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The senior thesis is typically the most challenging writing project undertaken by undergraduate students. The writing guides below aim to introduce students both to the specific methods and conventions of writing original research in their area of concentration and to effective writing process.

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The Senior Thesis

From the outset of their time at Princeton, students are encouraged and challenged to develop their scholarly interests and to evolve as independent thinkers.

The culmination of this process is the senior thesis, which provides a unique opportunity for students to pursue original research and scholarship in a field of their choosing. At Princeton, every senior writes a thesis or, in the case of some engineering departments, undertakes a substantial independent project.

Integral to the senior thesis process is the opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member who guides the development of the project. Thesis writers and advisers agree that the most valuable outcome of the senior thesis is the chance for students to enhance skills that are the foundation of future success, including creativity, intellectual engagement, mental discipline and the ability to meet new challenges.

Many students develop projects from ideas sparked in the classes they’ve taken; others fashion their topics on the basis of long-standing personal passions. Most thesis writers encounter the intellectual twists and turns of any good research project, where the questions emerge as they proceed, often taking them in unexpected directions.

Planning for the senior thesis starts in earnest in the junior year, when students complete a significant research project known as the junior paper. Students who plan ahead can make good use of the University's considerable resources, such as receiving University funds to do research in the United States or abroad. Other students use summer internships as a launching pad for their thesis. For some science and engineering projects, students stay on campus the summer before their senior year to get a head start on lab work.

Writing a thesis encourages the self-confidence and high ambitions that come from mastering a difficult challenge. It fosters the development of specific skills and habits of mind that augur well for future success. No wonder generations of graduates look back on the senior thesis as the most valuable academic component of their Princeton experience.

Navigating Colombia’s Magdalena River, One Story At A Time

For his senior thesis, Jordan Salama, a Spanish and Portuguese major, produced a nonfiction book of travel writing about the people and places along Colombia’s main river, the Magdalena.

Embracing the Classics to Inform Policymaking for Public Education

For her senior thesis, Emma Treadwayconsiders how the basic tenets of Stoicism — a school of philosophy that dates from 300 BCE — can teach students to engage empathetically with the world and address inequities in the classroom.

Creating A Faster, Cheaper and Greener Chemical Reaction

One way to make drugs more affordable is to make them cheaper to produce. For her senior thesis research, Cassidy Humphreys, a chemistry major with a passion for medicine, took on the challenge of taking a century-old formula at the core of many modern medications — and improving it.

The Humanity of Improvisational Dance

Esin Yunusoglu investigated how humans move together and exist in a space — both on the dance floor and in real life — for the choreography she created as her senior thesis in dance, advised by Professor of Dance Susan Marshall.

From the Blog

The infamous senior thesis, revisiting wwii: my senior thesis, independent work in its full glory, advisers, independent work and beyond.

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Doing a senior thesis is an exciting enterprise. It’s often the first time students are engaging in truly original research and trying to develop a significant contribution to a field of inquiry. But as joyful as an independent research process can be, you don’t have to go it alone. It’s important to have support as you navigate such a large endeavor, and the ARC is here to offer one of those layers of support.

Whether or not to write a senior thesis is just the first in a long line of questions thesis writers need to consider. In addition to questions about the topic and scope of your thesis, there are questions about timing, schedule, and support. For example, if you are collecting data, when should data collection start and when should it be completed? What kind of schedule will you write on? How will you work with your adviser? Do you want to meet with your adviser about your progress once a month? Once a week? What other resources can you turn to for information, feedback, and support?

Even though there is a lot to think about and a lot to do, doing a thesis really can be an enjoyable experience! Keep reminding yourself why you chose this topic and why you care about it.

Tips for Tackling Big Projects:

Break the process down into manageable chunks.

• When you’re approaching a big project, it can seem overwhelming to look at the whole thing at once, so it’s essential to identify the smaller steps that will move you towards the completed project.
• Your adviser is best suited to help you break down the thesis process with field-specific advice.
• If you need to refine the breakdown further so it makes sense for you, schedule an appointment with an  Academic Coach . An academic coach can help you think through the steps in a way that works for you.

Schedule brief writing sessions at regular times.

• Pre-determine the time, place, and duration.
• Keep it short (15 to 60 minutes).
• Have a clear and reasonable goal for each writing session.
• Make it a regular event (every day, every other day, MWF).
• time is not wasted deciding to write if it’s already in your calendar;
• keeping sessions short reduces the competition from other tasks that are not getting done;
• having an achievable goal for each session provides a sense of accomplishment (a reward for your work);
• writing regularly can turn into a productive habit.

Create accountability structures.

• In addition to having a clear goal for each writing session, it's important to have clear goals for each week and to find someone to communicate these goals to, such as your adviser, a “thesis buddy,” your roommate, etc. Communicating your goals and progress to someone else creates a useful sense of accountability.
• If your adviser is not the person you are communicating your progress to on a weekly basis, then request to set up a structure with your adviser that requires you to check in at less frequent but regular intervals.
• Commit to attending Accountability Hours  at the ARC on the same day every week. Making that commitment will add both social support and structure to your week. Use the ARC Scheduler to register for Accountability Hours.
• Set up an accountability group in your department or with thesis writers from different departments.

Create feedback structures.

• It’s important to have a means for getting consistent feedback on your work and to get that feedback early. Work on large projects often lacks the feeling of completeness, so don’t wait for a whole section (and certainly not the whole thesis) to feel “done” before you get feedback on it!
• Your thesis adviser is typically the person best positioned to give you feedback on your research and writing, so communicate with your adviser about how and how often you would like to get feedback.
• If your adviser isn’t able to give you feedback with the frequency you’d like, then fill in the gaps by creating a thesis writing group or exploring if there is already a writing group in your department or lab.
• The Harvard College Writing Center is a great resource for thesis feedback. Writing Center Senior Thesis Tutors can provide feedback on the structure, argument, and clarity of your writing and help with mapping out your writing plan. Visit the Writing Center website to schedule an appointment with a thesis tutor .

Accept that there will be some anxious moments.

