Thesis format

The format of thesis will be determined by the faculty mentor, based on the topic chosen for the student’s thesis research.

Who is eligible to be a faculty thesis mentor?

Both career-line and tenure-line faculty are eligible to serve as mentors. If a faculty mentor leaves the University before the thesis is complete, the Departmental Honors Liaison will work with the Program Chair and Director to find another faculty member to serve as mentor.

Are collaborative theses permitted?

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

Collaborative theses are generally not permitted.

Are joint theses permitted?

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

Joint theses are permitted. The student should closely work with their thesis mentors to ensure that requirements to satisfy the Honors thesis for both the majors/departments are met.

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

It depends on the chosen thesis topic. In general, the Honors thesis should be based on the student's coursework in Operations and Supply Chain.

Additional information for students

Start thinking about the topic you want to work on for your thesis research early on, at least by the start of your third year. Learn about the research interests of faculty in your major by reviewing their departmental homepage. You can also learn about the faculty members’ current research interests from their Google Scholar page. Shortlist a few faculty who you think would be a good mentor for the topic(s) you are interested in. If you need help with this, you can contact the DHL.

Once this is done, reach out to the potential faculty mentor and explain to them the reason for why you would like to work with them – such as synergy between your interests and the faculty member’s research, as seen from their research profile/recent publications. As not all faculty members may be available to mentor in a given semester or academic year, because of competing commitments, it is best to shortlist a few faculty. Once a mentor has been identified and you and the mentor agree on the thesis topic, inform the DHL and complete the forms to inform the Honors College.