Departmental Thesis Requirements
Potential thesis options in the Department of Communication include, but are not limited to, the following:
Long-form research paper of 15 pages or more, double spaced.
- Examples include, but are not limited to, rhetorical analyses, case study analyses, and theoretical applications
Applied or creative projects which include a 5-10 page, double spaced, explanation of the author's process, theory, method.
- Examples include, but are not limited to, a piece of journalism, multimedia production, or a client-driven strategic communication project.
Each academic department submits the specific requirements that must be met for a successful Honors thesis in its respective major. If you are seeking more information on your department’s thesis requirements, please contact your Departmental Honors Liaison and/or the Honors Thesis Team in the Honors College.
Faculty Thesis Mentors
Tenure- or career-line faculty in the Department of Communication will serve as
mentors for undergraduate theses. In rare circumstances, a graduate student,
post-doctoral fellow, or adjunct faculty member may co-mentor a student with a
tenure- or career-line faculty member.
If a faculty member leaves, the student will meet with the Department Honors
Liaison to determine who can resume the role of Faculty Thesis Mentor. This
may result in having more than one faculty member serve as the mentor.
Collaborative Theses
Some theses may benefit from a collaborative project between two or more Honors students working together. In such circumstances, each student must submit their own thesis. In addition, each student must also provide one of the following explanations that accompanies each individual thesis:
For creative, applied, or journalism projects, a 7-12 page document, double spaced, explaining their personal contribution to the project, as well as the process, theory, and method.
For research-based or long-form theses, a clear identification regarding which portions were completed individually, which portions were completed together, and A 4-6 page, double-spaced, explanation of how the collaboration functioned.
Joint Thesis
It is recommended that theses must be completed within one major. However, if thesis
mentors in both departments are willing to work together with a student, and create a
contract to ensure that the student completes the thesis expectations of both majors,
then the Department permits for a joint thesis.
How does the Honors Thesis relate to other aspects of the major, like a Capstone Project?
The Honors thesis satisfies a student's major capstone requirement.
Prior to pursuing the thesis project, students are strongly encouraged to complete two required courses within their major emphasis: a writing course (CW), a research methods course (QI or DI).
Students are also encouraged to take the required 5000-level courses that support exploration of topics related to their thesis interests.
Additional information for students
Within the Department of Communication, we have many classes that are taught by adjunct and graduate student instructors. Because the Department requires students to work with a career- or tenure-line thesis mentor, students are strongly encouraged to select courses, when possible, that are taught by career- or tenure-line faculty. Students can determine an instructor's status by viewing the instructor's name on the course schedule which will identify their status.