• To reduce this source of anxiety, try keeping a separate document where you jot down ideas on how your research questions or central argument might be clarifying or changing as you research and write. Doing this will enable you to stay focused on the section you are working on and to stop worrying about forgetting the new ideas that are emerging.
• You might feel anxious when you realize that you need to update your argument in response to the evidence you have gathered or the new thinking your writing has unleashed. Know that that is OK. Research and writing are iterative processes – new ideas and new ways of thinking are what makes progress possible.
• Breaking down big projects into manageable chunks and mapping out a schedule for working through each chunk is one way to reduce this source of anxiety. It’s reassuring to know you are working towards the end even if you cannot quite see how it will turn out.
• It may be that your thesis or dissertation never truly feels “done” to you, but that’s okay. Academic inquiry is an ongoing endeavor.

Focus on what works for you.

• Just because your roommate wrote 10 pages in a day doesn’t mean that’s the right pace or strategy for you.
• If you are having trouble figuring out what works for you, use the  ARC Scheduler  to make an appointment with an  Academic Coach , who can help you come up with daily, weekly, and semester-long plans.

Use your resources.

• There’s a lot of the thesis writing process that has to be done independently, but there are also a lot of free resources at Harvard to help you do the work.
• If you’re having trouble finding a source, email your question or set up a research consult via Ask a Librarian .
• If you’re looking for additional feedback or help with any aspect of writing, contact the Harvard College Writing Center . The Writing Center has Senior Thesis Tutors who will read drafts of your thesis (more typically, parts of your thesis) in advance and meet with you individually to talk about structure, argument, clear writing, and mapping out your writing plan.
• If you need help with breaking down your project or setting up a schedule for the week, the semester, or until the deadline, use the  ARC Scheduler  to make an appointment with an  Academic Coach .
• If you would like an accountability structure for social support and to keep yourself on track, come to Accountability Hours at the ARC.

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What Is a Senior Thesis?

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A senior thesis is a large, independent research project that students take on during their senior year of high school or college to fulfill their graduation requirement. It is the culminating work of their studies at a particular institution, and it represents their ability to conduct research and write effectively. For some students, a senior thesis is a requirement for graduating with honors.

Students typically work closely with an advisor and choose a question or topic to explore before carrying out an extensive research plan.

Style Manuals and the Paper's Organization

The structure of your research paper will depend, in part, on the style manual that is required by your instructor. Different disciplines, such as history, science, or education, have different rules to abide by when it comes to research paper construction, organization, and modes of citation. The styles for different types of assignment include:

Modern Language Association (MLA): The disciplines that tend to prefer the MLA style guide include literature, arts, and the humanities, such as linguistics, religion, and philosophy. To follow this style, you will use parenthetical citations to indicate your sources and a works cited page to show the list of books and articles you consulted.

American Psychological Association (APA): The APA style manual tends to be used in psychology, education, and some of the social sciences. This type of report may require the following:

• Introduction

Chicago style: "The Chicago Manual of Style" is used in most college-level history courses as well as professional publications that contain scholarly articles. Chicago style may call for endnotes or footnotes corresponding to a bibliography page at the back or the author-date style of in-text citation, which uses parenthetical citations and a references page at the end.

Turabian style: Turabian is a student version of Chicago style. It requires some of the same formatting techniques as Chicago, but it includes special rules for writing college-level papers, such as book reports. A Turabian research paper may call for endnotes or footnotes and a bibliography.

Science style: Science instructors may require students to use a format that is similar to the structure used in publishing papers in scientific journals. The elements you would include in this sort of paper include:

• List of materials and methods used
• Results of your methods and experiments
• Acknowledgments

American Medical Association (AMA): The AMA style book might be required for students in medical or premedical degree programs in college. Parts of an AMA research paper might include:

• Proper headings and lists
• Tables and figures
• In-text citations
• Reference list

Choose Your Topic Carefully

Starting off with a bad, difficult, or narrow topic likely won't lead to a positive result. Don't choose a question or statement that's so broad that it's overwhelming and could comprise a lifetime of research or a topic that's so narrow you'll struggle to compose 10 pages. Consider a topic that has a lot of recent research so you won't struggle to put your hands on current or adequate sources.

Select a topic that interests you. Putting in long hours on a subject that bores you will be arduous—and ripe for procrastination. If a professor recommends an area of interest, make sure it excites you.

Also, consider expanding a paper you've already written; you'll hit the ground running because you've already done some research and know the topic. Last, consult with your advisor before finalizing your topic. You don't want to put in a lot of hours on a subject that is rejected by your instructor.

Organize Your Time

Plan to spend half of your time researching and the other half writing. Often, students spend too much time researching and then find themselves in a crunch, madly writing in the final hours. Give yourself goals to reach along certain "signposts," such as the number of hours you want to have invested each week or by a certain date or how much you want to have completed in those same timeframes.

Organize Your Research

Compose your works cited or bibliography entries as you work on your paper. This is especially important if your style manual requires you to use access dates for any online sources that you review or requires page numbers be included in the citations. You don't want to end up at the very end of the project and not know what day you looked at a particular website or have to search through a hard-copy book looking for a quote that you included in the paper. Save PDFs of online sites, too, as you wouldn't want to need to look back at something and not be able to get online or find that the article has been removed since you read it.

Choose an Advisor You Trust

This may be your first opportunity to work with direct supervision. Choose an advisor who's familiar with the field, and ideally select someone you like and whose classes you've already taken. That way you'll have a rapport from the start. 

Consult Your Instructor

Remember that your instructor is the final authority on the details and requirements of your paper. Read through all instructions, and have a conversation with your instructor at the start of the project to determine his or her preferences and requirements. Have a cheat sheet or checklist of this information; don't expect yourself to remember all year every question you asked or instruction you were given. 

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Writing a senior thesis: is it worth it.

Before coming to Yale, I thought a thesis was the main argument of a paper. I quickly learned that an undergraduate thesis is about fifty times harder and fifty pages longer than any thesis arguments I wrote in high school. At Yale, every senior has some sort of senior requirement, but thesis projects vary by department. Some departments require students to do a semester-long project, where you write a longer paper (25-35 pages) or expand, through writing, the research you’ve been working on (mostly applies to STEM majors). In some departments you can take two senior seminars and complete a longer project at the end of the semester. And other departments have an option to complete a year-long thesis: you spend your senior year (and in some cases your junior year), intensely researching and writing about a topic you choose or create yourself.

