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Thesis success in stages (thesis) guide, great minds think a lot..

As an Honors College student seeking an honors degree, your thesis is the chance for you to showcase your intellectual and creative talents. In many ways, your thesis will represent the culmination of your undergraduate experience at Oregon State University, drawing on all of the skills, knowledge, and insights you’ve acquired. Choose your own subject and think critically about social, creative, and scientific issues. Honors thesis topics range from scientific research to artistic creations to service projects, so there's room for you to explore the subject that excites you the most, even if it isn't in your major.

If all this sounds a bit overwhelming, don't worry. The HC provides you with a useful road map to guide you through each stage as you complete your thesis. Using Thesis Success in Stages (TheSIS) as your guide, you'll break the process down into smaller pieces with clear benchmarks to make your thesis journey much more manageable. These stages are called Stage 1: Plan , Stage 2: Explore & Build , Stage 3: Commit , and Stage 4: Compose & Complete .

Take comfort in knowing that you don't have to go it alone. It's OK to ask for help. In fact, we encourage it. Courses are available to help you at every stage of the process, and you'll be guided by a faculty team that's pulling for your success.

Stage 1: Plan

To be completed within the first three terms of joining the HC

Stage 1: Plan , the first stage, involves learning about the thesis requirement and mapping out personalized goals. This stage offers a framework for thinking about the thesis and possible paths to completion. Complete Stage 1 during your first year in the HC. If you are transferring into the HC, you should complete Stage 1 during your first term or as soon as possible.

Stage 2: Explore & Build

To be completed as indicated on your Thesis plan on file in the HC

The second stage, Explore & Build, requires you to explore your thesis interests and begin your engagement with faculty, with the goal of finding a mentor or making significant strides toward finding your mentor.

Stage 3: Commit

In the third stage , you will choose a mentor and work with that mentor to select a topic, develop a research plan, and complete a formal thesis proposal.

Stage 4: Compose & Complete

The final stage supports you in the process of actually writing the thesis, including drafting and revising chapters, presenting your thesis research to an audience of non-experts, planning the thesis defense and submitting your approved thesis.

• Submit or Update Your Thesis Plan
• Formatting Your HC Thesis

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• Earning Honors College Credits

Thesis Day December 8th, 2023  Program Schedule

Students completing the Distinguished Honors College Scholar Award or the Advanced Honors College Scholar Award are required to complete an Honors thesis.  This page provides an overview of the thesis process; students should download and review the Student Guide to Honors Theses for full details and policies.

What is a thesis?

A thesis project is an extended piece of independent student research typically completed during a student’s final year of undergraduate study. Theses draw on scholarly resources and follow the conventions of research/creative activity in their discipline. A thesis demonstrates a student’s ability to conduct research and write effectively. Students work closely with a faculty mentor to design a feasible topic and an appropriate plan for a thesis project, but the student is responsible for all aspects of the project’s planning and execution.

What is the thesis process like?

Completing a thesis is a multiple-semester process. Ideally, students will develop their thesis proposals by enrolling in HNRS 3500: Honors Thesis Proposal at least 2 semesters prior to graduation. (If this is not possible you can work with your faculty mentor to complete your proposal outside of this class.) After your thesis proposal is approved by your faculty mentor and their department chair, you submit it to the Honors College so you can be enrolled in an independent-study style course for thesis credit.

During the semester you are enrolled for thesis credit, you will meet with your faculty mentor regularly to review your progress and stay on track. At the end of the semester, you will defend your thesis at Honors College Thesis Day.

Each stage in the thesis process is reviewed in more detail below.

Find a faculty mentor.

Thesis projects must be supervised by a full-time, permanent UNT faculty member. Most students complete theses in their major and work with a faculty member in that department. Students often work with professors they have previously taken a course with. Use UNT’s Faculty Information System to find information about UNT faculty members’ research interests and try to take classes early in your undergraduate career with faculty whose research interests align with yours. You will need to identify one faculty member to serve as your primary mentor and a second to serve on your thesis committee. 

Prepare your Thesis Proposal.

The Thesis Proposal provides a roadmap for your research project. It tells your thesis committee and the Honors College what you will do for your Honors thesis project. Most students complete the proposal through HNRS 3500: Honors Thesis Proposal , though this document can also be written as an Honors contract, Mentored Research Experience, or independently (in consultation with your faculty mentor). Speak to an Honors advisor to discuss an appropriate pathway to completing a thesis proposal.

Your Thesis Proposal will include the following information:

• An abstract,
• An introduction that clearly articulates your research question/thesis statement,
• An overview of the most relevant scholarly literature that your project draws on,
• A discussion of the methods you will use to carry out your research,
• A work plan including regular meetings with your mentor and a time table for completing your thesis, and
• A preliminary list of references. 

If your research will utilize human subjects, you must request approval from the UNT Institutional Review Board before beginning your data collection. If your project requires IRB approval, you must submit a copy of your IRB application to the Honors College with your Thesis Proposal.

Complete your thesis project.

Once your Thesis Proposal is approved by the Honors College, you will be enrolled in an Honors thesis course (either HNRS 4951 or a department equivalent, e.g. BIOL 4951). The class will not have pre-assigned meeting times; you and your faculty mentor will meet according to the schedule provided in your Thesis Proposal.

There is no single correct format for a thesis. The norms of your field should guide the writing and presentation. Choose the style manual most relevant to your field of study and use it consistently. Thesis projects must use proper grammar and syntax.

Complete your project and submit it to your thesis committee by the Honors College deadline. Your committee members will review your work and identify revisions that need to be made before your thesis can be defended.

Defend your thesis.

If your faculty mentor approves your project for defense, you will present your research at Honors College Thesis Day. Thesis defenses are open to the public and mark the completion of a substantial academic achievement.

Thesis defenses typically take the following form:

• Presentation of your research findings (15-25 minutes)
• Opportunity for questions from thesis committee members
• Opportunity for general audience questions
• Committee deliberations regarding project (everyone else leaves the room)
• Student receives feedback (Pass, Pass with revisions, or Did not pass)

Thesis resources, including important dates and faculty and student guides, can be found on the Honors College Canvas page

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The what and why.

The culmination of the Honors Bachelors degree, the Honors Thesis is a significant undergraduate research project completed under the supervision of a faculty member approved by the Departmental Honors Liaison in the student’s major.

The culmination of the Honors Bachelors degree, the Honors Thesis is a significant undergraduate research project completed under the supervision of a faculty member approved by the Departmental Honors Liaison in the student’s major. Its purpose is to advance knowledge and understanding within the context of a research university and to further develop the student’s intellectual, professional and personal growth as a member of the Honors College. Thesis projects may take different forms in different majors – e.g. laboratory experiments, historical research or artistic creations, to name a few – but always demonstrate research expertise in the major field, a command of relevant scholarship and an effort to contribute to that scholarship.

Whether you’re committed to working in your major field, or keeping your options open, completing an Honors Thesis gives you the experience to help you get where you want to go.

Gain real research experience in your field and learn how to communicate it. Tackle and own a project that you’re passionate about. Stretch yourself intellectually through close work with a faculty expert. And the practical value of an Honors Thesis? Unlimited. An Honors Thesis helps you to:

Get accepted to grad school, medical school, law school Competitive programs greatly value research experience and the motivation, maturity, and depth of study required to complete a thesis. Find a job. Employers, in your field or outside it, seek candidates with the commitment and practical skills required to complete an independent project. Figure out your path. Do you even like research in your major? Or are you ready to try something else?

Each department defines the appropriate topics, parameters and standards of Honors thesis research. Faculty outside of the major may supervise thesis projects with the approval of the Departmental Honors Liaison in the student’s major. Topics might be developed out of faculty research, coursework, class projects, UROP projects, community engaged research or even internships. The required Thesis Proposal Form must be signed by both the Thesis Faculty Mentor and the Departmental Honors Liaison within the student’s major. Take a look at our general Thesis Guidelines.

There is no uniform required length for Honors theses, which vary widely across different fields and topics. However, a range of 30-40 pages is common. Departmental Honors Liaison in each major and the Faculty Supervisor will set specific expectations. See examples of theses from your major here.

DEVELOPING A THESIS

Think About Potential Thesis Topics While taking upper-level classes in your major, start thinking about what topics you like that are being discussed.  What interests you?  What sounds like a good project? Is there a paper, group project, or internship  you have completed and would like to continue or develop further? If you are in the sciences and are working in a research lab, is there a project you could start working on that might culminate in your thesis? Talk to your professors!  Based on your classes and other academic or research experiences, think about narrowing down to a more specific topic. See examples of theses in your major.

Second and third years typically see students refining their interests in their major, and starting to hone in on a research topic. Continue taking classes in your major, and paying attention to things like: topics that interest you; faculty whose research is interesting, and with whom you connect; questions you have that don't seem like they have good answers. These are all important data in developing your project! Make sure that you are a part of the Thesis Mentoring Community, and that you are consulting those modules and attending events that are of interest to you. And connect with other students in your major - though everyone types their own thesis, we never think in a vacuum and having a community of peers makes the process so much more fun. Also, be in touch with your Departmental Honors Liaison. You can determine who that is from the link below.

For many of you, this could be your first time working on a big research project. You might be excited, but you also might be nervous and feel unprepared. All of those things are normal! The Thesis Mentorship Community (TMC) is here to help with that. This community has a living-learning community (LLC) component but also is open to all students in the Honors College via the Canvas Course for the community. The TMC is open to students in their second year and beyond, and will help guide (mentor) you through the thesis process from preliminary planning, to research, and on to the writing of the thesis. Information on the Canvas course as well as programming organized through the Canvas course connects students to other honors students in their field of study as well as faculty in their home department and resources throughout the larger university that will assist in the thesis research and writing process.

Meet with your Departmental Honors Liaison to discuss potential topics and faculty members to serve as your Thesis Faculty Mentor. (If you are working in a research lab, usually the professor over the lab can be your thesis mentor.)

Meet with Thesis Faculty Mentor and Solidify Topic: Meet with your Faculty Mentor and confirm the topic and scope of your thesis.  Work together on creating a timeline for your thesis work, and establish how you will go through the revision and completion process. After you have finalized your thesis topic, submit a signed Honors Thesis Proposal form to the Honors College.

Meet with Your Departmental Honors Liaison

THESIS COMPLETION TIMELINE

You have your thesis topic and mentor, now the real work begins. Here are the steps you need to take to complete your Honors thesis.

*Note: Dates are for a Spring graduate, modify accordingly if you are graduating in a different semester

WRITE YOUR THESIS

Typically during your Third and/or Fourth Year

Turn in the Completed Thesis Proposal Form via the link in the pertinent announcement for your semester and year of graduation in the TMC. The soft turn-in date for this form is the third week of your semester before graduation (so fall for spring graduation, etc) to ensure you are on track.

If you are not yet a member of the TMC, you can join the Honors  Thesis Mentorship Community Canvas page  (where you will need to log in using your CIS credentials). At that point, please click 'Enroll in Course'"

Be sure to meet with your Faculty Mentor to agree on a schedule for reviewing your progress, submitting drafts, making final revisions, etc. Theses with approval signatures are due to the Honors College one week before grades are due to the Registrar's Office , the semester you plan to graduate.

Please use the Thesis Formatting Template for your final thesis.

Sign up for **** 4999 (Honors Thesis Course in your major)

4999 is a 3 credit hour class in your major, which indicates you are working independently with your supervisor on your thesis. Talk to your Departmental Honors Liaison or major academic advisor to receive a permission code.

Also make sure your major advisor has declared you for an Honors Bachelors Degree in your major (HBA, HBS, HBFA etc.)

