Your first formal thesis-related deadline is for your Thesis Registration, which is due by the end of your third year. You are ready to submit your Thesis Registration when you have identified a faculty thesis mentor and a thesis topic, and these have been informally approved by your mentor and your DHL.
The Thesis Registration Process
Before submitting the Registration, you should have been in conversation with your faculty thesis mentor and agreed on a topic, and your DHL should have informally approved the mentor and topic as well. The Thesis Registration process is as follows:
- The student completes the online Thesis Registration Form
- The submission is sent to the faculty thesis mentor for official approval
- Once approved by the mentor, the submission is sent to the DHL for official approval
- Once approved by the DHL, the student, mentor, and DHL receive an email notifying them of Thesis Registration approval
If edits are required at any stage, the student is notified of the need to revise and resubmit the Registration.
Thesis Registration Deadline
Students are expected to submit a Thesis Registration by the end of their third year (by Reading Day). This timeline is strongly recommended to ensure adequate time for thesis completion.
Missing this deadline does not necessarily prevent a student from completing an Honors thesis. However, students who have missed the deadline should urgently contact their DHL and us at [email protected] to ensure progress towards the Honors degree.
A small number of majors follow a different timeline for thesis registration. Students in these majors will find their major-specific thesis registration deadline in department's requirements and are encouraged to contact [email protected] with any questions.
Thesis Registration FAQs
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Some majors have separate additional requirements for a thesis proposal, and students should follow major-specific guidelines and timelines for these, in addition to submitting the Thesis Registration required by the Honors College by the end of Year Three. Check the thesis requirements for your major and/or contact your Department Honors Liaison to learn more about major-specific proposal expectations.
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No problem. We know that a very small number of departments want students to wait until early in Year Four to establish a mentor and a thesis topic. In these cases, make sure you stay engaged in the Year Three Learning Community until you complete Thesis Registration process. Remember that you must complete this process by Reading Day for graduation the following spring.
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This line will only be cleared once you have submitted your approved final thesis. This will happen shortly prior to graduation. Unfortunately, because of this, you will inevitably get scary sounding emails from the registrar saying you are not on track for graduation. Rest assured that, as long as you turn in your thesis, this line will be cleared and won't stand in your way!