Both my departments––English and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration––offer all three of these options, and each student decides what they think is best for them. As a double major, I had the additional option to write an even longer thesis combining both my majors, but that seemed like way too much work––especially since I would have to take two senior thesis classes at the same time. Instead, I chose a year-long thesis for ER&M that combined my literary interests with various theoretical frameworks and the two senior seminars for English. This spring I’m taking my second seminar. Really, I chose the option to torture myself for a whole year, the end result being a minimum of 50 pages of innovative thinking and writing. I wanted to rise to the challenge, proving to myself I could do it. But there also seemed to be the pressure of “this is what everyone in the major does,” and a “thesis is proof that you actually learned.” Although these sentiments influenced my decision to complete a thesis, I know a long research paper does not validate my education or work as a scholar the last four years. It is not the end all be all.

My senior thesis focuses on Caribbean literature - specifically, two novels written by Caribbean women that really look at what it means to come from an immigrant family, to move, and to find yourself in completely new spaces. These experiences are all too relatable to my own life as a second-generation woman of color with immigrant parents enrolled at Yale. In my writing, I focus on how these women make sense of “home” (a very broad and complicated topic, I know), and what their stories tell us about the diasporic experience in general. The project is very personal to me, and I chose it because I wanted to understand my family’s history and their task in making “home” in the U.S., whatever that means. But because it’s so personal, it’s also been really difficult. I’ve experienced a lot of writer’s block or often felt unmotivated and judgmental towards my work. I’ve realized how difficult it is to devote your time and energy to such a long process––not only is it research heavy, but you have to write and rewrite drafts, constantly adjusting to make sure you’re being as clear as possible. Really, writing a thesis is like writing a portion of a book. And that’s crazy! You’re writing two or three whole chapters of academic work as an undergraduate student.

The process is definitely not for everyone, and I’ve certainly thought “Why did I want to do this again?” But what’s really kept me going is the support from my advisors and friends. The ER&M department faculty does an amazing job of providing us mentorship, revisions, and support throughout the process; my advisor has served as my editor but also the person who reminds me most that this work is important, as I often forget that. It also helps to have many friends and people in the major also writing their theses. I’ve found different spaces to just have a thesis study hall or working time, with other people also struggling through. Recently, I submitted my first full draft (note: it was kind of unfinished but it’s okay because it’s a draft!), and it was crazy to think that I wrote 50+ pages, most of which are just my own original thoughts and analysis on two books that have almost no scholarship written about them. It was a relief for sure. This week I will be taking a full break from it, but it reminded me of why I began this journey. It reminded me of all the people who’ve supported me along the way, and how I really couldn’t have done it without them. And now, I’m really looking forward to how good it will feel to turn in my fully written thesis mid-April. I’ve realized that this project shouldn’t be about making it good for Yale’s standard, but for myself, for my family, and for the people who believe in this work as much as I do.

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Senior Thesis & Undergraduate Research

Every year, approximately 45%-55% of senior History concentrators choose to cap their Harvard careers by writing a senior honors thesis.

The senior thesis tutorial is a two-semester sequence  comprising Hist 99a and Hist 99b . While the overwhelming majority of students who start a thesis choose to complete it, our process allows students to drop the thesis at the end of the fall semester after History 99a (in which case they are not eligible for departmental honors).

The senior thesis in History is a year-long project involving considerable primary- and secondary-source research and a good deal of writing; finished theses are expected to be between 60 and 130 pages in length , and to make an original contribution to historical knowledge.

The department’s senior thesis program is one of the strongest in Harvard College. In recent years, one quarter or more of our thesis writers have received  Hoopes Prizes , which is well over the College average.

History 99 Syllabus 2022–2023

History 99: Senior Thesis Writers’ Tutorial Wednesdays, 6–7 and 7-8 PM Robinson Conference Room

Click here to view the History 99 syllabus for this year.

A Sampling of Past History Thesis Titles

For a list of thesis titles from the past five years, please click here .

Senior Thesis Conference

The History Department's annual Senior Thesis Writer's Conference is an opportunity for thesis writers to present their projects as members of three-to-four person panels moderated by a faculty member or advanced graduate student, to an audience of other faculty and graduate students. Their aim is to get the critical and constructive feedback they need to clarify their arguments, refine their methods, and ultimately transform their research projects into theses.

Like our faculty, our student presenters are conscious of their reliance on other disciplines in almost every aspect of their work. This conference supplies opportunities to engage in cross-disciplinary dialogues. Audience members also learn from these dedicated and talented young scholars even as they teach them new ways of conceiving and pursuing their projects.

For more information about the conference or the Department's thesis program as a whole, please write to the  Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in History, or visit the Senior Thesis Writers Conference and History 99a website. The  Conference is open to all active members of the Harvard community.

All seniors writing theses receive as part of the History 99a and 99b seminar materials a Timetable for Thesis Writers which lists approximate deadlines for staying current with work on this large-scale project. (For current copies of these documents, please click here .) Many thesis writers will submit work in advance of the deadlines listed on the timetable, following schedules worked out with their individual advisers. Several of the deadlines listed on the timetable must be met:

• Students who wish to enroll in History 99 must attend the first meeting of the seminar on Wednesday, September 5th at 6:00 pm in the Robinson Lower Library.
• By the beginning of the fall reading period, students must submit substantial proof of research to both their adviser and the 99 History instructors. This usually takes the form of a chapter or two of the thesis (20–30 pages).
• Theses are due to the History Undergraduate Office (Robinson 101) on Thursday, March 10, 2022  before 5:00 pm. Theses that are handed in late will be penalized.

Thesis Readings

Each History thesis is read by at least two impartial members of the Board of Tutors, assigned by the Department. The Board of Tutors consists of (1) all department faculty in residence and (2) all graduate students teaching History 97 and/or a Research Seminar, as well as those advising senior theses. If History is the secondary field of a joint concentration, there is only one History reader. Each reader assigns an evaluation to the thesis (highest honors, highest honors minus, high honors plus, high honors, high honors minus, honors plus, honors, or no distinction), and writes a report detailing the special strengths and weaknesses of the thesis.  Theses by students with a highest honors-level concentration GPA and one highest-level reading will automatically be assigned three readers. Additionally, a thesis by any student may be sent to a third reader when the first two evaluations are three or more distinctions apart (e.g., one high honors plus and one honors plus).

Department Standards for the Thesis Program

Seniors who wish to write a thesis must meet certain prerequisites:

• a ‘B+’ average in the concentration;
• a ‘B+’ average on a 20-page research seminar paper
• the recommendation of their Research Seminar tutor(s).