PRESENT YOUR WORK

Honors students must present their thesis work at the annual  Undergraduate Research Symposium  at the U, at NCUR, or at discipline related research conferences

PUBLISH YOUR WORK

You can also publish in the U’s Undergraduate Research Journal. Submissions are accepted year-round for online publication each summer

Click here to submit – students must submit on their own behalf

FINAL SUBMISSION OF YOUR THESIS

Your final Honors Thesis will require electronic signatures from your Thesis Faculty Mentor, Departmental Honors Liaison, and Department Chair before you submit it to the Honors College. Approval signatures are due to the Honors College one week before grades are due to the Registrar's Office , the semester you plan to graduate. Please give yourself and Faculty Mentor at least three weeks to make final revisions and collect your three signatures.

Submit an electronic copy of your final Honors thesis with e-signature approvals from your Thesis Faculty Mentor, Departmental Honors Liaison, and the Department Chair. The Honors College will provide you with the upload link during your final semester.

Turn in a signed USpace Permission Form when you submit your thesis. USpace is the J. Willard Marriot Library’s institutional repository and provides permanent electronic storage for your work to be publicly available. If you have questions or concerns about making your thesis available through USpace, please contact the main Honors Office.

APPLY FOR GRADUATION

Spring Graduates (January 17th), Fall Graduates (September 4 th ), Summer Graduates (May 20 th )

Information on this process can be found through the Office of the Registrar

APPLY FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLARS DESIGNATION (URSD)

Students who complete two semesters of research with a faculty mentor and present and publish their work (for example in the Undergraduate Research Symposium & Abstracts Journal) are eligible for this special transcript designation. Deadlines found here .

Getting started

Preparing for the honors thesis

What is the honors thesis?

The honors thesis is the culmination of Barrett students’ honors experience and their entire undergraduate education.

The honors thesis is an original piece of work developed by a student under the guidance of a thesis committee. It is an opportunity for students to work closely with faculty on important research questions and creative ideas. The honors thesis can have either a research or creative focus, and enables students to design, execute and present an intellectually rigorous project in their chosen field of study.

The first step in the honors thesis process is the completion of a thesis preparation workshop.

These workshops are places for you to brainstorm topics, learn about the honors thesis process, gain feedback on your ideas, ask questions, and create a to-do list for your honors thesis. Completion of a thesis preparation workshop is required before enrolling in thesis credits, and we encourage you to participate in a workshop by the first semester of your junior year.

There are two options for completing a thesis preparation workshop.

Enroll in the online self-paced workshop

Or, sign up to attend a live workshop offered in the fall or spring semester:

Mon, Feb 5th 10:30 - 11:30am  Athena Conference Room UCB 201 (West Valley campus)  RSVP

Wed, Feb 7th 10:00am - 11:00am  Athena Conference Room UCB 201 (West Valley campus)  RSVP 

Thu, Feb 8th 2:30pm - 3:30pm  Athena Conference Room UCB 201 (West Valley campus)  RSVP

Fri, Feb 9th 4pm - 5pm  Hayden Library Room 236 (Tempe campus)  RSVP

Thu, Feb 15th 4:30pm - 6pm  Hayden Library Room 236 (Tempe campus)  RSVP

Thu, Feb 29th 5pm - 6:30pm  Virtual (Zoom)  RSVP

Fri, Mar 15th 4pm - 5:30pm  Hayden Library Room 236 (Tempe campus)  RSVP

Fri, Apr 5th 4pm - 5:30pm  Virtual (Zoom)  RSVP

Thu, Apr 11th 5pm - 6:30pm  Virtual (Zoom)  RSVP

Ready to take the next step?

Following the completion of a thesis preparation workshop, Barrett students should schedule a thesis advising appointment with their Barrett Honors Advisor to discuss and review the guidebook, checklist and the due dates that correspond with the semester they intend to complete their undergraduate degree.

Honors Thesis Student Guidebook

Please explore the resources available to you within this guidebook to ensure your success. Refer to the checklist on page 13 to continue moving forward in the process.

View the Student Guidebook

Student Guidebook sections

What is the honors thesis.

The honors thesis project is an original piece of work by a student, in collaboration with their thesis director and committee. Most students complete an honors thesis within their major department but may choose a topic outside of the major. Each department may set its own standards for methodology (i.e., empirical, comparative, or descriptive), project length, and so on. Review the relevant Opportunities in the Major documents created by the Faculty Honors Advisors (FHAs)  here , and contact the FHAs in your area(s) of interest for additional information.

A thesis can be:

• A scholarly research project involving analysis that is presented in written form. Represents a commitment to research, critical thinking, and an informed viewpoint of the student.
• A creative project that combines scholarship and creative work in which the primary outcome consists of something other than a written document but includes a written document that supports the creative endeavor and involves scholarly research.
• A group project that brings together more than one Barrett student to work on a thesis collaboratively. Working in a group gives students valuable experience and enables them to take on larger, more complicated topics. Students may begin a group project with approval of a Thesis Director.

Selecting a Topic

Because the honors thesis is the culmination of undergraduate studies, begin thinking about a topic early. Many students base the honors thesis on an aspect of coursework, internship, or research. Once an area of interest is identified, take two or three courses that concentrate in that specific area.  Selecting a topic should ultimately be done under the guidance of faculty. The honors thesis is a joint effort between students and faculty.

Consider these tips and resources as you begin the process of selecting a topic: 

• Reflect on past experience to determine interests.
• Talk to faculty including Faculty Honors Advisors about topics that are interesting and relevant to coursework, major, career interests, or from ongoing faculty research.
• View past honors theses through the ASU Library Digital Repository .

Thesis Pathways

Honors Thesis Pathways are unique thesis opportunities, where students can be paired with faculty on interesting and engaging topics. The pathway options provide students a structured experience in completing their thesis, while researching a topic that interests them.

The committee consists of a Director, a Second Committee Member, and may include a Third Committee Member. Ultimately, your committee must approve your thesis/creative project, so work closely with them throughout the process.  Specific academic unit committee requirements can be found here .

• Any member of ASU faculty with professional expertise in the project area. (This excludes graduate students.)
• Includes lecturer and tenure-line faculty.
• Primary supervisor of the project.
• Conducts regular meetings, provides feedback, sets expectations, and presides over the defense.

*Emeritus faculty may serve as thesis directors as approved by the FHA from the department which the thesis is to be completed. Directors are expected to be physically present at the honors thesis defense. They may not be reimbursed for travel related to attending the defense.

Second Committee Member

• Individual whom you and your Director decide is appropriate to serve based on knowledge and experience with the thesis topic.
• Credentials will be determined by the Director and the criteria of that academic unit.
• Conducts regular meetings, provides feedback, and offers additional evaluation at the defense.

Third Committee Member (optional-varies by academic unit)

• Faculty member or qualified professional.
• If required, credentials will be determined by the Director and the criteria of that academic unit.
• External Examiners are Third Committee Members.
• Offer insight and expertise on the topic and provides additional evaluation at the defense.

The prospectus serves as an action plan for the honors thesis and provides a definitive list of goals, procedures, expectations, and an overall timeline including internal deadlines for your work. This will lay the groundwork for your project and serve as a reference point for you and your committee. You and your committee should work together to solidify a topic and create project goals. 

Submit your prospectus online

Registration and Grading

To register:

• Be enrolled in Barrett, The Honors College and in academic good standing. 
• Have the approval of the faculty member who serves as the Director. 
• In-person Barrett thesis workshop
• Online (via Blackboard) Barrett thesis workshop. Self-enroll- search words “Barrett Honors Thesis Online Workshop”
• Major specific thesis preparatory workshop or course may be available in limited academic units.

Register for the honors thesis through the department of the Director .   First, obtain override permission from the department of the Director during normal enrollment periods. 

Thesis Credits (up to 6 hours)

• 492 Honors Directed Study: taken in the first semester during research and creation of the project (not offered by all departments).
• 493 Honors Thesis: taken in the second semester for defense and completion of the project.  
• 492 and 493 are sequential and may not be taken in the same semester.  
• You must register for and successfully complete at least 493 (or its equivalent) to graduate from Barrett, The Honors College.

Grading the Honors Thesis

When the honors thesis is completed and approved by the committee, the Director assigns a course grade. Criteria and evaluation for grading are determined by the Director and the standards of that academic discipline.   

If you enroll in 492, the Director has the option of assigning a Z grade until the project is completed.

The assignment of a Z grade indicates that a project is in progress and delays placement of a final grade until completion. 

Defense and Final Steps

• Presentation and summary of the honors thesis. Format, content, and length are determined by the Director and standards of the content area. Plan to review the origins of the project, its scope, the methodology used, significant findings, and conclusions. 
• Submit final draft to the committee at least two weeks before the defense. Allow time for revisions leading up to the defense.
• Work with your committee to set a defense and report to Barrett using the Honors Defense and Thesis Approval form. Once submitted, your Director will automatically be emailed an approval link on the date of your defense.
• All committee members must participate in the defense.
• Group projects: Each student is required to submit an individual Honors Defense and Thesis Approval form. All group members must participate in the defense. 
• Defenses are open to the ASU community and published to the Defense Calendar.
• Following the presentation, committee members will ask questions about issues raised in the work, choices made in the research, and any further outcomes.
• At the conclusion of the discussion, the committee will convene to provide an outcome that will determine next steps.

Thesis Outcomes

• Minor format/editorial corrections may be suggested.
• Director will report approval using the Final Thesis Approval link emailed to them on the defense date.
• Your next step is to upload your approved final project to the Barrett Digital Repository.

Provisional Approval (Common outcome)

• More significant revisions required.
• Once revisions are complete, Director will report approval using the Final Thesis Approval link emailed to them on the defense date.
• Your next step is to upload your approved final project to the Barrett Digital Repository after revisions are approved.

Not approved (Least common outcome)

• Basic design and/or overall execution of the honors thesis is significantly flawed.
• The Director and committee may continue working with the student to make major revisions. You should discuss this with committee and Honors Advisor about implications on Barrett graduation.

Lee Honors College

Honors thesis handbook.

The honors thesis is a long-standing tradition in honors programs and colleges, including the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University. An honors thesis is defined as an original work of undergraduate research or creative scholarship completed by an undergraduate honors student. Completing an honors thesis is required in order to graduate from the Lee Honors College. More importantly, your honors thesis is an opportunity to demonstrate what you are capable of contributing to your chosen field rather than just what you know. Examples of honors theses include senior engineering design projects, creative works of fiction, original documentaries, novel educational curricula, original performances or works of art, and traditional research papers. 

Your honors thesis will be published online in ScholarWorks alongside your fellow Lee Honors College graduates dating back to the 1960s. Publication allows you to use this accomplishment to market yourself to future employers and graduate schools. Your thesis title and thesis mentor will be listed on your official university transcript. 

Please note that this handbook is a generalized overview designed to support honors students enrolled in all majors at the university. More detailed information may always be obtained by attending a thesis workshop and/or meeting with an honors advisor. 

PLEASE NOTE: Students with majors in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (except for graphic and printing sciences), graphic design, product design and data science may use their senior design projects for their honors theses. Applicable students will need to refer to specific instructions received via email during their senior year to count their projects as their honors theses. Please also see the ‘creative works and group projects’ section below in Step 9. 

Steps and Timeline

Step 1: Attend a thesis information workshop (during sophomore year) 

Workshops are facilitated by honors advisors and designed to help you learn the process of completing an honors thesis specific to your major and help you begin thinking about potential topics and faculty mentors. 

Step 2: Enroll in your thesis preparation course (varies by major)

Most honors students will enroll in HNRS 4980: How and Why to Write an Honors Thesis, but some academic programs have approved substitutions for HNRS 4980. A full list can be found on the honors college requirements page of the website. Students required to enroll in HNRS 4980 should complete the course by the end of their junior year. This course is designed to prepare you to begin your thesis and counts toward your honors course credit hour requirement. 

Step 3: Select a thesis topic (during the junior year)

It is never too early to begin thinking about a thesis topic! Ideally, the thesis topic should be chosen early in the junior year for most majors. Please note that students majoring in biology, biomedical sciences, chemistry, physics and psychology should meet with faculty in their department about gaining access to a research lab to complete their thesis and NOT select a topic on their own. 

