Departmental Thesis Requirements

We consider a range of formats for honors thesis projects, including, but not limited to, scholarly literature reviews of single or multiple topic(s); data driven projects that use theory to test scientific hypotheses; collaborative research projects whereby the honor’s student is individually responsible for submitting their own scholarly write-up of the collaborative work; creative scholarly products such as museum exhibits, videos/documentaries, poetry collections, creative-nonfiction, dance performances, etc. Additional formats will be considered. Nevertheless, for a traditional research project, which includes a literature review, gathering and processing data, and a discussion of results, 25-35 pages, not including notes, is common.

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

Any career-line and tenure-line faculty can serve as faculty mentors. If a faculty mentor leaves the university before the thesis is complete, ENVST allows completion of the thesis under the same mentor. If they will not, a suitable faculty mentor will be selected.

Joint Thesis

Joint thesis are permitted.

Departmental coursework supporting Thesis

Students will enroll for 3 credits in ENVST 4999. This independent study course has no set meeting times. It creates time in your schedule to pursue your thesis research and writing, as you work with your Faculty Mentor.

Additional information for students

While the thesis process will vary across students, general steps include:

1. Schedule an appointment with the ENVST Honors Faculty Advisor.
2. Find a Faculty Mentor who will supervise your honors thesis project.
3. Prepare and submit the thesis proposal form to the Honors College. This form requires signatures from your Faculty Mentor and the ENVST Honors Faculty Advisor. The ENVST Honors Faculty Advisor will save a copy of this form.
4. Enroll for 3 credits in ENVST 4999.
5. Finalize your honors thesis. Collect required signatures and submit completed thesis document to the Honors College.