Students who do not meet the above standards may petition the  History Undergraduate Office for admission to the senior thesis; successful petitions must include a detailed thesis proposal, and will be evaluated at the discretion of the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies (Asst. DUS).

The Awarding of Departmental Honors in History

THE AWARDING OF DEPARTMENTAL HONORS IN HISTORY

 Nominations for departmental honors are made by the Board of Examiners at the degree meeting each spring.  In making its nominations, the Board first takes two elements into account:  the average of course grades in History and thesis readings.  All students who may be eligible for a recommendation of highest honors will then be given an oral examination by the Board of Examiners; performance on this exam will be considered in determining the final recommendation.  The standing of those students at the border of two different degrees may also be determined through an oral examination administered by the Board of Examiners.

To be considered eligible for highest honors in history, a student will ordinarily have a grade point average greater than or equal to 3.85 in courses taken for departmental credit, and have received at least two highest -level thesis readings.  In addition, the student must convince the Board of Examiners of their qualifications for the highest recommendation through their performance on the oral examination.  Whether any particular student falling into this numerical range receives highest honors in history will be determined in part by the performance on the oral examination. 

To be considered eligible for high honors in history, a student will ordinarily have a grade point average greater than or equal to 3.7, and will ordinarily have received two high -level readings on the thesis. 

To be considered eligible for honors in history, a student will ordinarily have a grade point average greater than or equal to 3.3, and will ordinarily have received two honors -level readings on the thesis. 

Please note that the Department recommends students’ English honors (highest, high, honors, no honors) and sends these recommendations to the College which determines students’ Latin honors based on total GPA.  Please visit:   https://handbook.fas.harvard.edu/book/requirements-honors-degrees    for more information on how the College awards Latin honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude, no honors).  In addition, you should consult with your Resident Dean.  Any degree candidate who does not receive the A.B. degree with honors in History will be considered by the FAS for the degree of cum laude.  

Departmental Support

Students who do decide to enter the thesis program benefit from a great deal of departmental support. The Department encourages its thesis writers to consider the possibility of devoting the summer prior to their senior year to thesis research, whether on campus or around the world. Each year a large number of rising seniors find funding for summer thesis research. The Undergraduate Office holds a meeting to advise students on how to write a successful fellowship proposal. In addition, we maintain a  listing of organizations that have supported concentrators’ thesis research.

The Department also supports its senior thesis writers through two semesters of a Senior Thesis Seminar, History 99a and 99b , which provide a useful framework for thesis writers as they work through the intermittent difficulties that all thesis students inevitably encounter. For many seniors, their thesis will turn out to be the best piece of writing done while at Harvard. It will also be the longest and most complicated. Consequently, the seminars will focus much attention on the unique challenges of writing an extended, multi-chapter work. History 99a and 99b also provide a common forum in which seniors can share with thesis-writing colleagues their feedback, successes, frustrations, interests, and techniques. This kind of collegiality and exchange of ideas is at the heart of the academic seminar, and it can be the most rewarding aspect of the seminar series.

Students must enroll in the Thesis Seminars in order to write a thesis by obtaining approval from the Asst. DUS  on their study cards.

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Search the site, search suggestions, picking a senior thesis topic.

A few weeks ago, I submitted my senior thesis at Harvard.

Titled “More than Missing: Analyzing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Policy Trajectories in the United States and Canada, 2015-2019,” my thesis sought to compare and contrast two national governmental responses to the pattern of Missing and Murdered and Indigenous Women (MMIW), a violent and puzzling phenomenon that adversely affects Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous women similarly in both nations. I study a joint concentration of Government and the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS), so my thesis sought to join those two disciplines together.

Me with my completed thesis!

Every spring, seniors take pictures at Widener library with their completed theses to celebrate their hard work. Ashley Hamilton

However, when I began my first year of college four years ago, I had no idea that I wanted to write a thesis, let alone know I wanted to study a joint concentration in two departments that I had never taken a class in. In fact, when I applied to Harvard, I thought I was going to study Chemistry (and maybe even French). While I ended up pursuing neither of those fields in college, my four years at Harvard allowed me to explore and interact with fields I didn’t have the chance to in high school, and now leading me to be well-versed in feminist, Indigenous, and political theories.

At Harvard, you don’t declare your concentration (or major) until your sophomore year, and you are free to change it at any point during your Harvard career (with the appropriate advising , of course). In fact, I didn’t declare my joint concentration until the fall of my junior year, over two years after I arrived to campus. For all joint concentrations, a senior thesis is required to complete our degrees (and is meant to join the two concentrations together), so I started thinking about what I wanted to write about as soon as I started thinking about pursuing the joint concentration.

I knew that I wanted to write about an Indigenous-centered topic; I am Indigenous and throughout my studies I’ve always felt Indigenous people did not have a large enough presence in academia generally. I chose to write specifically on the pattern of MMIW, as though a lot of research exists that seeks to explain the pattern and provide history and background from a policy perspective, little work has been done to explain MMIW policies. Thus, I sought to not only marry my two disciplines but also produce knowledge on something I felt was understudied.

Two Friends, Two Completed Theses!

Here's a photo of me with my best friend, who really helped me through the entire thesis process. Ashley Hamilton

With the help of my thesis advisers (two incredible and brilliant scholars), my friends, and the limitations of existing research, I was able to narrow my focus into an answerable research question, which ended up with my completed thesis. Writing a thesis was one of the hardest and most time-consuming tasks I’ve ever completed as a student at Harvard, but it also was one of the most rewarding and enriching. While you spend most of your college career reading and writing about other scholars' works, the senior thesis is a rare opportunity for you to be the researcher and expert on a subject that you get to choose. Thus, picking a thesis topic, is the first stop on a student’s journey from a student pursuing knowledge to a teacher producing knowledge.

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What My Thesis Means to Me

Braeden Class of '21 Alumni

Department of Psychology

Dietrich college of humanities and social sciences.

Senior Thesis Projects

Senior theses are independent research projects that students complete in close collaboration with a faculty mentor.  Students who complete a senior thesis project select their own research topic, meaning that they have the opportunity to find answers to the research questions they find most compelling.

Who can complete a senior thesis?