When thinking about potential thesis topics, ask yourself: 

What interests me about my major?

What areas of expertise do my department’s faculty have?

What project will most effectively demonstrate my education, skills and abilities to future employers and/or graduate schools?

What skills do I possess (e.g., bilingualism, video editing, graphic design) that could help make my project more unique?

What project is robust enough to help leverage it as an honors graduate AND practical to complete within my degree plan?

What projects are published in ScholarWorks written by students in my or similar majors?

If I plan to pursue a career or graduate school outside of my major, what thesis project could allow me to demonstrate my ability to successfully transition outside my major?

What experiences have I had in classes, internships, study abroad, etc., that I can incorporate into my thesis?

Do not worry if your ideas are still a bit nebulous when you proceed to step three. It may be helpful to schedule an appointment to discuss your ideas and questions with an honors college administrator or advisor. 

Step 4: Choose your thesis committee chair (in your junior year)

With a thesis topic in mind, the next step is to find a thesis committee chair (also referred to as the thesis mentor or advisor). The thesis chair should have significant expertise not just in your general program of study, but in an area closely related to the topic you have chosen for your honors thesis.

*Note: The thesis chair must be a full-time faculty member at WMU, and may not be a family member, even if they are full-time WMU faculty.

There are many ways to find a thesis chair. It may be a faculty member from a course you took; or it may be a professor you identify through looking up their research interests, work, and publications that align with your interests (look at their profiles on departmental websites). Also check ScholarWorks to see which faculty have served as chairs for prior students. Another option is to schedule an appointment with an honors advisor to see if they can help you find an appropriate honors thesis chair or introduce you to a faculty member you found by searching the internet. Hint: Faculty will be the most receptive to students who are professional and well prepared.

How to reach out to a faculty member:

Office hours.

After or before class if you are currently one of their students.

Networking – use connections such as peers, graduate students, or individuals in the honors college to help introduce you to a faculty member.

When deciding on a thesis committee chair remember that this is a long-term professional working relationship. Below are some things to consider when choosing a thesis committee chair:

Expertise/Knowledge: a faculty member need not be the world’s expert on the exact topic of all aspects of your thesis. Below are some areas of expertise that a chair could help with.

Discipline expertise – familiarity with the discipline, ideas, theories, or concepts you are using.

Area/Location/Population expertise – familiarity with the place and people you may work with.

Methods/Skills – familiarity with how you will go about doing your thesis.

Availability: how available do you need your chair to be for you?

Busy – faculty can often be quite busy. If they are up for tenure, in demand for guest lectures, or travel often, these can limit the amount of time they have available for you.

Graduate and honors students – if a faculty has a large number of graduate or honors students, that they have already agreed to work with, this will also cut into the amount of time they are available.

Communication/Working Relationship:

Hard to know beforehand but knowing what type of working relationship you want with your committee chair may help you decide.

A good working relationship or ability to communicate will make the whole thesis process much smoother.

Note: a good working relationship is also important as your thesis committee chair will be a prime candidate to write you letters of recommendation for future endeavors (graduate school or job applications).

Make sure that your first contact, whether by email, or an in-person appointment, leaves a good impression. Be on time for your appointment, and if you must reschedule, do so early - do not be a no-show! Keep in mind that faculty are very busy, and certain times of the semester may not be ideal to set up a meeting with them, especially if they do not know you.

Prepare to demonstrate that you have done preliminary research on your topic by reading some textbooks, journal articles or other scholarly or artistic materials. Be ready to discuss what you are interested in and why you think this faculty member would be a good fit. The more prepared and enthusiastic you are about your potential project, the more likely it is that a busy faculty member will want to take the time to serve as your thesis chair! Also, be open-minded in your discussions. It may be that your topic will be difficult to research, or that there is already a great deal of work that has been done in that area. A potential thesis chair might suggest some other ideas for a thesis topic – listen to these and consider them carefully (you are coming to them for their expertise, after all), but do make sure that you settle on a topic that is interesting to you, as well as to your thesis chair.

Step 5: Submit your thesis declaration form (in your junior year)

Ideally, you should submit this form at least three semesters before you intend to graduate. You can find it in the forms section of the honors college website. 

To submit your declaration form, you will need a less-than-one-page description of your project that has been approved by a full-time faculty member who has agreed to serve as your thesis chair. Your thesis declaration form will either be approved or recommended for amendment by the honors college; this decision will be communicated to you and your thesis chair via WMU email.  

Recommendation for amendment usually occurs for one of three reasons: (1) questions or concerns exist regarding institutional compliance; (2) the proposed thesis chair is not a full-time WMU faculty member, or is ineligible to serve as chair for some other reason; or (3) the thesis topic is not sufficient in scope with respect to your field of study and/or honors standards. You will be informed what the problems are that must be addressed before the proposal can be reconsidered and are encouraged to make an appointment to come in to the honors college if you need more information.  

On the declaration form, you will be asked four compliance questions relating to the following: 1) will you be collecting data from humans; 2) will you be using vertebrate animals; 3) will you be using recombinant DNA; and 4) will your project be funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) or National Institutes of Health (NIH). Below is more information on each.   

The WMU Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for oversight of all research related to human subjects. This includes the use of surveys, even if they are completely anonymous. If you write a thesis that needs WMU-IRB approval, and you have not received it before you begin your research, the study is invalid and the thesis must be destroyed. This is also a research ethics violation which may subject you to discipline by The Office of Student Conduct. This is a federal, not a University or honors college regulation. Only the WMU-IRB can determine whether approval is required, and only the WMU-IRB can grant approval for research that involves people. If there is any question that your proposed research might need WMU-IRB approval, you should check with your thesis chair, an honors advisor, or directly contact the WMU-IRB before you proceed with your work. CITI training is a required set of modules that all researchers must complete before beginning IRB-approved research and will be extremely helpful to prepare you for the IRB process. Depending on the population you would like to study and the methodology you have chosen there are varying levels of IRB review, so please be sure to submit early in the process and not collect ANY data prior to approval. If your research changes after you have received IRB approval, you may need to update your IRB protocol or submit a new one. More information is available on the WMU-IRB website .

If your project involves animals, you must contact the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at (269) 387-4484.  Only the IACUC can grant approval for research that involves animals. Further information on conducting research with animals is available on the animal care website . 

If your project involves the use of recombinant or synthetic DNA, or microbiological agents and their products, or life sciences research, you must contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee (WMU-IBC) at (269) 387-8293. Further information on conducting research with any of the materials listed above can be found on the biosafety website .

Check with your thesis chair to make sure you are aware if your project will receive any funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

When you complete your thesis declaration form, you will answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the above questions. You do NOT have to be approved by the respective compliance offices prior to submitting the thesis declaration form.  

Step 6: Choose additional committee members (in your junior year)

In addition to the honors thesis chair, you must select at least one, ideally two, other expert(s) to serve on your committee. You should consult with your thesis chair regarding possible members of your committee soon after you choose a topic. The committee members need not be WMU faculty but should have expertise relevant to your topic of study. When deciding who will be a good committee member, discuss with your thesis chair how the potential member would add to your project, provide diversity of thought, or provide expertise outside of that possessed by your chair. The committee could include faculty from the same or another department or college at WMU, faculty from another institution, graduate students, WMU staff, or members of the broader community. Note that your committee may NOT be comprised of only a faculty member and a graduate student who is advised or supervised by that faculty member. Also note that you may NOT include family members, partners or significant others on your committee. If you wish to include a graduate student advised or supervised by your thesis chair, you may do so, but you must then select an additional committee member who does not work in the research group of your thesis chair. 

Step 7: Register for HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis (for the semester you plan to defend your thesis)

Most honors students will enroll in HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis, but some academic programs have approved substitutions for HNRS 4990. A full list can be found on the honors college requirements page . Honors students must enroll in and complete at least one credit (up to a maximum of three credits) of HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis, or an approved substitute, prior to graduation. This course must be completed the semester you plan to defend your thesis, and not before. This course counts toward the Experiential portion of the honors credit hour requirement. The thesis chair serves as instructor of record for your credit(s), which means that the thesis chair will be responsible for assigning the grade for your work on your honors thesis. 

In order to be registered for HNRS 4990, you must complete and submit the HNRS 4990 registration form at least one week prior to the semester in which you wish to enroll in the course . 

Please note! If HNRS 4990 credits are being used to meet your minimum credits required for university graduation, you must successfully complete and defend your thesis by commencement to graduate on time. Be sure to discuss HNRS 4990 credits with your academic college advisor when applying for your graduation audit. 

Step 8: Submit your thesis defense certificate request form (at least one month before thesis defense)

Once you have decided on a thesis defense date, you should submit your thesis defense certificate request form . This form must be filed at least 30 days before your thesis defense. This form includes your final thesis title as you would like it to appear on graduation materials, your intended date of graduation, the date you will defend your thesis and names of your committee members. We strongly encourage all students to defend during Thesis Celebration Days, which are held in the honors college at the end of each fall and spring semester. The defense request form will be used by the honors college staff to record your thesis title for graduation, to advertise your thesis defense and to generate a packet of materials for your thesis committee. Your packet will be delivered to you via email and should be taken to your defense to be completed by your committee members, and then returned to the honors college according to the instructions included in the packet.

Step 9: Defend your thesis (before you graduate)

We recommend that you defend your thesis at least one semester before you intend to graduate, but most honors graduates defend during their final semester. You MUST defend before you graduate, or you will not graduate from the Lee Honors College.

You should make sure that your whole committee has a final version of your written thesis at least one week, (preferably two), before your defense so that they have plenty of time to review it. You should plan for your defense to take about an hour– check with your thesis committee in advance. Rooms are reserved for one hour during the Thesis Celebration Days at the honors college. If your committee anticipates that more than one hour will be needed for your defense, please make certain that your room is available or make plans to continue the closed-door portion of your defense in another location.

The defense consists of three parts: 

An oral presentation of your work, open to the public; 

A public question and answer session; 

A closed-door oral examination with your thesis committee. 

The oral presentation typically consists of a 15-20 minute overview of your thesis work. In the sciences, social sciences, business and education, this is generally a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation including a description of the motivation for your work, a summary of related work, the approach you used, the results obtained, your conclusions and their significance. In the humanities, this might include a reading from your original paper. Engineering and the fine arts defenses are typically handled a little differently (see below). 

After you complete your presentation, allow 5-15 minutes for questions from the public audience. Following this period, your committee (at a minimum, your thesis chair and one committee member must be present for the exam) will conduct a closed-door oral examination. Many students are very worried about the oral exam – don’t be! This is your chance to show off your knowledge, discuss what you might have done differently in retrospect and what you would do if you were to continue this project, for example, as a graduate student. 

Engineering Students: College of Engineering and Applied Sciences students typically use their senior design project as the honors thesis and the presentation given at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Senior Design Day will serve as a substitute for the oral defense. Engineering students may also choose to present their work during the Thesis Celebration Days. In this case, the committee does not need to be present and no oral examination follows the presentation.

Fine Arts Students: BFA students in curricula in the College of Fine Arts typically review their creative work and artifacts such as portfolios and/or recordings with their committee during their oral defense because their public portion is typically a recital, performance or exhibit that occurs at a separate time. 

Creative Works and Group Projects: A brief reflection paper is required for creative works and group projects. For creative works, this paper should address why you made the choices you made for your creative project and a self-evaluation of the final product along with any other information you wish to include, as well as any additional writing required by your thesis advisor. For group projects, this paper should address the role you played in the group project, how your own education, experiences and contributions are demonstrated in the final copy, as well as any additional writing required by your thesis advisor.

Step 10: Submit your final approved thesis

After your successful thesis defense, your committee may recommend some further revisions to your written thesis. You have 30 days after you graduate to turn in your final, revised and approved thesis. The thesis and the abstract should be submitted electronically as a PDF or MP3, MP4 or WAV file, together with a signed copy of each of the documents in your thesis packet (completed and signed ScholarWorks agreement and signed defense certificate). For detailed instructions on the submission of your final thesis project, please read carefully the instruction sheet included in your defense packet. 

