Theses Project

Important Dates & Recommended Timeline

Sophomore Year

• Spring term: begin considering topics; ideally you will narrow your possibilities to 3-4 by end of term

Junior Year

• Fall term: enroll in HNR 325, the Thesis Orientation seminar; continue working on topic refinement and research design and also complete a thesis proposal by end of term
• Winter term: thesis proposal vetted by Faculty Senate Honors Committee (either in January or February)
• Spring term: enroll in HNR 351, the Thesis Development seminar; also continue research; complete an outline, timeline, and expanded annotations; and begin writing a key section of the thesis (often the literature review)

Senior Year

• Fall term: continue drafting your thesis chapters
• Fall term:  thesis checkpoint #1, required to preserve winter scholarship
• Winter term:  continue drafting; ideally submit some chapters to advisor for feedback
• Winter term:  take HNR 378, Honors Thesis/Senior Project, in either your final or second-to-last term  
• Winter term:  thesis checkpoint #2, required to preserve spring scholarship
• Late April:  near-complete draft submitted to thesis advisor(s); thesis title also submitted to Honors Director for inclusion in Commencement Program
• Early May:  thesis title and graduation information submitted to Honors Director for inclusion in Commencement Program
• May:  revise and resubmit draft to thesis advisor(s)
• Early June:  final revisions
• Mid June:  Commencement
• June 25:  camera-ready copy submitted to Honors Director for digital publication

This timeline is designed for a student who begins the thesis process in fall term of their junior year and completes the project — and graduates — 18 months later, in June.  Students who are graduating mid-year should adjust the timeline accordingly.  

Important Note on Commencement & thesis completion:  students can finish their thesis later than the June Commencement. Those students can still walk during Commencement.  However, if you wish to be designated a spring graduate, you must adhere to the schedule above, finishing everything by June 25th.  The registrar switches over to “summer” grad designations soon after that.  To repeat, to be considered a spring grad, June 25th is your thesis completion deadline.