Thesis Seminar

You may initiate your Honors Thesis through a one- or two-semester Thesis Seminar.

The Thesis Seminar provides a structured framework, giving you the opportunity to work alongside fellow Honors College students as you develop your proposal and your Honors Thesis, as well as orally present the work within the class or at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference, or otherwise determined by the instructor. The format of the Honors Thesis will be similar to that required for the Individually Contracted Honors approach, but the exact requirements will be specified in the syllabus for the Thesis Seminar.

Link(s)

• Current Honors Seminar Course Descriptions

Honors Thesis Formats

Creative Portfolio

The Creative Portfolio format involves a written document coupled with a creative artifact, such as a performance, musical score, architectural project, engineering invention, screenplay, business case study, collection of original poetry, or art exhibition.

Research Manuscript

The Research Manuscript is the customary format for presenting extended investigation and research.

Final Presentation

The final presentation for a Thesis Seminar usually takes the form of a presentation to the entire class or at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference. The instructor will indicate the specific presentation format and expectations.

Credits and Scheduling

All Thesis Seminars are small courses focused on exploring a specific topic in a classroom setting with other Honors Thesis students. Seminars are graded by the course instructor; you do NOT have to submit a thesis proposal on CHC PATHS, but you will have to submit your final thesis document via PATHS.

The Honors Thesis is traditionally completed over two semesters in the senior year, divided into two 499 Thesis Seminar courses of 3+ credits each, informally referred to as Honors Thesis Part 1 and Honors Thesis Part 2. In the first semester (Honors Thesis Part 1), you will develop the Honors Thesis proposal. In the second semester (Honors Thesis Part 2), you will complete the Honors Thesis. You will find the Thesis Seminar course descriptions online in the Honors Course Guide.

Registration

You can register for most Thesis Seminars directly on SPIRE. Occasionally, you might need to get the instructor’s permission beforehand. You will find this information noted in the course descriptions online in the Honors Course Guide.