Writing a Senior Thesis for Honors in Science, Technology and Society
A senior thesis is a major research project that begins in the spring of junior year, with enrollment in STSC 420, continues through the summer with research, and is completed in the fall of senior year with completion of the thesis in December. The final project is a scholarly paper of 50-80 pages (12,000-25,000 words) in length. Students present their projects to the STSC majors at the Senior Symposium in March of senior year.
Many students seem to think that if they have done well in the major so far, they should apply for honors, because that's what good students do. However, an honors thesis involves a commitment of an entirely different order of magnitude than other projects. Successful honors theses demand mentorship and advance planning far in excess of anything required by other research projects. Most importantly, they require an investment and commitment in the topic that can sustain the student through months of research, writing, and frustration (as well as satisfaction!)
After many years of supervising honors theses--both successful and, well, not quite so successful--our advice would be something along these lines: you don't choose a thesis, a thesis chooses you. If there is a project or a topic that you have been thinking about already, and can't shake--something that has grabbed hold of you and won't let go--and you have (or will have) a solid advising structure in place, go for it. We will support you 100%.
If you think you'd like to graduate with honors, but don't have a clear idea of a topic or project that you are fully committed to, you might want to think twice about pursuing a thesis. Topics that come together late, with a late or incomplete support structure, tend to result in theses that create huge headaches for everyone involved. The term "honors" can be misleading: some of our most outstanding students don't graduate with honors (because for various reasons they choose not to write theses), and some majors who write excellent honors theses don't have the highest GPAs in the major.
What does writing a senior thesis entail?
1) writing a project proposal with supervision of your faculty advisor ( the first version due in June, and the next version due in October)
2) summer research - existing literature and new material
3) IRB approval if research with human subjects is involved
4) a schedule for completion by the end of the fall term
5) the thesis itself (50-80 pages)
6) presentation and attendance at Senior Symposium in the spring
If you choose to do a senior thesis for honors in the major, you must get the approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator and the Program Director.
You must have
- Cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better
- STSC GPA of 3.50
- A grade of B+ or better on an independent research paper
The requirements are
- Approval of Instructor of 420
- Faculty supervisor for the project
- Submission of preliminary application and plan for summer research (May 23)
- Application for final approval by STSC director and coordinator (October 1)
- STSC 420* (spring of junior year)
- STSC 498 (fall of senior year)
- Presentation of research at Senior Symposium (April)
- Attendance at all Senior Symposium presentations
*The first semester of the thesis, STSC 420, fulfills the Capstone requirement. An STSC major with honors requires fifteen (15) credits including STSC 498.