Note: For some students, research conducted for the honors thesis contains proprietary information that cannot be released to the general public. In that case, the final thesis should be submitted via the regular process laid out above, but students should select the appropriate level of publication visibility as described in the ScholarWorks agreement included in the thesis packet. If you have questions about the ScholarWorks form, please contact Jennifer Townsend . 

A cautionary note! Please consult with your thesis chair before responding to any requests from publishers or conferences regarding your honors thesis. Predatory publishers send unsolicited requests for articles, may send false information about their journals and typically charge large fees to authors. Likewise, sham conference organizers will send targeted emails asking for abstract or article contributions with substantial submission fees. 

Questions? Schedule an honors thesis advising appointment . 

Thesis Checklist

Now that you've carefully and thoroughly read through the thesis handbook, bookmark or print out this handy thesis checklist to help keep you on track during your thesis process!

Medallion Scholarship Program

Study in the States

A Distinctive Achievement Honors Thesis

As a Schreyer Scholar, you are required to complete an undergraduate honors thesis as the culmination of your honors experience. The goal of the thesis is to demonstrate a command of relevant scholastic work and to make a personal contribution to that scholarship.

Your thesis project can take many forms — from laboratory experiments all the way to artistic creations. Your thesis document captures the relevant background, methods, and techniques and describes the details of the completion of the individual project.

Two Penn State faculty members evaluate and approve your thesis — a thesis supervisor and an honors adviser in your area of honors.

Planning is Key Project Guide

The thesis is, by design, your most ambitious undertaking as a Scholar.

A successful thesis requires a viable proposal, goal-setting, time management, and interpersonal skills on top of the disciplinary skills associated with your intended area of honors. This guide will walk you through the thesis process. Keep in mind, though, that your honors adviser and thesis supervisor are your key resources.

Planning A Thesis

An ideal thesis project should:

• Satisfy your intellectual curiosity
• Give you the opportunity to work closely with faculty
• Develop transferable skills
• Clarify your post-graduation plans

The single biggest factor in determining thesis quality is your level of interest in and engagement with the topic, so consider multiple possibilities rather than selecting the first one that seems attractive to you.

From the perspective of the Schreyer Honors College, the purpose of the thesis experience is to develop your intellectual and professional identity in the field and to help you think about your future.

Once complete, the purpose of the thesis is to advance knowledge, understanding, or creative value in its field.

Lab-Based Research Fields

We recommend avoiding the temptation to stick with your first lab placement merely out of convenience if the topic is not interesting to you. The quality of your thesis is truly dependent on the depth of your interest and the energy behind your curiosity. Your intellectual engagement is the thing that will carry you through what may at times feel like a long and sometimes difficult process.

A Thesis Needs A Thesis

A thesis is problem-oriented and identifies something of importance whose answer or best interpretation is not fully known or agreed-upon by people who make their careers in the field, and it proceeds towards the answer or best interpretation. Even with a creative or performance thesis, the purpose is not to demonstrate technical ability (writing, painting, acting, composing, etc.), but to express something you think is worth expressing and hasn't been fully expressed already.

Identifying a Topic

An interest can come from anywhere, but the problem that defines a thesis can only come from a thorough acquaintance with "the literature," the accumulated knowledge or creative value in your field.

By speaking with faculty (preferably more than one) and reading professional journals (again, more than one), you not only get a "crowd-sourced" sense of what is important, you also get a sense of what the open questions are. This is where you start to strike a balance between ambition and feasibility.

Feasibility & Realistic Ambition

You might want to come up with the definitive explanation for Rome's decline and fall, or the cure for cancer. There is strong evidence — several thousand prior theses — that your honors thesis will not accomplish anything on that scale. This realization might be disheartening, but it is an introduction to the reality of modern scholarship: Knowledge almost always moves incrementally and the individual units of knowledge production and dissemination (theses, journal articles, books, etc.) are only rarely revolutionary in isolation. This is part of what the thesis experience will test for you — whether or not you want to continue via graduate school in that kind of slow-moving enterprise.

The feasibility of a given thesis problem is bounded, as mathematicians might say, by several factors.

The honors thesis should not extend your time at Penn State by design. There are circumstances where you might defer graduation to complete your thesis, but that should not be your initial plan.

Resources are a potential issue in that even a comprehensive and well-funded university like Penn State does not have the physical infrastructure for every possible kind of research. The expense of ambitious off-campus research, such as a comparative study requiring visits to several countries, can easily exceed our funding abilities. If you expect to incur more than $300 in expenses, you should get commitments from your department and academic college before proceeding.

Proposal, Supervisor & Area of Honors

Thesis proposal.

The thesis proposal is due at the end of your third year, assuming you're on a four-year path to graduation. File your Thesis Proposal with the Schreyer Honors College via the Student Records System (SRS) . The end-of-third-year requirement is from the Honors College, but your major may expect a much earlier commitment so be sure to talk to your honors adviser as early as your second year about this. The thesis proposal needs the following things:

• Supervision
• A Working Title
• Purpose/Objective
• Intended Outcome
• How do you intend to earn honors credit?
• How often do you plan to meet with your supervisor?
• Will your thesis satisfy other requirements?
• Does your thesis involve working with human, animals, or biohazardous materials or radioactive isotopes?

The Honors College staff does not review the content of the proposal, so the intended audience is your thesis supervisor and the honors adviser in your intended area of honors.

Thesis Supervisor

Your thesis supervisor is the professor who has primary responsibility for supervising your thesis.

Ideally your thesis supervisor will be the single most appropriate person for your thesis in the whole university, or at least at your whole campus, in terms of specialization and, where relevant, resources. How far you can stray from that ideal depends on the nature of the thesis. If specific lab resources are needed then you cannot stray too far, but if general intellectual mentoring is the extent of the required supervision then you have more flexibility, including the flexibility to choose a topic that does not align closely with the supervisor's specialization.

Apart from a professor being unavailable for or declining your project, the biggest reason to consider bypassing the "single most appropriate person" is that you have doubts about whether you would get along with them. Do not put too much stock in second-hand information about a professor, but if after meeting him or her you have concerns then you should certainly consider continuing your search.

Area of Honors

Thesis honors adviser.

An honors adviser from the area in which you are pursuing honors must read and approve your thesis. If the thesis supervisor and thesis honors adviser are the same person, you must find a second eligible faculty member from your area of honors to read and approve your thesis.

Multiple Majors

If you have more than one major, you can do the following:

• Pick one major and write a thesis for honors solely in that major
• Pick a topic that can legitimately earn honors in both majors. This will be considered interdisciplinary .
• Write multiple theses, one for honors in each major

The first scenario is the most common, followed by the second depending on how closely related the majors are. You can also pick a non-major area of honors.

Second- and Third-Year Entrants (including Paterno Fellows)

If you were admitted to the Honors College after your first year or via the Liberal Arts Paterno Fellows program, you are expected to write your thesis for honors in your entrance major. You do have the right to pursue honors elsewhere, for instance in a concurrent major for which you were not admitted to the Honors College, but there is no guarantee of approval.

Topic, Not Professor

Typically, the area of honors suggested by the topic aligns with the professor's affiliation, as when you seek honors in history based on a history thesis supervised by a professor of history. But if the supervisor happens to be a professor of literature, you are still able to pursue honors in history based on the substance and methodology of the thesis.

This is especially worth remembering in the life sciences, where faculty expertise is spread among many different departments and colleges. As always, the honors adviser in the intended area of honors is the gatekeeper for whether a given thesis topic and supervisor are acceptable.

From Proposal to Thesis

Timetable & benchmarks.

The thesis proposal does not require a timetable, but you and your supervisor should have a clear idea of how much you should accomplish on a monthly basis all the way through completion. Not all of those monthly benchmarks will be actual written work; for many Schreyer Scholars the write-up will not come until toward the end. If you fall behind during the earlier part of the thesis timeline, it will be difficult if not impossible to make up that ground later.

Regular Meetings with Your Thesis Supervisor

You should take proactive steps against procrastination by making yourself accountable to someone other than yourself. Scheduling regular meetings (or e-mailing regular updates) with your thesis supervisor — even if you are working in the same lab routinely — is the best way to do that. You should also regularly update your thesis honors adviser.

Think ahead, preferably well before the time of your thesis proposal, about what your thesis work will mean for your fourth-year schedule. This is especially important if you have a significant capstone requirement like student teaching for education majors, or if you expect to do a lot of job interviews or graduate/professional school visits.

There are many reasons to plan to include the summer between third and fourth year in your research timeline: those mentioned above, plus the benefit of devoting yourself full-time to the thesis, whether it is in a lab on campus or in the field. Funding opportunities for full-time summer thesis research include Schreyer Honors College grants , the Erickson Undergraduate Education Discovery Grant , and funding via your thesis supervisor (especially in the sciences and engineering).

Department & College Thesis Guides

In addition to this guide, many departments and colleges have thesis guides with important information about their deadlines and expectations. If you do not see your college or department listed, consult with your honors adviser.

• College of Agricultural Sciences
• Smeal College of Business
• Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Biobehavioral Health
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Hospitality Management
• Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
• College of Information Sciences and Technology
• Comparative Literature
• Germanic & Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Global & International Studies
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• College of Nursing
• Astronomy & Astrophysics: Thesis 1
• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Chemistry: Thesis 1 | Thesis 2 | Thesis 3
• Mathematics: Thesis 1 | Thesis 2 | Thesis 3 | Thesis 4 | Thesis 5 | Thesis 6

Follow the Template Formatting Guide

The formatting requirements in this guide apply to all Schreyer Honors theses. Please follow the thesis templates provided below:

Information about using LaTeX is available from the University Libraries .

Formatting Requirements

Fonts & color.

All text should use the Times New Roman font.

Reduced type may be used within tables, figures, and appendices, but font size should be at least 11-point in size and must be completely legible.

The majority of your thesis document should be in black font, however, color is permissible in figures, tables, links, etc.

Organization

Begin each section on a new page. Do the same with each element of the front matter, the reference section, and the appendix.

Try to avoid typing a heading near the bottom of a page unless there is room for at least two lines of text following the heading. Instead you should simply leave a little extra space on the page and begin the heading on the next page.

If you wish you use a "display" page (a page that shows only the chapter title) at the beginning of chapters or appendices, be sure to do so consistently and to count the display page when numbering the pages.

Page Numbers

Excluding the title page and signatory page, every page in the document, including those with tables and figures, must be counted. Use lower case Roman numerals for the front matter and Arabic numbers for the text. The text (or body) of the thesis must begin on page 1. Follow the template provided at the top of this section.

Use the template provided as a pattern for creating your title page. Be sure all faculty members are identified by their correct professional titles. Check with the department for current information. Do not use such designations as "PhD" or "Dr." on the title page. (Ex. John Smith, Professor of English, Thesis Supervisor).

Electronic Approvals

Please submit your final thesis to your Thesis Supervisor and Honors Adviser at least two weeks prior to the final submission due date to allow them ample time for review and suggested changes. Also, please communicate with your professors to find out their schedule and preferred amount of time to review your thesis. Once your thesis is submitted, your committee will review the thesis one last time before giving their final approval.

Number of Approvals

A minimum of two approvals is required on each thesis. If one of the approvers has a dual role (e.g. Thesis Supervisor and Honors Adviser), then list both roles under the professional title. Do not list the same person twice. If the sharing of roles leaves you with fewer than the required number of approvals, an additional approver must be added (Faculty Reader).

Professional Titles

Be sure to identify all faculty by their correct professional titles. Check with the department for current information. Do not use such designations as "PhD" or "Dr." on the title page.

This is a one-paragraph summary of the content of your thesis that identifies concisely the content of the thesis manuscript and important results of your project. Some students like to think of it as an advertisement — i.e., when someone finishes reading it, they should want to examine the rest of your work. Keep it short and include the most interesting points.

