Thesis format

• Policy-based work
• Article-based theses
• Traditional long-format theses
• Performance/exhibition + artist’s statement

Who is eligible to be a faculty thesis mentor?

Career-line or Tenure-line faculty can be thesis mentors for HSP. Graduate students and postdocs along with a faculty member can supervise HSP thesis. External mentors may provide supervision, with oversight from a university faculty member or an HSP DHL. If a faculty member leaves and continues to provide supervision, same rules will apply as for external mentors. If a faculty member leaves and does not continue supervision, DHL will try to find a new mentor for the student or DHL will become the mentor and try to supervise as best as they can.

Are collaborative theses permitted?

A collaborative thesis is one where an Honors student works with one or more collaborators on the thesis.

The thesis must be the student’s independent work. While co-authored papers may be used as part of the thesis, they must be substantially revised to ensure originality, distinguish the thesis from the published work, and demonstrate the student’s unique contribution.

Are joint theses permitted?

A joint thesis is a single thesis that satisfies the requirements of multiple majors.

Yes, a joint thesis is permitted. In cases where an HSP student completes a joint thesis with another department, the student typically follows the guidelines of that department. This is because most departments have stricter requirements regarding faculty mentors being housed within the department and topics aligning with their disciplinary scope. By contrast, HSP is more flexible, as it is an interdisciplinary program with faculty drawn from across the campus.

How does the Honors Thesis relate to other aspects for the major?

For HSP students, certain required courses must be completed in order to earn a major in HSP. However, for the HSP Honors thesis, there is no requirement to take specific courses. The expectation is that by the time students begin their thesis work, they will have completed some of the required courses to develop a solid understanding of key issues in health and policy.

Major-specific Thesis Proposal Process

The Honors College requires Thesis Proposal/Registration by the end of the third year. If your major has a separate additional Thesis Proposal Process, it is detailed here.

This major does not have a separate additional Honors Thesis Proposal process.

Additional information for students

No additional requirements.