Overview & MSSE Requirements

MSSE students are required to follow formatting and accessibility standards set forth by the Graduate School . These ensure consistency and professionalism of theses, dissertations, and professional papers published to ScholarWorks.

The MSSE master template you will use to write your paper follows the Graduate School's standard formatting guidelines. It also follows the MSSE Program's preferred 5-chapter capstone paper outline. Using the master template while writing your paper will make it easier to meet content and formatting requirements.  

Required Software

In order to use the master template and other formatting resources, you MUST download Microsoft Word to your computer. Do not use Google Docs or any other software.

Paper Template and Formatting Guides

MSSE students should carefully follow the Graduate School's standard option formatting rules. A MSSE master template is provided below. The MSSE master template and the Graduate School's standard template are very similar. The only difference is that the front matter of the MSSE master template is partially filled out and Chapter 1 through 5 follow the MSSE Program's preferred 5-chapter outline.

  • Master Template: You should use this template for your capstone paper. It contains the correct styles in the styles pane and the front matter (i.e. title page, table of contents, etc.) to make formatting all parts of your paper easier. 
  • Standard Formatting Guidelines: This webpages provides additional support for utilizing the master template and following all formatting requirements when writing your capstone paper. 
  • How to Guide: For help with specific formatting rules, refer to this guide provided by the Graduate School.
  • APA Cheatsheet: A quick reference guide for proper in-text citations, parenthetical citations, and reference formatting.

Final Paper Formatting Check

  • MSSE Formatting Checklist: The checklist is broken into sections aligned to each section or requirement of the paper. It will give you the basic formatting guidelines and is a place to quickly check if you have a formatting question. Each section contains a how-to video and written descriptions of the formatting requirements (i.e. spacing, headings, etc.). If you need further step-by-step support, use the Formatting Self-Check.
  • Formatting Self-Check: This step-by-step process supports you in checking all of the sections of your paper before submitting it for a formatting check. All students must complete the formatting self-check each time they submit a paper for a formatting check.