Any student in the department may elect to complete a senior thesis project, provided that they have a Psychology faculty mentor who agrees to supervise their work.  Students with GPAs that are 3.0 and above may be invited to apply to complete a Dietrich Senior Honors Thesis in the second semester of their junior year ( Learn more about the Dietrich Honors Thesis ). 

Students who do not meet this GPA requirement can still complete a departmental thesis.

What does a senior thesis project entail?

Senior thesis projects vary depending on the student’s research interests, but they always involve the direct application of the skills that students learn in their Research Methods courses.  To complete their project, students typically:

• Conduct a literature search in which they review and synthesize previously published research on their chosen topic
• Generate a hypothesis
• Collect and design experimental stimuli
• Collect data (often including recruiting and testing participants)
• Analyze data
• Write an APA-style research paper describing their hypotheses, methods, and findings

Many students who complete a senior thesis also present their work at Meeting of the Minds , a university-wide research symposium held each May on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus.

How long does a senior thesis take to complete?

Students typically spend one academic year (two separate semesters) planning, conducting, analyzing, and writing up the results of their research projects.  Students typically apply in the spring semester of their junior year and begin work on their projects in the fall semester of their senior year.

What kinds of projects do students complete?

Students often work on thesis projects that complement the research that their faculty advisor is currently conducting.  Learn more about faculty research .

Below are some of the senior thesis projects of recent graduates.

• Community Standards
• Faculty Resources

Best Senior Thesis Topics

Table of contents

• 0.1 Key Points:
• 1 The Importance Of A Good Senior Thesis Topics
• 2.1 1. Identify your interests and passions
• 2.2 2. Consider the scope and feasibility of the topic
• 2.3 3. Seek guidance from your professors and advisors
• 3 Good Senior Thesis Topics
• 4 Senior Thesis Topics For High School And College Students
• 5 Psychology Senior Thesis Ideas
• 6 English Literature Senior Thesis Topics
• 7 Graphic Design Senior Thesis Ideas
• 8 Political Science Senior Thesis Topics
• 9 History Senior Thesis Ideas
• 10 Criminal Justice Senior Thesis Ideas
• 11 Conclusion

Senior thesis topics are research projects students undertake in their final year of undergraduate studies or graduate programs. These senior thesis topics allow students to demonstrate their expertise in academic writing.

School senior thesis topics can cover a wide range of disciplines. This spans science and humanities to social sciences and engineering. All of these allow students to explore their academic interests in depth and make valuable contributions to their respective fields against any grade stereotypes or even gender stereotypes.

With a thousand ideas, it may be hard to nail a good topic. This article covers a series of college and high school senior thesis topics for different subjects.

Key Points:

• School senior thesis topics allow students to dig deep into a specific study area within their chosen field.
• A strong senior thesis topic can potentially make a valuable impact on the academic community and shape future research in the field.

The Importance Of A Good Senior Thesis Topics

Well-selected senior thesis topics capture the interest of the student and hold significance in their field of study. This is important for the following reasons.

Firstly, well-chosen school senior thesis topics provide students with an opportunity to explore a specific area of study. This fosters a sense of ownership and engagement with the research process. These personal investment projects enhance motivation and dedication, resulting in a higher quality of work. However, not every student had the luxury of time. In case you have a question like, who can write my thesis , there are professional platforms that can render such a service. With 24/7 customer support and experienced writers, for you to write a thesis becomes so easy.

Secondly, good high school senior thesis topics enable students to make original contributions to their field by conducting research, analyzing data, and generating new insights. This can lead to advancements in knowledge and potential solutions to existing problems.

Lastly, a strong senior thesis topic demonstrates students’ ability to think critically and develop analytical skills. It requires formulating search questions, designing methods, and interpreting complex data. These processes cultivate intellectual maturity, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication skills.

Tips On How To Select The Best Senior Thesis Topic?

Selecting the best high school senior thesis topic requires a thoughtful and systematic approach. With numerous options available, it is important to consider the topic selection process carefully. Nonetheless, you can buy thesis paper pieces online if you cannot spare that much time for the steps involved, with professors available to help. Listed below are some tips to help you choose the best senior thesis topics.

1. Identify your interests and passions

Choose topics in the subjects that excite you and the areas of study that keep you on your toes. This will keep you energetic throughout the search process and increase the worth of your work.

2. Consider the scope and feasibility of the topic

Ensure that the topic is manageable within the given timeframe and aligns with the resources and expertise available to you. It is essential to strike a balance between a topic that is challenging enough to showcase your abilities and one that is realistic and achievable.

3. Seek guidance from your professors and advisors

They possess valuable expertise and can provide insights into potential research areas or suggest topics based on your academic strengths. They can also provide ideas on how to write a thesis for research paper pieces – a crucial aspect of research writing. Engage in discussions with them to receive feedback and better understand the viability and relevance of your topic ideas.

Good Senior Thesis Topics

The right thesis topic showcases a student’s expertise and passion and sets the stage for a quality research experience.

However, the steps of choosing a senior thesis topic can be overwhelming. Below is a curated list of topic ideas for your next project.

• The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Job Automation: Analyzing the Effect on Employment Trends.
• Accessing the Effects of Plastics in the Evolution of Marine Ecology
• A Closer Look at the Relationship Between Social Media Usage and Mental Health Outcomes.
• Exploring the Thin Line Between Genetic Engineering and Moral Ethics
• A Case Study on the Impact of Climate Change on Ecological Biodiversity
• Analyzing the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives on Consumer Behavior and Brand Perception.
• Exploring the Intersection of Gender and Leadership: A Comparative Study of Leadership Styles and Organizational Performance.
• Investigating the Psychological Effects of Virtual Reality: Examining its Potential in Therapy and Mental Health Treatment.
• Assessing the Impacts of Global Warming Policies on Energy Transition: Case Studies from Different Countries.
• Exploring the Representation of Race and Identity in Contemporary Literature: Comparative Analysis of Works by Diverse Authors.

Senior Thesis Topics For High School And College Students

When it comes to selecting senior thesis topics, both high school and college students are faced with a challenge. This challenge is finding a subject that aligns with academic interests and demonstrates their research abilities.

An important point to remember is to seek help from your professors. They provide valuable advice on questions like – how to finish my thesis and strategic planning to craft a good one if you feel unsure. Listed are some popular topics for both college and high school senior thesis.