The abstract follows the title page, must have the heading ABSTRACT at the top, and is always page Roman number i. There is no restriction on the length of the abstract, but it is usually no longer than one page.

Table of Contents

The table of contents is essentially a topic outline of the thesis and it is compiled by listing the headings in the thesis. You may choose to include first-level headings, first- and second-levels, or all levels. Keep in mind there usually is no index in a thesis, and thus a fairly detailed table of contents can serve as a useful guide for the reader. The table of contents must appear immediately after the abstract and should not list the abstract, the table of contents itself, or the vita.

Be sure the headings listed in the table of contents match word-for-word the headings in the text. Double check to be sure the page numbers are shown. In listing appendices, indicate the title of each appendix. If using display pages, the number of the display page should appear in the table of contents.

Formatting Final Touches

An honors thesis manuscript should replicate the appearance of professional writing in your discipline. Include the elements of a formal piece of academic work accordingly. For specific questions on organization or labeling, check with your thesis supervisor to see if there is a style guide you should use.

Acknowledgements (Optional)

Acknowledgements are not a required component of an honors thesis, but if you want to thank particular colleagues, faculty, librarians, archivists, interviewees, and advisers, here's the place to do it. You should include an acknowledgements page if you received a grant from the University or an outside agency that supported your research.

Tables & Figures

A table is a columnar arrangement of information, often numbers, organized to save space and convey relationships at a glance. A rule of thumb to use in deciding whether given materials are tables or figures is that tables can be typed, but figures must be drawn.

A figure is a graphic illustration such as a chart, graph, diagram, map, or photograph.

Please be sure to insert your table or figure. Do not copy and paste. Once the figure or table is inserted, you right click on it to apply the appropriate label. Afterwards, return to the list of tables or list of figures page, right click on the list, and "update table (entire table)" and the page will automatically hyperlink.

Captions & Numbering

Each table and each figure in the text must have a number and caption. Number them consecutively throughout, beginning with 1, or by chapter using a decimal system.

Style Guides

These parts of the thesis will vary in format depending on the style guide you are following. Your discipline will use a consistent style guide, such as MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago. Whichever style you are using, stick to the rules and be consistent.

Appendices (Optional)

Material that is pertinent but is somewhat tangential or very detailed (raw data, procedural explanations, etc.) may be placed in an appendix. Appendices should be designated A, B, C (not 1, 2, 3 or I, II, III). If there is only one appendix, call it simply Appendix, not Appendix A. Titles of appendices must be listed in the table of contents. Appendix pages must be numbered consecutively with the text of the thesis (do not number the page A-1, A-2, etc.).

Bibliography/References (Optional)

A thesis can include a bibliography or reference section listing all works that are referred to in the text, and in some cases other works also consulted in the course of research and writing. This section may either precede or follow the appendices (if any), or may appear at the end of each chapter. Usually a single section is more convenient and useful for both author and reader.

The forms used for listing sources in the bibliography/reference section are detailed and complicated, and they vary considerably among academic disciplines. For this reason, you will need to follow a scholarly style manual in your field or perhaps a recent issue of a leading journal as a guide in compiling this section of the thesis.

Academic Vita (Optional)

The academic vita is optional, must be the last page of the document, and is not given a page number or listed in the table of contents. The title — Academic Vita — and the author's name should appear at the top. A standard outline style or a prose form may be used. The vita should be similar to a resume. Do not include your GPA and personal information.

The Final Step Submission Guide

Once your final thesis is approved by your thesis supervisor and honors adviser, you may submit the thesis electronically. This guide will provide the details on how to submit your thesis.

Public Access to Honors Thesis

Open access.

Your electronic thesis is available to anyone who wishes to access it on the web unless you request restricted access. Open access distribution makes the work more widely available than a bound copy on a library shelf.

Restricted Access (Penn State Only)

Access restricted to individuals having a valid Penn State Access Account, for a period of two years. Allows restricted access of the entire work beginning immediately after degree conferral. At the end of the two-year period, the status will automatically change to Open Access. Intended for use by authors in cases where prior public release of the work may compromise its acceptance for publication.

This option secures the body of the thesis for a period of two years. Selection of this option required that an invention disclosure (ID) be filed with the Office of Technology Management (OTM) prior to submission of the final honors thesis and confirmed by OTM. At the end of the two-year period, the work will be released automatically for Open Access unless a written request is made to extend this option for an additional year. The written request for an extension should be sent 30 days prior to the end of the two-year period to the Schreyer Honors College, 10 Schreyer Honors College, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, or by e-mail to [email protected] . Please note: No one will be able to view your work under this option.

Submission Requirements

Electronic submission of the final honors thesis became a requirement in spring semester of 2010. Both the mandatory draft submission and the final copy must be submitted online.

The "official" copy of the honors thesis is the electronic file (eHT), and this is the copy that will be on file with the University Libraries. Electronic submission does not prevent the author from producing hard copies for the department or for personal use. All copies are the responsibility of the author and should be made prior to submission. The Schreyer Honors College does not provide copies.

How to Submit

In order to submit your thesis, you must upload a draft in PDF format to the Electronic Honors Thesis (eHT) website .

What/When to Upload

• The initial submission, the Thesis Format Review, should be the textual thesis only and should be in a single PDF file (it may include image files such as TIFFs or JPEGs)
• The recommended file naming convention is Last_First_Title.pdf
• Failure to submit the Format Review by the deadline will result in removal from the honors graduation checklist. If this occurs, you must either defer graduation or withdraw/be dismissed from the Honors College

Uploading Video, Audio or Large Images

If your thesis content is such that you feel you need to upload content other than text to properly represent your work, upload the textual portion of your thesis first as a single, standalone PDF file. Then, add additional files for any other content as separate uploads.

If the majority of your thesis work is a multimedia presentation (video, slideshow, audio recording, etc.) you are required to upload these files in addition to your PDF.

Acceptable formats include:

Please do not upload any ZIP files. If uploading more than one file, keep individual file sizes for the supplementary material under 50 MB where possible. Large files will upload, but it may take a long time to download for future use.

Final Submission & Approval

Final submission.

In order to submit your final thesis:

• Refer to the thesis templates above to create your title page (no page number).
• Make sure you have correctly spelled "Schreyer Honors College".
• Be sure to include the department in which you are earning honors, your semester and year of graduation (Ex. Spring 2024, not May 2024), your thesis title and your name.
• List the name and professional title of your thesis supervisor and honors adviser (in the department granting honors). If your honors adviser and thesis supervisor are the same person, a second faculty reader signature from the department granting honors is required.
• Include your abstract following your title page (Roman numeral i).
• Make sure your thesis is saved in PDF format.
• Upload your final thesis on the eHT website .

Final Approval

When the final thesis is approved, the author and all committee members will be notified via e-mail of the approval. Your thesis will then be accessible on the eHT website within a month after graduation unless you have specified restricted access.

Schreyer has motivated me to push myself and do things I would have wished to have done, but wouldn't have done without Schreyer. Tara Golthi ' 20 Media Studies

Honors Theses

What this handout is about.

Writing a senior honors thesis, or any major research essay, can seem daunting at first. A thesis requires a reflective, multi-stage writing process. This handout will walk you through those stages. It is targeted at students in the humanities and social sciences, since their theses tend to involve more writing than projects in the hard sciences. Yet all thesis writers may find the organizational strategies helpful.

Introduction

What is an honors thesis.

That depends quite a bit on your field of study. However, all honors theses have at least two things in common:

• They are based on students’ original research.
• They take the form of a written manuscript, which presents the findings of that research. In the humanities, theses average 50-75 pages in length and consist of two or more chapters. In the social sciences, the manuscript may be shorter, depending on whether the project involves more quantitative than qualitative research. In the hard sciences, the manuscript may be shorter still, often taking the form of a sophisticated laboratory report.

Who can write an honors thesis?

In general, students who are at the end of their junior year, have an overall 3.2 GPA, and meet their departmental requirements can write a senior thesis. For information about your eligibility, contact:

• UNC Honors Program
• Your departmental administrators of undergraduate studies/honors

Why write an honors thesis?

Satisfy your intellectual curiosity This is the most compelling reason to write a thesis. Whether it’s the short stories of Flannery O’Connor or the challenges of urban poverty, you’ve studied topics in college that really piqued your interest. Now’s your chance to follow your passions, explore further, and contribute some original ideas and research in your field.

Develop transferable skills Whether you choose to stay in your field of study or not, the process of developing and crafting a feasible research project will hone skills that will serve you well in almost any future job. After all, most jobs require some form of problem solving and oral and written communication. Writing an honors thesis requires that you:

• ask smart questions
• acquire the investigative instincts needed to find answers
• navigate libraries, laboratories, archives, databases, and other research venues
• develop the flexibility to redirect your research if your initial plan flops
• master the art of time management
• hone your argumentation skills
• organize a lengthy piece of writing
• polish your oral communication skills by presenting and defending your project to faculty and peers

Work closely with faculty mentors At large research universities like Carolina, you’ve likely taken classes where you barely got to know your instructor. Writing a thesis offers the opportunity to work one-on-one with a with faculty adviser. Such mentors can enrich your intellectual development and later serve as invaluable references for graduate school and employment.

Open windows into future professions An honors thesis will give you a taste of what it’s like to do research in your field. Even if you’re a sociology major, you may not really know what it’s like to be a sociologist. Writing a sociology thesis would open a window into that world. It also might help you decide whether to pursue that field in graduate school or in your future career.

How do you write an honors thesis?

Get an idea of what’s expected.

It’s a good idea to review some of the honors theses other students have submitted to get a sense of what an honors thesis might look like and what kinds of things might be appropriate topics. Look for examples from the previous year in the Carolina Digital Repository. You may also be able to find past theses collected in your major department or at the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library. Pay special attention to theses written by students who share your major.

Choose a topic

Ideally, you should start thinking about topics early in your junior year, so you can begin your research and writing quickly during your senior year. (Many departments require that you submit a proposal for an honors thesis project during the spring of your junior year.)

How should you choose a topic?

• Read widely in the fields that interest you. Make a habit of browsing professional journals to survey the “hot” areas of research and to familiarize yourself with your field’s stylistic conventions. (You’ll find the most recent issues of the major professional journals in the periodicals reading room on the first floor of Davis Library).
• Set up appointments to talk with faculty in your field. This is a good idea, since you’ll eventually need to select an advisor and a second reader. Faculty also can help you start narrowing down potential topics.
• Look at honors theses from the past. The North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library holds UNC honors theses. To get a sense of the typical scope of a thesis, take a look at a sampling from your field.

What makes a good topic?

• It’s fascinating. Above all, choose something that grips your imagination. If you don’t, the chances are good that you’ll struggle to finish.
• It’s doable. Even if a topic interests you, it won’t work out unless you have access to the materials you need to research it. Also be sure that your topic is narrow enough. Let’s take an example: Say you’re interested in the efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and early 1980s. That’s a big topic that probably can’t be adequately covered in a single thesis. You need to find a case study within that larger topic. For example, maybe you’re particularly interested in the states that did not ratify the ERA. Of those states, perhaps you’ll select North Carolina, since you’ll have ready access to local research materials. And maybe you want to focus primarily on the ERA’s opponents. Beyond that, maybe you’re particularly interested in female opponents of the ERA. Now you’ve got a much more manageable topic: Women in North Carolina Who Opposed the ERA in the 1970s and 1980s.
• It contains a question. There’s a big difference between having a topic and having a guiding research question. Taking the above topic, perhaps your main question is: Why did some women in North Carolina oppose the ERA? You will, of course, generate other questions: Who were the most outspoken opponents? White women? Middle-class women? How did they oppose the ERA? Public protests? Legislative petitions? etc. etc. Yet it’s good to start with a guiding question that will focus your research.

