Departmental Thesis Requirements

Traditional long-format thesis
Article-based thesis

(Any alternative format requests must be approved by both the Philosophy DHL and the faculty thesis mentor.)

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

Tenure-line faculty or career-line faculty are eligible to be faculty thesis mentors.
(Any other faculty thesis mentor candidate must be approved by both the Philosophy DHL and the Philosophy department chair.)

In the event of a faculty mentor leaving the university, the completion process should be established through a discussion between the student, the faculty thesis mentor, and the DHL.

Collaborative Theses

Collaborative research between students is allowed, but collaborators must submit individual theses. Further, the faculty thesis mentor(s) and the DHL must approve the collaboration.

Do collaborators submit individual theses, or a single co-authored thesis?

Collaborators must submit individual theses.

Joint Thesis

A joint thesis is permitted, as long as the student has an official faculty advisor (not just the DHL) within each department, and as long as both advisors have agreed to work together on the project.

How does the Honors Thesis relate to other aspects of the major, like a Capstone Project?

There are no specific prequisites for the thesis, but for general preparation for higher-level research and writing before registering for PHIL 4999 and writing a thesis, students are encouraged to take our Senior Seminar course PHIL 4010 (focused on more advanced research/writing for PHIL majors) or any 5000 level PHIL course. Students may also request to take a course at the 6000 (graduate) level for advanced preparatory work.

Departmental coursework supporting Thesis

Since individual student interests will vary, students are encouraged to identify either an area of interest and/or a faculty member to work with, and to prioritize registering for classes in this area and/or with this faculty member 1-2 years before the thesis.

Additional information for students

By the third semester prior to graduation, students must meet with the DHL and the planned faculty thesis mentor (the DHL can help to identify a mentor at any point). Finalize a faculty thesis mentor ideally 2 semesters before, but at least one semester before, writing the thesis (early in the semester if it is the semester before). The DHL can help you to identify a thesis mentor at any point in your degree pathway given your interests.

All theses require individual research in the scholarly literature on the topic chosen. The amount and type of research sources required, as well as the thesis length, will vary depending on the topic; the faculty thesis mentor is therefore responsible for assigning the requisite length, source, and any further requirements. Before submitting a thesis proposal to the DHL for approval, students should make sure they know the specific requirements that their faculty thesis mentor has.