• The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: An Analysis of the Relationship between Social Media Usage and Psychological Well-being in Society.
• Renewable Energy Solutions: Assessing the Feasibility and Environmental Benefits of Implementing Solar Energy Systems in a Local Community.
• Cultural Differences in Perception of Beauty: Examining how cultural norms shape the perception of beauty and body image ideals.
• The Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity: Investigating the Relationship between Global Warming and Species Extinction Rates.
• Gender Equality in the Workplace: Analyzing the Factors Affecting the Gender Pay Gap
• Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: Assessing the Best Practices for Protecting Personal and Organizational Data in the Digital Age.
• The Influence of Music on Emotion and Memory: Investigating the Cognitive and Psychological Effects of Music and Its Potential Therapeutic Applications.
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Sports Injuries Prevention Programs among Professional Athletes
• Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Analyzing the Environmental, Economic, and Social Benefits of Organic Farming
• Urbanization and Urban Planning: Evaluating the Impacts of Rapid Urban Growth on Infrastructure, Transportation, and Quality of Life in Urban Society.

Psychology Senior Thesis Ideas

When selecting  psychology senior thesis topics and how to write them, the choices can be vast and exciting. This list explores some topics to help most students generate compelling senior thesis best topics.

• The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Adult Mental Health: Physiological Responses Study
• Examining the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Social Anxiety Disorder and Stress in College Students
• The Relationship Between Social Media Use and Romantic Relationships in Adolescents
• Investigating the Role of Parenting Styles in the Development of Emotional Intelligence in Children
• Exploring the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Functioning and Executive Functioning
• The Influence of Personality Traits on Career Choice and Self Esteem
• Understanding the Psychology of Eating Disorders and Self-Esteem in Young Adults
• Investigating the Impact of Social Support Therapy on Depression Treatment and Anxiety Reduction
• The Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Children
• Examining the Effects of Exercise on Eating Disorders and Anxiety Symptoms in Individuals with Major Depression

English Literature Senior Thesis Topics

With a vast landscape of works in literature and critical theories to explore, finding the perfect English literature senior thesis topics can be exciting and challenging. Students can draw inspiration for writing from the following listed English literature senior thesis topics:

• Exploring gender roles in Shakespeare’s Tragedies: The Differences of Women like Ophelia, Lady Macbeth, and Desdemona.
• The Influence of Colonialism in Postcolonial Literature: A Study of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
• Shakespearean Tragedy in Modern Context: A Comparative Study of Hamlet and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
• An Analysis of Gothic Elements in the Books of Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe.
• The Illustration of Mother Nature in Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth’s Poetry.
• Politics and Religion in Literature Periods
• The Portrayal of Social Class, Civil Rights and Inequality in Women from Jane Austen’s Novels.
• Social Critique and Satire in the Novels of Charles Dickens
• A Comparative Study of Gender and Sexuality in the Works of Virginia Woolf
• The Influence of Colonialism and Imperialism on Heart of Darkness and Wide Sargasso Sea.

Graphic Design Senior Thesis Ideas

Writing a senior thesis in graphic design can be interesting as it offers students an opportunity to showcase their creative prowess. Some topics to refine for creative folks in this field are:

• Designing Dynamic Interactions in the Digital World for the Human Mind.
• Visual Storytelling: Examining the Role of Graphic Design in Narrative Communication
• The Intersection of Graphic Design and Social Justice: Using Design as a Catalyst for Promoting Positive Social Impact.
• Sustainable Design Practices in Graphic Design: Exploring Eco-Friendly Approaches and Materials.
• The Evolution of Branding in the Digital Age: Analyzing the Shift from Traditional to Digital Branding Strategies.
• Graphic Design for User Experience: Investigating the Creation and Impact of Visual Design on User Engagement and Satisfaction.
• Visualizing Data: Exploring Innovative Techniques for Information Design and Data Visualization.
• Exploring Cultural Identity through Graphic Design: Examining the Representation of Identity and Diversity in Visual Communication.
• The Power of Color in Graphic Design: Investigating the Psychological and Emotional Effects of Color in Visual Communication.
• Designing for Accessibility: Examining Inclusive Design Principles and Practices in Graphic Design.

Political Science Senior Thesis Topics

Science senior thesis topics offer a chance to demonstrate your research writing skills and critical thinking abilities. The thesis topics you choose will shape your writing and research journey and ultimately determine the success of your thesis.

Therefore, getting all the help you need can help you generate interesting political science senior thesis topics. So, some interesting political science senior thesis topics to look into include:

• Analysis of European Union Protests and the Use of Social Media in Political Mobilization.
• Investigating how Gender Quotas Affect the Political Representation of Women in Parliamentary Systems.
• The Influence of Political Campaigns on Voter Behavior: A Case Study of a Recent National Election.
• Assessing the connection between governance stability and disparities in wealth in modern society.
• Analysis of Right- and Left-Wing Populist Leaders’ Political Rhetoric Use in Populist Movements.
• Evaluating how well international human rights treaties work to encourage adherence to human rights.
• An analysis of non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) influence on environmental policy in modern society.
• Public Trust in Politics and National Scandals: A Comparative Analysis of Previous Cases.
• Exploring the Rise of Authoritarianism in Democracies: Factors and Challenges.
• Investigating the Influence of Media Ownership and Control on Media Bias in Political Reporting.

History Senior Thesis Ideas

History is a vast field with countless potential topics to explore for writing. This makes the selection process both exciting and daunting.

However, with careful consideration and planning process, researchers can write and find the perfect history senior thesis topics. Some history senior thesis topics that showcase history students’ analytical skills and intellectual prowess are:

• The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Modern Society and Culture in the Renaissance Era
• Breaking Gender Limitations: The Contribution of Women to the Equal Rights Campaign
• The Causes and Consequences of the Cold War: A Comparison of the USA and the USSR
• Evaluating the Causes and Effects of the French Revolution
• The African-American Experience during the Reconstruction Era: Progress and Challenges
• The Role of Propaganda in World War II Development: Analysis of Nazi and Allied Strategies
• The Rise and Fall of Colonialism: Examining the Impact of European Powers on Africa
• The Origins and Development of Ancient Greece Culture
• The Great Depression: A Case Study on its Effects on the Society.
• The Impact of Rational Concepts on the American Revolution and the Rise of the US.

