HONORS THESIS GUIDELINES, from the Committee on Undergraduate Honors

Overview

The Senior Honors Thesis is, in most cases, a two-semester project completed under the supervision of a faculty mentor and is the culmination of your college experience, emphasizing critical thinking, writing, and independent work. Your thesis may or may not relate to your major. You are encouraged to select a topic that you find exciting and satisfying, and that will allow you to be creative. Most students write a thesis in their senior year, though it may be possible for upper juniors to enroll. 

Why write a thesis

 Completing an Honors Thesis is an opportunity to:

• Satisfy your intellectual curiosity
• Develop transferable skills
• Work closely with faculty mentors
• Open windows into future professions
• Be eligible to graduate with disciplinary honors on your diploma
• Serve as a capstone for BA majors (highly recommended)
• Help prepare you for an advanced (masters, doctoral, or professional) degree.

Thesis Eligibility

In order to pursue an honors thesis project, a student must have:

• 3.5 GPA in the discipline in which the thesis will be completed. 
• 3.5 cumulative GPA.
• Approval of proposed thesis mentor, department honors coordinator/committee, and Chair of College Committee on Undergraduate Honors.

Next steps to write a thesis

• See the thesis application and guidelines. The proposal will include your objectives, research procedures, and a short bibliography of relevant work.
• Deadlines: The proposal must be submitted to the Chair of the College Committee on Undergraduate Honors committee by April 1^st for a project starting in the fall semester or November 1^st for a project starting in the spring semester.
• The prospectus must be approved by your mentor, department chair, and the Committee on Undergraduate Honors.  The Committee on Undergraduate Honors reserves the privilege of recommending changes in the thesis proposal.  Students must not commence work until the proposal has been given full approval. 

Thesis resources

• If you are thinking of writing an honors thesis, please contact David Rosenberg, Chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Honors one full semester prior to the anticipated start date.
• Designed for Sophomores, the Inquiry Scholar program helps students begin the thesis process, such as how to find a faculty mentor and select courses that will prepare you to successfully complete a thesis.  Information sessions on writing a thesis are offered each fall and spring semester by the Honors Program and Committee on Undergraduate Honors
• For guidance on writing a prospectus and selecting a mentor, please see Charles Lipson’s How to Write a BA Thesis: A Practical Guide from your First ideas to your Finished Paper, available as an e-book through Baruch’s library. 
• Complete guide for information on content, format, grading, resources, and review process is found in the library’s Thesis Guide.