Honors Thesis

Commonwealth Honors College students at graduation at the Bromery Center for the Arts at the University of Massachusetts

Ready to Go for the Gold?

The Honors Thesis is an opportunity to undertake original thinking and to work closely with faculty members on advanced research topics or creative endeavors. This substantial study of a carefully defined question or problem should be about a topic 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. Your work on your Honors Thesis shows you can find solutions to challenges and finish a major project. This looks great on a resume and can really help when you're applying to jobs or graduate school.

Community stories

Edridge Souza

Identifying Molecular Signatures

It isn’t often that a student has a clear idea of the path they will take to pursue their goals before entering college; for many, it can take years to figure out what they are passionate about. Edridge D’Souza is an exception.
Learn more about Edridge’s journey
Ashley Everson

The Amy Garveys

Building a relationship with a mentor helped Ashley pursue a multidisciplinary Honors Thesis.
Learn more about Ashley’s experience
Hadiya Williams

Black Health Inequality in the United States

Hadiya’s thesis project was the key to changing her career goals.
Learn more about Hadiya’s thesis
Garrett Sager

Queer & Now: Sync or Swim

Garrett created a theater piece, “Queer & Now: Sync or Swim,” for his Honors Thesis Project.
Learn more about Garrett’s theater piece
A photo of audience members at a lecture at UMass Amherst

Integrate Everything You Have Learned

The completion of an Honors Thesis concludes with a final presentation. You will find that the work on your Honors Thesis will be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in your college career. It is an opportunity to integrate your academic interests and skills as part of a deep investigation of an idea of your choice.
A group of people performing a dance

Expand Your Intellectual Curiosity

Exploring your own ideas will give you the opportunity to gain original insights into a topic you care about and learn how to articulate and convey these perceptions to others.
A student showing a screen alongside a self-driving car project

Sharpen Your Research and Analytical Skills

Working on a lengthy project will require you to draw upon and apply the skills that you have been developing during your academic journey. As you extend your knowledge base, you should start to become an expert in your field.
A professor teaching a class

Work Closely with Faculty Members

The Honors Thesis process is an invaluable opportunity to grow intellectually while pursuing an in-depth exploration of your academic interests with a faculty member of your choice. As in graduate school, it is likely that you will develop enduring ties with this mentor.
Student presenting and collaborating with audience at the MassURC 2024

Develop Transferable Skills

Learning how to sustain an intellectual exploration involves time management, the facility to develop and revise your ideas, the discipline to support and sustain your reasoning, and the ability to make a public presentation.
Recently graduated students walk up the stairs by the Mullins Center

Build a Bridge to Your Future

Completing the Honors Thesis is the culmination of your college journey and the launch of your future career. Your thesis demonstrates your aptitude for sustained effort and multidimensional problem solving, which increases your competitiveness on the job market and for graduate school.