Criminal Justice Senior Thesis Ideas

Criminal justice senior thesis topics should address significant issues within the field. This gives students the chance to contribute to understanding the challenges and improvement of the criminal justice system. Listed are some senior thesis topics to consider:

• The Impact of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Accountability and Public Trust
• The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Practices in Reducing Recidivism Rates
• A Look at the Correlation between Mental Health and Criminal Behavior
• Exploring the Impact of Race and Ethnicity in the Law Enforcement System’s Sentencing Inequalities
• Analyzing the Effectiveness of Drug Courts in Keeping Substance Abuse Offenders Out of the Regular Law Enforcement System
• The Use of Risk Assessment Tools in Sentencing and Parole Decision-Making
• Investigating the Factors Influencing False Confessions and Their Implications for the Criminal Justice System
• Evaluation of the Impact of Capital Punishment on Criminal Activity Suppression and Community Response.
• Investigating the Links Between Halt and Search and Racism in Policing
• Rates of Juvenile Delinquency and Relapse and the Effectiveness of Rehab Initiatives

Senior thesis topics chosen with careful deliberation allow students to demonstrate their prowess in academic research. It is an opportunity for students to make original contributions to their fields, advance knowledge, and potentially impact the broader academic community.

The selection of good senior thesis topics for writing should be based on personal interest, feasibility, and relevance. This ensures a meaningful and successful research project. Good luck!

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Senior thesis.

The Senior Thesis is your final general education requirement and the capstone of your undergraduate career. It is a serious exercise in the organization and presentation of written material related to your major. You select a topic for your thesis in consultation with your faculty reader(s). If you are pursuing honors in your major, consult the appropriate department chair for any special requirements or guidelines related to honors.

Getting Started on your Thesis Project

To learn about all of the administrative requirements for registration, production, submission, and upload of your thesis, along with information about resources to assist with each step of the process. Please review the Senior Thesis FAQ .

• Senior Thesis Topic Form  – You must submit a topic form in order to register for thesis.
• Senior Thesis Syllabus 2023-2024
• Senior Thesis Syllabus 2024-2025
• Senior Thesis Topic Exception Request Form – Use this form to request permission to write a thesis outside your major.
• Claremont Colleges Library Research Guides – Helpful guides curated by subject librarians to assist you with your research.
• Institutional Review Board (IRB)  – Information for students engaging in research involving human subjects.
• Keck Science Thesis Information – Science majors follow the Keck Science Department guidelines for the entire science thesis project. *

* Science majors must complete a science thesis (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Analysis, Neuroscience, or Physics 188L and 190L; or Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Analysis, Neuroscience, or Physics 191). All two-semester science theses include labs and lab fees. Science majors make all thesis arrangements through the Keck Science Department and must register for the appropriate course.

Writing and Formatting Guidelines

Formatting and style expectations depend on the discipline in which you’re writing. Check with your reader to settle on a style guide and stick with it throughout your entire project. Be sure to visit The Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD) for help with everything from developing your thesis topic to final formatting.

Students wishing to view previously submitted theses for formatting ideas and examples can visit the online repository at Scholarship@Claremont and browse or search for any CMC thesis. Searching for “Best Senior Thesis” (including the quotation marks) will pull up the highest quality theses.

• The Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD)
• CWPD Online Resources – Look here for style guides, documentation guides, and other useful tools.
• CWPD Thesis Session FAQ
• Sample Title Page – Your title page should look like this.
• Copyright & Fair Use Resources – Look here for resources and information about determining whether your use of any content that you do not hold the copyright could qualify as Fair Use, copyright information including templates for getting permission from copyright holders, using Creative Commons licenses, and more.
• Citation Managers

Submitting your Completed Thesis

Submit to Scholarship@Claremont .

• Formatting Your Thesis
• Connection at Honnold/Mudd Library – Printing, copying, and binding services in easy walking distance.

Submitting your Thesis to Scholarship@Claremont

CMC maintains its senior thesis collection in the Claremont Colleges Library’s online scholarly repository, Scholarship@Claremont . Students will submit electronic versions of their Senior Theses to Scholarship@Claremont . The upload is a mandatory part of the senior thesis process for all CMC students, including science majors and students with off-campus majors. Students requesting an exemption will have their thesis removed from the Library's repository. CMC will retain a copy of the thesis in the student's records.

• Preparing Your Thesis for Upload
• Assembling Your Thesis into a Single PDF for Upload
• Uploading Theses & Dissertations to Scholarship@Claremont – Library resources related to uploading your senior thesis to Scholarship@Claremont.
• Scholarship@Claremont
• Exemption Request  – Use this form to request an embargo (delay before your uploaded thesis is available to others) or an upload exemption.

Non-Catalog NCF Site Menus

Senior project or thesis, the senior project or thesis, the baccalaureate examination.

In order to graduate from New College of Florida, all students, regardless of Area of Concentration, undertake and complete a senior project or thesis. The completed project should demonstrate the ability to express ideas and information in writing. When the thesis is approved by the thesis sponsor, the original copy is archived in Jane Bancroft Cook Library. The student is responsible for delivering the final copy of the thesis to Cook Library by the Monday of graduation week by no later than 5:00 p.m. If the Library has not accepted the senior thesis, the student will not be able to participate in the College’s graduation ceremony, his or her diploma will be withheld, and a hold will be placed on his or her transcript until the library copy has been accepted. The printed library copy should be submitted unbound, preferably in an envelope. The student must also email the complete .pdf of the thesis and a Word or rtf file of the abstract to [email protected] . The Cook Library will pay for one bound copy of the thesis for the archive. A divisional copy of the thesis may be made at the request of an appropriate faculty member and will be charged to that division. All theses that have been completed at New College are available in Cook Library. Signature of the abstract by the faculty thesis sponsor or sponsors signifies approval of the thesis for deposit in Cook Library.

If the project or thesis takes other than written form—for example, a work of art—the student must also submit a written description of the project to the Cook Library, along with slides, a video, or a recording as the baccalaureate committee deems appropriate.

Project or Thesis Format

The bound copy of the thesis available to library users should be professionally presented as the scholarly document it is. Hence the thesis must comply with certain regulations as to format. Each year the Dean of the Library assigns a library thesis coordinator who checks the theses for form and who receives and signs off on the final document. The library copy of the thesis must conform to the requirements listed below.

The thesis must be printed on acid free, 20-pound weight, at least 25% rag cotton content, white archival bond paper. It is available for purchase in the campus bookstore. The thesis must be printed single sided.