Goal-setting and time management

The senior year is an exceptionally busy time for college students. In addition to the usual load of courses and jobs, seniors have the daunting task of applying for jobs and/or graduate school. These demands are angst producing and time consuming If that scenario sounds familiar, don’t panic! Do start strategizing about how to make a time for your thesis. You may need to take a lighter course load or eliminate extracurricular activities. Even if the thesis is the only thing on your plate, you still need to make a systematic schedule for yourself. Most departments require that you take a class that guides you through the honors project, so deadlines likely will be set for you. Still, you should set your own goals for meeting those deadlines. Here are a few suggestions for goal setting and time management:

Start early. Keep in mind that many departments will require that you turn in your thesis sometime in early April, so don’t count on having the entire spring semester to finish your work. Ideally, you’ll start the research process the semester or summer before your senior year so that the writing process can begin early in the fall. Some goal-setting will be done for you if you are taking a required class that guides you through the honors project. But any substantive research project requires a clear timetable.

Set clear goals in making a timetable. Find out the final deadline for turning in your project to your department. Working backwards from that deadline, figure out how much time you can allow for the various stages of production.

Here is a sample timetable. Use it, however, with two caveats in mind:

• The timetable for your thesis might look very different depending on your departmental requirements.
• You may not wish to proceed through these stages in a linear fashion. You may want to revise chapter one before you write chapter two. Or you might want to write your introduction last, not first. This sample is designed simply to help you start thinking about how to customize your own schedule.

Sample timetable

Avoid falling into the trap of procrastination. Once you’ve set goals for yourself, stick to them! For some tips on how to do this, see our handout on procrastination .

Consistent production

It’s a good idea to try to squeeze in a bit of thesis work every day—even if it’s just fifteen minutes of journaling or brainstorming about your topic. Or maybe you’ll spend that fifteen minutes taking notes on a book. The important thing is to accomplish a bit of active production (i.e., putting words on paper) for your thesis every day. That way, you develop good writing habits that will help you keep your project moving forward.

Make yourself accountable to someone other than yourself

Since most of you will be taking a required thesis seminar, you will have deadlines. Yet you might want to form a writing group or enlist a peer reader, some person or people who can help you stick to your goals. Moreover, if your advisor encourages you to work mostly independently, don’t be afraid to ask them to set up periodic meetings at which you’ll turn in installments of your project.

Brainstorming and freewriting

One of the biggest challenges of a lengthy writing project is keeping the creative juices flowing. Here’s where freewriting can help. Try keeping a small notebook handy where you jot down stray ideas that pop into your head. Or schedule time to freewrite. You may find that such exercises “free” you up to articulate your argument and generate new ideas. Here are some questions to stimulate freewriting.

Questions for basic brainstorming at the beginning of your project:

• What do I already know about this topic?
• Why do I care about this topic?
• Why is this topic important to people other than myself
• What more do I want to learn about this topic?
• What is the main question that I am trying to answer?
• Where can I look for additional information?
• Who is my audience and how can I reach them?
• How will my work inform my larger field of study?
• What’s the main goal of my research project?

Questions for reflection throughout your project:

• What’s my main argument? How has it changed since I began the project?
• What’s the most important evidence that I have in support of my “big point”?
• What questions do my sources not answer?
• How does my case study inform or challenge my field writ large?
• Does my project reinforce or contradict noted scholars in my field? How?
• What is the most surprising finding of my research?
• What is the most frustrating part of this project?
• What is the most rewarding part of this project?
• What will be my work’s most important contribution?

Research and note-taking

In conducting research, you will need to find both primary sources (“firsthand” sources that come directly from the period/events/people you are studying) and secondary sources (“secondhand” sources that are filtered through the interpretations of experts in your field.) The nature of your research will vary tremendously, depending on what field you’re in. For some general suggestions on finding sources, consult the UNC Libraries tutorials . Whatever the exact nature of the research you’re conducting, you’ll be taking lots of notes and should reflect critically on how you do that. Too often it’s assumed that the research phase of a project involves very little substantive writing (i.e., writing that involves thinking). We sit down with our research materials and plunder them for basic facts and useful quotations. That mechanical type of information-recording is important. But a more thoughtful type of writing and analytical thinking is also essential at this stage. Some general guidelines for note-taking:

First of all, develop a research system. There are lots of ways to take and organize your notes. Whether you choose to use note cards, computer databases, or notebooks, follow two cardinal rules:

• Make careful distinctions between direct quotations and your paraphrasing! This is critical if you want to be sure to avoid accidentally plagiarizing someone else’s work. For more on this, see our handout on plagiarism .
• Record full citations for each source. Don’t get lazy here! It will be far more difficult to find the proper citation later than to write it down now.

Keeping those rules in mind, here’s a template for the types of information that your note cards/legal pad sheets/computer files should include for each of your sources:

Abbreviated subject heading: Include two or three words to remind you of what this sources is about (this shorthand categorization is essential for the later sorting of your sources).

Complete bibliographic citation:

• author, title, publisher, copyright date, and page numbers for published works
• box and folder numbers and document descriptions for archival sources
• complete web page title, author, address, and date accessed for online sources

Notes on facts, quotations, and arguments: Depending on the type of source you’re using, the content of your notes will vary. If, for example, you’re using US Census data, then you’ll mainly be writing down statistics and numbers. If you’re looking at someone else’s diary, you might jot down a number of quotations that illustrate the subject’s feelings and perspectives. If you’re looking at a secondary source, you’ll want to make note not just of factual information provided by the author but also of their key arguments.

Your interpretation of the source: This is the most important part of note-taking. Don’t just record facts. Go ahead and take a stab at interpreting them. As historians Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff insist, “A note is a thought.” So what do these thoughts entail? Ask yourself questions about the context and significance of each source.

Interpreting the context of a source:

• Who wrote/created the source?
• When, and under what circumstances, was it written/created?
• Why was it written/created? What was the agenda behind the source?
• How was it written/created?
• If using a secondary source: How does it speak to other scholarship in the field?

Interpreting the significance of a source:

• How does this source answer (or complicate) my guiding research questions?
• Does it pose new questions for my project? What are they?
• Does it challenge my fundamental argument? If so, how?
• Given the source’s context, how reliable is it?

You don’t need to answer all of these questions for each source, but you should set a goal of engaging in at least one or two sentences of thoughtful, interpretative writing for each source. If you do so, you’ll make much easier the next task that awaits you: drafting.

The dread of drafting

Why do we often dread drafting? We dread drafting because it requires synthesis, one of the more difficult forms of thinking and interpretation. If you’ve been free-writing and taking thoughtful notes during the research phase of your project, then the drafting should be far less painful. Here are some tips on how to get started:

Sort your “evidence” or research into analytical categories:

• Some people file note cards into categories.
• The technologically-oriented among us take notes using computer database programs that have built-in sorting mechanisms.
• Others cut and paste evidence into detailed outlines on their computer.
• Still others stack books, notes, and photocopies into topically-arranged piles.There is not a single right way, but this step—in some form or fashion—is essential!

If you’ve been forcing yourself to put subject headings on your notes as you go along, you’ll have generated a number of important analytical categories. Now, you need to refine those categories and sort your evidence. Everyone has a different “sorting style.”

Formulate working arguments for your entire thesis and individual chapters. Once you’ve sorted your evidence, you need to spend some time thinking about your project’s “big picture.” You need to be able to answer two questions in specific terms:

• What is the overall argument of my thesis?
• What are the sub-arguments of each chapter and how do they relate to my main argument?

Keep in mind that “working arguments” may change after you start writing. But a senior thesis is big and potentially unwieldy. If you leave this business of argument to chance, you may end up with a tangle of ideas. See our handout on arguments and handout on thesis statements for some general advice on formulating arguments.

Divide your thesis into manageable chunks. The surest road to frustration at this stage is getting obsessed with the big picture. What? Didn’t we just say that you needed to focus on the big picture? Yes, by all means, yes. You do need to focus on the big picture in order to get a conceptual handle on your project, but you also need to break your thesis down into manageable chunks of writing. For example, take a small stack of note cards and flesh them out on paper. Or write through one point on a chapter outline. Those small bits of prose will add up quickly.

Just start! Even if it’s not at the beginning. Are you having trouble writing those first few pages of your chapter? Sometimes the introduction is the toughest place to start. You should have a rough idea of your overall argument before you begin writing one of the main chapters, but you might find it easier to start writing in the middle of a chapter of somewhere other than word one. Grab hold where you evidence is strongest and your ideas are clearest.

Keep up the momentum! Assuming the first draft won’t be your last draft, try to get your thoughts on paper without spending too much time fussing over minor stylistic concerns. At the drafting stage, it’s all about getting those ideas on paper. Once that task is done, you can turn your attention to revising.

Peter Elbow, in Writing With Power, suggests that writing is difficult because it requires two conflicting tasks: creating and criticizing. While these two tasks are intimately intertwined, the drafting stage focuses on creating, while revising requires criticizing. If you leave your revising to the last minute, then you’ve left out a crucial stage of the writing process. See our handout for some general tips on revising . The challenges of revising an honors thesis may include:

Juggling feedback from multiple readers

A senior thesis may mark the first time that you have had to juggle feedback from a wide range of readers:

• your adviser
• a second (and sometimes third) faculty reader
• the professor and students in your honors thesis seminar

You may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of incorporating all this advice. Keep in mind that some advice is better than others. You will probably want to take most seriously the advice of your adviser since they carry the most weight in giving your project a stamp of approval. But sometimes your adviser may give you more advice than you can digest. If so, don’t be afraid to approach them—in a polite and cooperative spirit, of course—and ask for some help in prioritizing that advice. See our handout for some tips on getting and receiving feedback .

Refining your argument

It’s especially easy in writing a lengthy work to lose sight of your main ideas. So spend some time after you’ve drafted to go back and clarify your overall argument and the individual chapter arguments and make sure they match the evidence you present.

Organizing and reorganizing

Again, in writing a 50-75 page thesis, things can get jumbled. You may find it particularly helpful to make a “reverse outline” of each of your chapters. That will help you to see the big sections in your work and move things around so there’s a logical flow of ideas. See our handout on  organization  for more organizational suggestions and tips on making a reverse outline

Plugging in holes in your evidence

It’s unlikely that you anticipated everything you needed to look up before you drafted your thesis. Save some time at the revising stage to plug in the holes in your research. Make sure that you have both primary and secondary evidence to support and contextualize your main ideas.

Saving time for the small stuff

Even though your argument, evidence, and organization are most important, leave plenty of time to polish your prose. At this point, you’ve spent a very long time on your thesis. Don’t let minor blemishes (misspellings and incorrect grammar) distract your readers!

Formatting and final touches

You’re almost done! You’ve researched, drafted, and revised your thesis; now you need to take care of those pesky little formatting matters. An honors thesis should replicate—on a smaller scale—the appearance of a dissertation or master’s thesis. So, you need to include the “trappings” of a formal piece of academic work. For specific questions on formatting matters, check with your department to see if it has a style guide that you should use. For general formatting guidelines, consult the Graduate School’s Guide to Dissertations and Theses . Keeping in mind the caveat that you should always check with your department first about its stylistic guidelines, here’s a brief overview of the final “finishing touches” that you’ll need to put on your honors thesis:

• Honors Thesis
• Name of Department
• University of North Carolina
• These parts of the thesis will vary in format depending on whether your discipline uses MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago (also known in its shortened version as Turabian) style. Whichever style you’re using, stick to the rules and be consistent. It might be helpful to buy an appropriate style guide. Or consult the UNC LibrariesYear Citations/footnotes and works cited/reference pages  citation tutorial
• In addition, in the bottom left corner, you need to leave space for your adviser and faculty readers to sign their names. For example:

Approved by: _____________________

Adviser: Prof. Jane Doe

• This is not a required component of an honors thesis. However, if you want to thank particular librarians, archivists, interviewees, and advisers, here’s the place to do it. You should include an acknowledgments page if you received a grant from the university or an outside agency that supported your research. It’s a good idea to acknowledge folks who helped you with a major project, but do not feel the need to go overboard with copious and flowery expressions of gratitude. You can—and should—always write additional thank-you notes to people who gave you assistance.
• Formatted much like the table of contents.
• You’ll need to save this until the end, because it needs to reflect your final pagination. Once you’ve made all changes to the body of the thesis, then type up your table of contents with the titles of each section aligned on the left and the page numbers on which those sections begin flush right.
• Each page of your thesis needs a number, although not all page numbers are displayed. All pages that precede the first page of the main text (i.e., your introduction or chapter one) are numbered with small roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). All pages thereafter use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.).
• Your text should be double spaced (except, in some cases, long excerpts of quoted material), in a 12 point font and a standard font style (e.g., Times New Roman). An honors thesis isn’t the place to experiment with funky fonts—they won’t enhance your work, they’ll only distract your readers.
• In general, leave a one-inch inch margin on all sides. However, for the copy of your thesis that will be bound by the library, you need to leave a 1.25-inch margin on the left.

