Thesis format
The College of Nursing requires a written thesis. The completed thesis is typically 20-30 pages long, including references, figures, and tables. It is structured much like a typical research article with Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. Alternate forms of the thesis, e.g., an article-based thesis or policy-based work may be considered and negotiated with agreement by the student, thesis mentor, and DHL.
Who is eligible to be a faculty thesis mentor?
Tenure-line faculty and career-line faculty with an active area of scholarship are are eligible to serve as a faculty thesis mentor. Typically the DHL facilitates introductions between students and potential thesis mentors. All faculty serving as first time thesis mentors will receiving mentorship from the DHLs. DHLs are also available to provide mentorship to ongoing thesis mentors as needed. Occasionally, the thesis mentor may be a faculty member from another department. In this case, approval will be granted by the DHL prior to the development of the thesis proposal. Should the thesis mentor leave the University of Utah prior to completion of the thesis, the DHL will facilitate identification of another mentor to oversee completion of the thesis.
Are collaborative theses permitted?
A collaborative thesis is one where an Honors student works with one or more collaborators on the thesis.
If a request for a collaborative thesis is submitted, we will assess the proposal carefully to ensure each Honors student's involvement and contribution. We will also require the students and faculty thesis mentor(s) to complete an author contribution and reflection statement at the beginning of the thesis. At the conclusion of the thesis, we will ask for confirmation that each person's roles were completed as written. In the event that roles evolve over time, we will ask for a revised author contribution and reflection statement from the various parties to ensure each Honors student contributed to the final product.
How does the Honors Thesis relate to other aspects for the major?
Honors nursing students register for NURS 4999. This is the course through which the student receives credit for the work of completing the thesis. This course may be taken at any time after the thesis proposal is formally approved. The thesis does not have to be completed during the semester that the student is registered for NURS 4999. Most of the time the student will receive an “in progress” grade. A final grade is assigned when the thesis is complete and all requirements for the Honors degree have been met.
Honors nursing students also have the opportunity to complete 9 upper division honors credits in the College of Nursing. Students may contract with faculty of the designated courses to receive honors credits. All honors eligible courses are required for the major.
Major-specific Thesis Proposal Process
The Honors College requires Thesis Registration by the end of the third year. If your major has a separate additional Thesis Proposal Process, it is detailed here.
Although not required, we encourage students to meet with the DHL to talk about potential thesis topics during their sophomore year. This helps with identifying a mentor. We also provide a template to guide students and mentors in developing a proposal.
Additional information for students
The College of Nursing requires all nursing students whose thesis involves data collected as part of human subjects research to complete CITI training and be added to the mentor's IRB application. This training supports Honors students in completing research in compliance with all relevant ethical considerations. Students can contact the DHL to obtain this information. We typically ask that students complete this training prior to being introduced to a thesis mentor.