURS 720 will equal four times the regular CNHS graduate three credit course fee and is payable on registration for MHST/NURS 720.

Two 4 month course extensions may be granted for MSHT/NURS 720. The regular CNHS three credit graduate level course fee will be charged for each extension.

Maximum time from the student’s original registration in MHST/NURS 719 Thesis I to completion of MHST/NURS 720 Thesis II shall normally not exceed 24 months.

MHST/NURS 720 Thesis II cannot be used for credit in the course-based MHS or MN route.