Thesis format

Students are expected to submit a written thesis that follows the traditional format, which includes an introduction, a literature review, an empirical section, and a conclusion.

Who is eligible to be a faculty thesis mentor?

• Eligible mentors include Tenure-line faculty, Career-line faculty, and Adjunct faculty in the Department of Marketing. Per the timeline set by the Honors College and the Department of Marketing, students are required to find a faculty mentor before the end of their third year.
• External mentors are not permitted. Thus, Marketing students who wish to graduate with honors are expected to establish a strong relationship with the faculty in the Department of Marketing.
• If a faculty mentor leaves the University before the thesis is complete, the Departmental Honors Liaison will either help the student find a new mentor or mentor the thesis himself/herself.

Are collaborative theses permitted?

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

• Collaborative theses with other honors students are not permitted.
• Coauthoring with faculty members and/or PhD students in the Department of Marketing is permitted. The honors student coauthoring their thesis is expected to exert a similar level of effort as their peers working on a single-authored thesis.

Are joint theses permitted?

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

Joint thesis is permitted. However, students must be mindful that for a joint thesis, DHLs from all participating departments must agree on the joint thesis.

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

The Department of Marketing has several courses that offer Honors-attribute or Honors-contract.

• Honors Attribute Class: MKTG 3041 (Principles of Marketing).
• Honors Contracts: 4500 (Intro To Advertising), 4640 (Mktg Text Analytics), 4770 (Consumer Behavior) & some sections of 4020 (Marketing Management).

Other courses, such as Marketing Research, are also important in preparing students for the thesis work.

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.

In addition to the preparation expected by the Honors College (i.e., identifying a faculty thesis mentor and a thesis topic before the end of the third year), the Department of Marketing requires students to have obtained CITI training by the end of the summer before their senior year.

Additional information for students

Working on an honors thesis is a privilege for both students and mentors. The Department offers several courses designed to guide students through this process, and faculty members will gladly mentor students who are prepared. Students are expected to view the honors thesis as a valuable opportunity to engage with academic work beyond the classroom and to put in a high level of effort in preparing and completing their project. Students are also required to adhere to the timeline set by the Honors College and the Department of Marketing (i.e., adequate preparation in Junior Spring, two semesters of thesis work in Senior year).

Feel free to contact DHL for more information.