Honors Thesis Project
 

Guidelines and General Timetable of Requirements

To receive a Berry Scholars-designated, or Honors Program-designated diploma, each student needs to complete the last component, an Honors Thesis project. Students generally begin their theses in the latter part of their junior winter semester and complete them during their senior fall semester.

This set of guidelines discusses the general timetable for Honors Theses projects and procedures for requesting grants to support thesis research.

What is an Honors Thesis project?

The Honors Thesis project is an independent, substantial research project worth six
semester hours of credit. It is initiated by the student and directed by a faculty member who has agreed to work with the student; approval of the topic and the advisor will come from the chairperson(s) of the participating department(s). Normally students will register for the first three semester hours of thesis credit in the second semester of their junior year and the second three semester hours of thesis credit in the first semester of their senior year.

The thesis is usually the product of a five-stage process, although these stages will inevitably overlap: 

The first stage is the selection of a topic and its refinement into a thesis proposal. 

Stage two involves a detailed search of the appropriate scholarly literature pertinent to the thesis topic. 

The third stage entails the development of a research or project design. 

Stage four, depending upon the specific nature of the project and the discipline(s) involved, consists of laboratory experimentation (biology, chemistry, etc.), the investigation of primary sources (history, philosophy, etc.), analytic study and modeling (mathematics etc.), or the appropriate combination of any of these forms of research. 

The final stage is an analysis of data within a coherent and sound analytical and theoretical framework, presented in a form consistent with the thesis topic and the discipline(s) involved.

As the thesis is a single, extended learning experience, no grades are awarded until the thesis is finished. Students will receive a "P" (In Progress) grade for the first three hours. When the thesis is finished, the "P" grade will be changed to an appropriate grade. The grading of all six hours of thesis credit is the responsibility of the thesis advisor, following any specific guidelines established by the participating department(s). Students would always do well to review grading standards and criteria very carefully with their advisors during the early stages of the thesis.

Co-Op students will have timetables for their theses different from that of the typical full-time Honors or Scholars student.

Important Note:  The completed, printed Honors Thesis Projects along with a CD or DVD version are due in the Honors Office by March 31 each year from students graduating in May. The Honors Program will support the printing of four copies of the Honors Thesis Project at the UD Copy Center. Please check the Center well in advance to determine how long they will need to finalize the printing of your project on a timely basis.

Who is eligible to serve as a thesis advisor?

Honors Thesis project advisors are typically full-time ranked members of the University of Dayton faculty. In the event that the student has two advisors, it is essential that at least one of the student's formal advisors hold a ranked faculty position in a University of Dayton academic department, presumably the specific department or departments in which the student is seeking to apply the Honors Thesis project credits. The Honors Thesis project advisor is responsible for assigning final letter grades for 6 credit hours of academic work, with the advisor's department chair or program director approving the project.

In the event that the student has joint advisors, it may be a University staff, visiting or part-time faculty, an expert from another college or university, a mentor from a relevant community or service organization, or another type of non-faculty advisor who is willing to partner with the member of the faculty.

Downloadable Information, Guidelines and Forms

• Powerpoint Presentation of Thesis Guidelines
• Student Information Form
• Initial Honors Thesis Proposal Form
• Timetable of Requirements
• Thesis Templates (see below for explanation)*:  Cover, Title Page, Table of Contents, Pages
• Guidelines for Preparing a Research Grant Proposal and sample forms
• Thesis Topics from 2006 and 2007 student work

*How should I use the theses templates?

Some portions of the thesis publications have been standardized and templates provided (see above "Detailed Information and Guidelines"). This standardization will increase the professional appeal of the final publications, as well as give the group of theses each year a library-quality standard. These templates will also make putting a thesis into print easier and more efficient so that a student's time is spent on the important work of content rather than style.

Included in the template pages are the cover layout, the title page (which should include a short abstract and any disclaimer information), the table of contents and the thesis page format (the thesis body format itself is determined by department standards, other than font style, margins and page numbering, all included in the Pages template).