How do I defend my honors thesis?

Graciously, enthusiastically, and confidently. The term defense is scary and misleading—it conjures up images of a military exercise or an athletic maneuver. An academic defense ideally shouldn’t be a combative scene but a congenial conversation about the work’s merits and weaknesses. That said, the defense probably won’t be like the average conversation that you have with your friends. You’ll be the center of attention. And you may get some challenging questions. Thus, it’s a good idea to spend some time preparing yourself. First of all, you’ll want to prepare 5-10 minutes of opening comments. Here’s a good time to preempt some criticisms by frankly acknowledging what you think your work’s greatest strengths and weaknesses are. Then you may be asked some typical questions:

• What is the main argument of your thesis?
• How does it fit in with the work of Ms. Famous Scholar?
• Have you read the work of Mr. Important Author?

NOTE: Don’t get too flustered if you haven’t! Most scholars have their favorite authors and books and may bring one or more of them up, even if the person or book is only tangentially related to the topic at hand. Should you get this question, answer honestly and simply jot down the title or the author’s name for future reference. No one expects you to have read everything that’s out there.

• Why did you choose this particular case study to explore your topic?
• If you were to expand this project in graduate school, how would you do so?

Should you get some biting criticism of your work, try not to get defensive. Yes, this is a defense, but you’ll probably only fan the flames if you lose your cool. Keep in mind that all academic work has flaws or weaknesses, and you can be sure that your professors have received criticisms of their own work. It’s part of the academic enterprise. Accept criticism graciously and learn from it. If you receive criticism that is unfair, stand up for yourself confidently, but in a good spirit. Above all, try to have fun! A defense is a rare opportunity to have eminent scholars in your field focus on YOU and your ideas and work. And the defense marks the end of a long and arduous journey. You have every right to be proud of your accomplishments!

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Atchity, Kenneth. 1986. A Writer’s Time: A Guide to the Creative Process from Vision Through Revision . New York: W.W. Norton.

Barzun, Jacques, and Henry F. Graff. 2012. The Modern Researcher , 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Elbow, Peter. 1998. Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process . New York: Oxford University Press.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. 2014. “They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing , 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Lamott, Anne. 1994. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life . New York: Pantheon.

Lasch, Christopher. 2002. Plain Style: A Guide to Written English. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Turabian, Kate. 2018. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, Dissertations , 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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The Honors College

• Honors Thesis

All students wishing to graduate with University Honors from the Honors College must complete a minimum three-hour Honors College Thesis. These intense, individually designed and directed experiences demand a great deal of both the student and their thesis committee, but the rewards are just as great. As a smaller version of a master's thesis, this experience should immerse the students in the field they are researching and provide them an immediate and intimate engagement with the material they are studying.

"My Honors thesis is a challenge like no other. It's more than just a research project; it's an opportunity to apply everything I have learned as an undergrad at Appalachian State to do independent work of my own. It's a time when I find results and, instead of being told what this means, my advisor asks me, "What do you think this means? What do you expect to find?" It's a time when I set my own schedule, accomplish my own goals, and make myself proud. It has definitely been and will continue to be challenging, but I have the guidance of amazing professors at ASU. And all of the skills this thesis is developing will be incredibly useful for medical school next year: organization, accountability, dedication, and the ability to problem solve and think critically."   - Margo Pray  2013 Honors Graduate

Click here for steps to completing an Honors Thesis.

Click here to find examples of completed Honors Theses.

Click here to find forms for completing an Honors Thesis.

Click here to submit your thesis.

Types of Theses

Theses will vary depending on the discipline. In general, an honors thesis will take the form of a longer research paper or a more developed creative project. The scope and length of the work will fall somewhere between a typical capstone project and a master's thesis. Creative projects must include a written component of at least 10 pages describing the process and project in addition to a copy of the project itself (such as a recording, film, or set of images).

Honors College Thesis vs. Departmental Honors Thesis

It is possible to use the same thesis to satisfy both the Honors College and departmental honors graduation requirements, if students are pursuing both programs. The thesis must meet all University Honors thesis guidelines as well as the respective department’s requirements. Where conflicts appear, the student must check with both the department and Honors College for the acceptable format.

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Clark honors college menu, clark honors college, the thesis project.

As a CHC student, you will complete a thesis project during your fourth year. You will apply the critical thinking and communication skills you have learned in the CHC to explore ideas, problems, approaches, and practices in your field of study. We explain the significance of the thesis project and how the process works.

Thesis Project Overview

Thesis Project Checklist

Your Defense Term

Thesis Project FAQ

What is the thesis project?

Like climbing Mt. Hood, cooking a seven-course meal or writing a book of poetry, each thesis project is a unique accomplishment.

Through your thesis project, you can explore questions, solve problems, create a portfolio, conduct original research, write a business or marketing plan, or work with professors on an issue or project related to your own career goals.

Why should I do a thesis project?

An honors thesis project is valuable not only in and of itself, but also because of how you will grow, personally and academically, throughout the process.

Your thesis project will provide you with skills employers and graduate or professional schools value: the ability to manage projects, apply your knowledge, communicate complex ideas and work both independently and collaboratively. 

“It is okay to be non-traditional! The thesis I created was nothing like a classic research paper and at the beginning I had no idea that was even allowed.”

—Angela Pelky, Class of 2023, Computer Science

 How a thesis topic is born

“I wanted to find a project that allowed me to express myself creatively. I also do a lot of self reflection in my spare time and enjoy looking inward as a way of understanding the world around me. My primary thesis advisor was very adaptive and kind, encouraging me to identify a project that I would be thrilled to work on.”

—Calvin Warner, Environmental Studies, Class of 2023 The Impact of Casual Observation on Environmental Appreciation and Personal Wellbeing

“I kind of paved my own path with this thesis project. I was combining the fields of entrepreneurship and computer science, so I thought about valuable processes that applied to both fields. As part of computer science projects, you go through a multi-step process of defining requirements, designing those requirements, and finally testing them. I used these templates as a basis for my project.”

—Angela Pelky, Computer Science, Class of 2023 A Journey to Build a Dog Walking Application

“Lean into a topic or experience that you found fascinating, like study abroad, to get the most out of that one experience and make the thesis project slightly outside your typical realm - that difference will make your project more interesting and easier to work on through the year.”

—Grace Miyoshi, Journalism, Class of 2023 Monopponom as an emerging Japansese American craft: Creating a transcultural public relations plan

Three Steps to a Successful Thesis Project

Design your project.

It's never too early to start planning!

• Take HC 277 Thesis Orientation
• Develop an idea or a question around what inspires you in your field of study
• Identify a primary thesis advisor who agrees to be on your thesis committee
• Enroll in HC 477 Thesis Prospectus

Act on your ideas.

Since every student’s thesis project is unique, the precise steps involved in completing yours will be specific to you. You might:

• Perform lab or library research, collect data in the field, engage with the community, create artwork, design, compose, choreograph...
• Take independent study credits
• Apply for funding

No matter what, make sure you stay in close contact with your primary thesis advisor.

Share the results.

Communication is the critical path to completing your thesis project. Get ready to: 

• Write up your thesis project , which may also include performance, artwork, recordings, or other digital media
• Defend your thesis project  in a 20-30 minute oral presentation
• Participate in the optional but fun Three-Minute Thesis competition (watch the 2023 3MT competition )
• Archive your thesis project

How will I be supported in the thesis project?

► Field-specific expertise  and mentorship from your chosen Primary Thesis Advisor

► General support  through the thesis project from your CHC Representative

► Required courses  dedicated to planning: Thesis Orientation and Thesis Prospectus

► Starting sophomore year, general  academic advising  from your CHC Faculty Advisor

► A curriculum designed to strengthen your  research, analysis and communication skills

► Access to faculty and  funding opportunities  via CHC's  Mentored Research Program

► Option to join Writing in Community groups that build time and accountability into your schedule

► Option to take  independent research credits  that let you focus on your thesis project

► Dedicated  thesis resource staff  ready to answer your questions

“Schedule an appointment with a librarian at the beginning of your research. They have extensive knowledge of the best databases to utilize and can guide you in using search engines and filters to your advantage. This will maximize your efficiency and empower you to start your thesis journey with confidence.” ​​​​​

—Yessica Roldan, Human Physiology, Class of 2023 Nintedanib: A New Hope for Patients with Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

Thesis Resource Staff

Beyond your chosen thesis committee, the Clark Honors College also has dedicated staff to support you during your thesis process, from start to finish. 

Miriam Alexis Jordan CHC Academic and Thesis Programs Manager

Miriam Alexis Jordan  provides administrative and technical support on benchmarks and protocols as you progress through the academic and thesis process toward graduation. She believes in the importance of a liberal arts education (and lifelong learning) and is committed to your student success. When you are ready to begin the thesis process, Miriam is your guide.

Email :  [email protected] Phone : 541-346-2511

Cecilia Justina CHC Undergraduate Program Assistant

Cecilia Justina  provides support for formatting your thesis document. She can review thesis drafts at least 10 days prior to your defense date and provide feedback for corrections to be made after your defense. She is available to answer any questions about thesis formatting at her Spring term office hours, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m in Chapman 124.

Research Help at UO Libraries

Jeffrey Staiger is the Library Liaison for the Clark Honors College and the Humanities Librarian for the University of Oregon Libraries. Jeffrey is a research specialist who can answer any questions regarding the library or your research projects, as well as to connect you with other library services. UO Libraries has specific librarians to support research in most of the academic disciplines studied at the university. View a complete list of subject and area librarians on the library website. 

Email :  [email protected] Phone : 541-346-1897

More questions about the thesis project?

We've got answers. Students should read the Frequently Asked Questions about the CHC Thesis Project. If you are a Primary Thesis Advisor or a CHC Representative, find helpful information below. 

Primary Thesis Advisor Handbook

Committee Roles and Responsibilities

Honors Thesis

The honors thesis is an opportunity to undertake original thinking and to work closely with faculty members on advanced research topics or creative endeavors.

The Honors Thesis is a substantial study of a carefully defined question or problem that’s important to you. This problem may be critical, experimental, applied, or creative in nature.

Every Honors Thesis will take the form of a written document that demonstrates critical thinking, a mastery of disciplinary material, and the communication of complex ideas. For the Creative Portfolio, your document will be accompanied by an artifact such as a musical score, film, computer program, or invention that embodies the work done for the thesis. The completion of an honors thesis concludes with a final presentation.

Why do an Honors Thesis?

The Honors Thesis is a comprehensive effort of original scholarship and is the culminating experience of your Commonwealth Honors College academic journey. 

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Senior Thesis

The Honors College senior thesis is a remarkable opportunity unlike any other at the University of South Carolina. Although the thesis is a requirement for graduation from the South Carolina Honors College, we encourage you to consider it an opportunity to express the quality of your intellectual development and draw your undergraduate learning experiences together. 

What Is the Senior Thesis?

The senior thesis is designed to be the culminating experience of a student’s career at South Carolina Honors College. It is a chance for students to ask and answer meaningful questions about the natural world, social or political systems, history and culture, artistic expression, the creative process, or the application of knowledge to specific challenges. Students are free to choose their thesis topics and may elect to write a thesis or complete a project outside their majors. Students who must complete a thesis or capstone project related to their major course of study (e.g., students in the College of Engineering and Computing) will submit this project for their Honors thesis. 

