First Thesis Workshop Sets the Framework for Your Thesis

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Advisors from the Commonwealth Honors College Bloom Honors Advising Center led a virtual information session on Tuesday, September 27 to explain how students should prepare for their Honors Thesis. Over 60 students joined the Zoom meeting and heard from director of advising Dominick Usher and associate dean for curriculum and academic oversight Elena Carbone about taking the first steps for planning their thesis.

The Honors Thesis is an opportunity for students to study a question or problem important to them, collaborating with UMass faculty to gain relevant research experience or develop a creative project related to their interests.

Usher encouraged students to view their thesis as a passion project.

If this wasn't a requirement, [pursue] something that you want to explore and learn more about, regardless.

Director of Advising Dominick Usher

Students can complete their thesis within the structure of an Honors Thesis Seminar, meeting regularly with Honors faculty and a group of peers to stay on track. Professors who teach the thesis seminar select an area of study for their class to focus on, and enrolled students must identify their own research topic relating to this theme. Usher said that space in seminars is limited, as the university generally offers 18 to 20 sections of the seminar, with only 15 seats available per class.

“It would be a good idea for you to be considering an alternative plan in the event that you don't get into the seminar that you hope,” said Usher.

Students can also pursue an individually contracted thesis, partnering with a thesis committee to study a self-developed research question. Students form their thesis committee by asking faculty members to advise their project, and Usher encouraged listeners to consider this process when developing relationships with their professors.

“If you don't have connections within the departments and know who to reach out to, you can also check the different department websites and look at faculty profiles to see what kind of research they have been engaged in,” Usher said. “That could be a good place to start this exploration.”

Professors are not the only resource available to students. Usher and Carbone encouraged students to seek help from the Honors writing coach throughout the research and writing process. Students can also apply to grants and scholarships to fund their thesis via CHCPATHS, AcademicWorks, and the Office of National Scholarship Advisement.

Carbone closed out the meeting with a final idea for how to approach the thesis.
Image of Elena Carbone, Associate Dean of Curriculum and Academic Oversight

Think of this as an opportunity for you to explore something you're really interested in, or a question that you've had, or a topic or something that you just haven't had an opportunity to do a deep dive into.

Associate Dean for Curriculum and Academic Oversight Elena Carbone

As students continue diving into their thesis project, they can attend another virtual information session on October 25, which will feature a student panel, including panelists who have already completed their thesis. Registration is available online.