Students can opt to complete either a research-based or project-based thesis:

Research Thesis

A traditional research thesis is an extended original project designed to answer a question of interest to the student. Some common research aims might include interpreting and comparing primary texts; constructing and testing models that reflect theories of human behavior, social or political systems, or the natural world; making human action, symbols and communication intelligible at the individual and collective levels; exploring how social meanings are constructed; and evaluating current practices and suggesting more effective ones (see Lipson’s How to Write a BA Thesis , 2018).

A project-based thesis might be a creative endeavor, such as original artwork, performance, novella or volume of poetry. Alternatively, students might pursue an applied project, such as developing a business plan, an app, informational pieces for a community organization, a podcast series or a video game, among others.

Benefits of Completing a Senior Thesis

Whether students complete a research-based thesis or a creative or applied project, we believe engaging in this type of work helps students develop an array of skills, many of which are highly valued by employers. These skills include creative and critical thinking, analysis and interpretation, complex problem solving, written communication, effective use of information and the ability to integrate and apply knowledge across contexts.

Examples of Recent Thesis Projects

Challenge the conventional. create the exceptional. no limits..

The Honors Thesis is an in-depth capstone experience, required of all honors scholars, to provide them with opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of their major disciplines, closer intellectual interaction with faculty members and well-rounded preparation for their career goals. Honors scholars use primary literature, data gathering, artistic or technological approaches in their disciplines to produce a year-long, sustained research or creative experience. The quality of the thesis is essentially the result of scholarly diligence, faculty mentor oversight and thesis readers suggestions.

The Directors of the different Honors Programs at ETSU can answer many questions about the Honors thesis, as can the Coordinators of the different Honors-in-Discipline programs.

Exemplary Studies

Enrolling in Thesis Hours

Thesis Contract Form

Thesis Process

Thesis Format

Bound Thesis

Information for Thesis Mentors

Major Code BS1972*

Honors Tutorial College     35 Park Place Athens, OH 45701 Phone: 740.593.2723 [email protected] www.ohio.edu/honors/tutorial-college

Victoria LaPoe, director of studies/contact person [email protected]

Program Overview

The HTC program in Journalism offers exceptional students the opportunity to study the many aspects of journalism and mass communication in small groups and one-on-one relationships with our school’s faculty members. Maximum opportunities will be afforded for the student to progress well beyond the material found in conventional courses. The primary purpose of the tutorial program is to prepare students for a professional career while at the same time serving as preparation for graduate study. Students will receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the Honors Tutorial College. The HTC Journalism program satisfies the accreditation standards of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Students in the HTC Journalism program typically follow one of the two main tracks in journalism, the news and information track or the strategic communication track.

Eight tutorials in Journalism are required, including two thesis tutorials. To allow maximum flexibility, tutorials can vary between 1 and 15 hours per semester, though non-thesis tutorials are usually taken for a minimum of 3 hours and thesis tutorials for a minimum of 5 hours. Students must also complete regular journalism courses, liberal arts requirements, and a specialization. Honors Tutorial students are required to enroll in a minimum of 15 hours per semester.

Students in the HTC Journalism program will be prepared to 1. achieve a sophisticated understanding of their discipline and profession via conceptual and skills classes, labs, and tutorials, 2. pursue original, independent research and journalistic creative activity by completing pertinent assignments, participating in applicable projects, and working on the honors thesis, and 3. develop a professional work ethic and responsibility through ethics training, tutorials, group work, and the honors thesis. These goals are assessed continuously throughout the program.

*This program was previously BJ1923 which awarded the Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree. Pending Board of Trustees approval (anticipated June 2024), the new program code will be BS1972 and will award the Bachelor of Science effective the 2024-25 catalog year.

Honors Thesis

Students are required to complete an honors thesis, investigating a problem of concern to both scholars and practitioners. Due to the professional orientation of journalism, the thesis can either be a scholarly piece or a professional project. As a rule, the thesis should be somewhere between 50 and 80 pages long or an adequate, agreed-upon length for the professional project (including a 25-page-long scholarly essay). The thesis committee is usually composed of the thesis adviser and the director of studies, who will monitor the thesis work. Its acceptance, dependent upon an appropriate mixture of research and analysis, relies upon the judgment of the thesis adviser and the director of studies. Additionally, it must be approved by the dean of the Honors Tutorial College.

Admissions Information

Freshman/first-year admission.

Students are selected by the director of studies of the journalism tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College on the basis of superior academic ability and the potential for self-motivated study and research. Applicants typically are required to submit additional essays, and an interview with the director of studies is required for admission. More information, including materials and deadlines, is available at www.ohio.edu/honors/tutorial-college/apply . Recommendations from two high school teachers are optional but highly recommended. Portfolios with writing samples and/or broadcast or multimedia productions are strongly encouraged (showcasing students’ writing abilities and experience with journalism and mass media). 

Change of Program Policy

First-year students at Ohio University may apply to transfer in to the journalism tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering freshmen. 

External Transfer Admission

First-year students at another institution may also apply to transfer in to the journalism tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering freshmen. 

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Most students graduating from the program will work in the field of journalism, mass communication, PR, or advertising, and related fields. Journalism graduates are often hired into other jobs, as well, due to their general abilities (critical thinking, writing skills, analytical facilities, computer literacy, etc.). The Bachelor degree in journalism is also a great preparation for graduate school. Students may apply for graduate school in journalism or related fields, including law school, business school, and political science. HTC Journalism and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism have an outstanding record of post-graduation job placement.

Requirements

Major hours requirement.

Ohio University requires completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours for conferral of a bachelor’s degree. However, the Journalism major offered through the Honors Tutorial College requires a minimum of 126 semester hours. 

HTC Grade Requirements

Earn at least 120 semester hours and maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher overall.

University English Composition Requirement

Complete one Written Communication course ( ENG 1510   ) and one Advanced Writing course (FAW).

Quantitative Skills Requirement

Complete the University’s Quantitative Reasoning Requirement. More information can be found by viewing the OHIO BRICKS    page (see Quantitative Reasoning heading within “Foundations Requirements”).

HTC Seminar

First-year students must complete the following course:

• HC 2500 - Honors Seminar Credit Hours: 3

Transfer students

Transfer students may substitute an HC special topics seminar for their HC 2500 requirement.

Journalism HTC Tutorials

Core tutorials.

Complete two core tutorials: One tutorial on communication law and one on media ethics.

• JOUR 2970T - Journalism Tutorial (Core Tutorial) Credit Hours: 1 - 15
• JOUR 2971T - Journalism Tutorial (Core Tutorial) Credit Hours: 1 - 15

Advanced Tutorials

Complete two advanced tutorials: One tutorial on skills/specialized journalism issues and one tutorial on topics, concepts, and theories in journalism.

• JOUR 2980T - Journalism Tutorial (Core Tutorial) Credit Hours: 1 - 15
• JOUR 2981T - Journalism Tutorial Credit Hours: 1 - 15

Research Tutorial

Complete two research tutorials to prepare for the thesis project: One tutorial on theories, methods, or history in journalism and one group tutorial to prepare your prospectus.

• JOUR 3970T - Journalism Tutorial (Advanced Tutorial) Credit Hours: 1 - 15
• JOUR 3980T - Journalism Tutorial (Research) Credit Hours: 1 - 15

Thesis Tutorials

Complete two thesis tutorials during the final year of study focused on the development and completion of an advisor- and director of studies-approved thesis or professional project:

• JOUR 4970T - Journalism Tutorial (Thesis Tutorial) Credit Hours: 1 - 15
• JOUR 4980T - Journalism Tutorial (Thesis Tutorial) Credit Hours: 1 - 15

HTC Journalism Thesis Requirement

Complete an advisor or director of studies approved thesis or professional project.

A scholarly thesis may focus on theoretical/conceptual research, investigate empirical issues, or combine the two; it may also include qualitative and/or quantitative research. It should be a product of sustained research on a specific subject and reflect the academic and professional expectations and standards of our discipline. It should also include some conceptual and ethical reflections on the process, showing how concepts and methods were applied and used in the work, and discussing the challenges, obstacles, and benefits of the process.

A professional project should be a substantial piece of journalistic work in the news and information track or in the strategic communication track, such as a series of in-depth magazine articles, a TV/radio documentary, a PR kit, an ad campaign, or marketing plan. It must include a scholarly essay of 25 pages minimum on theories, methods, concepts, developments, experiences and open questions etc., pertaining to the project. The essay must also addresses ethical questions and specific challenges of the project, such as conflict of interest, journalistic ethics, etc.

Journalism Core Courses

Complete one core course from each option:

• JOUR 1010 - The Future of Media Credit Hours: 3
• JOUR 1050 - Introduction to Mass Communication Credit Hours: 3

or, if approved by the director of studies, one of the following conceptual journalism courses:

• JOUR 4130 - Gender, Race, and Class in Journalism and Mass Media Credit Hours: 3
• JOUR 4230 - International and Cross-Cultural Advertising Credit Hours: 3
• JOUR 4630 - Media and Conflicts Credit Hours: 3
• JOUR 4660 - International Mass Media Credit Hours: 3
• JOUR 2311 - Introduction to Multiplatform Reporting and Writing Credit Hours: 3

Journalism Professional and Conceptural Courses

You are also expected to take the independent study  JOUR 4930    (at least 1 hour) as introduction in the fall of your first year and an appropriate number of advisor-approved electives in journalism, at a minimum of three journalism courses, typically in your track (news and information track or strategic communication track).

General Education/Liberal Arts Requirement

Complete a total of 48 hours (16 courses) with at least four courses (12 hours) taken at the 3000-level or higher.

Complete one course in each of the following areas:

• African-American Studies or Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; 3 hours)
• Economics or business (ECON, MKT, BUSL, MGT, FIN, MIS; 3 hours)
• Logic/argumentation (typically PHIL 1200   ; 3 hours)
• Statistics ( COMS 3520   ,  ECON 3810   ,  MATH 2500   ,  PSY 1110   , or  SOC 3500   ; 3 hours)

Complete two courses in the following area:

• Foreign or Sign Language (6 hours in same language; may be fulfilled if student demonstrates proficiency at the 3000-level or higher)

Complete ten elective courses in Liberal Arts:

• Take ten courses (at least 30 hours) from at least three different departments (except JOUR, MDIA, and VICO) as advised by the DOS.

Area of Specialization

Students must declare a Minor or Certificate Program, or create an advisor approved, minimum 15-hour, group of related courses.

Complete an advisor-approved journalism internship (minimum of 200 hours).

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Characterization of Physical Activity Levels and Modes in College-age Native American Adults

Add to collection, downloadable content.

• Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Exercise and Sport Science
• The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical activity (PA) practices of college-aged Native American (NA) adults. Seventy-seven NA adults (18-24 yrs) completed an electronic survey and reported 196.7±303.8 min/wk of PA. However, only 42% achieved the CDC-recommended PA level for moderate and/or vigorous activity. The most common modes of PA were walking (69%), dance (41%), and aerobics (40%). There was no significant difference in total PA between individuals living in different environments (e.g., on reservation, on campus) (p=0.388-0.569), between participants of different tribal regions (p=0.461-0.503), or between varying levels of income (p=0.614) or educational attainment (p=0.825). Environment significantly influenced dance min/wk and 69% of participants reported PA was emphasized in their cultural practices. With more than 50% of participants not meeting PA guidelines, these findings support the need to develop interventions that incorporate a cultural component (e.g., traditional dance) to improve PA participation in college-age Native adults.
• American Indian
• Kinesiology
• Young Adult
• https://doi.org/10.17615/qb1m-7k03
• Masters Thesis
• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• Blue, Malia N.M.
• Kerr, Zachary Y
• Adkins, Qua L
• Master of Arts
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School

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