• Margins - The left margin must be 1.5 inches wide to allow space for binding. The top, right and bottom margins must be one inch wide.
• Print - A standard unified type size and typeface is customary, with script, italicized or slanted typeface reserved for emphasis, technical or other special terms and foreign words. Any necessary variations should be discussed with the faculty thesis sponsor. Any symbols to be inserted in the text, which are not on the standard qwerty keyboard, should be made in the same color ink (black is customary) as the printed text.
• Page Numbers - Pages of the thesis should be consecutively numbered. Roman lower-case numbers are used for the front matter. Arabic numerals are used for the body of the text.
• Spacing - The abstract and the body of the text should be double-spaced. For directions on how to space indented quotations, footnotes or endnotes, or bibliographies, please consult the style guide recommended by the faculty thesis sponsor.
• Illustrations - Photographs, charts and other materials mounted on sheets for inclusion in the thesis must be securely fixed to pages, and should follow the guidelines for margins stated above. Graphs, charts and tables may be in color or black and white. Visual materials may be inserted at the appropriate point in the text, or at the end of the manuscript. Short tables may be placed on a page with some text, or centered on separate sheets.
• Oversize Materials - Because of difficulties in binding, the library recommends avoiding the use of oversize materials. Charts and other illustrations to be included in the thesis should be reduced or redesigned to fit a standard page. If oversize material is used, it must be folded to fit in a pocket inserted into the thesis.
• If the abstract lacks a signature, the student will be instructed to secure one before the thesis will be accepted. Consider making an appointment to obtain this signature.
• For senior theses, the abstract should summarize the problems addressed, the research, the methods, and the major findings. For senior projects, the abstract should describe the project, its medium and its shape, and the problems or issues that the project addressed.

Electronic Copy of Project or Thesis

Every student must submit o ne final copy of the entire thesis in pdf format to [email protected] .  The file should be submitted at the same time as the print copy. The pdf will be uploaded to the Thesis Database by the library staff.

Additional Materials on Disc

Additional materials submitted on CDs or DVDs will be archived with the thesis. The discs should be labeled appropriately as to authorship, thesis title, and content, placed in a protective case or sleeve, and submitted at the same time as the print thesis.

Citations and Bibliography

Style of citations and format of bibliography (footnotes or endnotes) must be approved by the faculty thesis sponsor.

Arrangement of Project or Thesis

In general, the manuscript is arranged in three sections:

• Preliminaries or front matter
• Back matter

Preliminaries or Front Matter

This section contains the following components, some of which are optional. Pagination in this section is in lower-case Roman numerals.

• Title Page (Count as “page i,” but do not number this page.)
• Dedication (optional). If included, begin pagination here (ii).
• Preface or Acknowledgments (optional)
• Table of Contents (List all parts of thesis, except title page)
• List of Illustrations and List of Tables (when relevant)

Pagination in this section is in Arabic numerals and begins on page 1 of the text. The text may be divided into chapters.

Back Matter

This section should be arranged in the following order:

• Appendices (when relevant). If the thesis contains only one appendix, do not “letter” or number it. If, however, the thesis contains more than one appendix, provide a title, letter, or number for each one.
• Endnotes (when relevant)
• Bibliography

Students in consultation with the faculty thesis sponsor may make variations on this model.

Submission of the Library Copy

A senior thesis is a scholarly document. Digital copies of theses are made available upon request to members of the public for a fee.

The print thesis must be submitted to the Jane Bancroft Cook Library in a 10” x 13” envelope. Audiovisual materials that are part of the thesis project should be submitted with the print copy. All non-paper materials, such as photographs, CDs, and DVDs, must be labeled with the thesis student’s name and year of graduation.

Students must submit an electronic copy of their thesis via email to [email protected] . The complete thesis should be submitted as a .pdf file. The final library copy should be as clean and correct as possible. The library thesis coordinator will review the thesis copy for margins and signatures, and may reject manuscripts with light or unreadable print or those that otherwise do not meet the specifications described here. The library thesis coordinator is responsible for accomplishing review in a timely manner. After the thesis has been reviewed and accepted, there will be no further review by library staff. The library copy of the thesis, both in print and as a .pdf, must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm on the Monday of graduation week.

Sample Title Page

(2" top margin) THE THEORY OF X

(4 spaces) BY JANE SMITH

(6 spaces) A Thesis

(4 spaces) Submitted to the Division of______________ New College of Florida in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Arts     (Single space all of this) Under the sponsorship of_______________________

(4 spaces) Sarasota, Florida Month, Year  

(Note: Both the title and the author’s name are generally capitalized. If the title is more than one line long, an inverted pyramid form is the customary layout.)

Sample Abstract

THE THEORY OF X

New College of Florida, 2013

Follow this format. The type of information given at the top of the page and at the end (title, author, school, year and “abstract” at the top, name of professor and academic division at the bottom) must be included in all abstracts.

The abstract should not exceed two hundred words, or a page and a half of text. It must be double-spaced. The customary arrangement calls for the information at the top to be centered in the manner indicated, and for the title to be capitalized. Variations on this should be discussed with the faculty thesis sponsor. Triple-space (or otherwise mark a clear break) before and after the word “abstract”. The faculty thesis sponsor’s signature is required. If an unsigned thesis is submitted, the faculty thesis sponsor will be notified.

Type Name of Faculty Thesis Sponsor Type Name of Academic Division

The baccalaureate examination, conducted by the baccalaureate committee, is an oral defense of the student’s performance in three areas: the senior thesis, the Area(s) of Concentration, and the student's undergraduate education in general. It is typically the final requirement for graduation, coming in the final semester and presupposing completion of the senior thesis and substantial completion of the requirements for the Area(s) of Concentration. No student may graduate until the quality of their educational achievement has been closely examined and approved by three faculty members. The ability to express ideas and information orally is assessed as part of the baccalaureate examination process. The baccalaureate examination usually is held two or three weeks prior to the semester's end, but examinations can be scheduled earlier. The dates reserved for baccalaureate exams are announced in the academic calendar.

The procedure for announcing baccalaureate examinations, which are open to the College community, is as follows:

Not later than one week before the baccalaureate examination, the student who is to be examined shall apply to the Division Office of their thesis sponsor for a room in which to hold the examination. They shall provide the Division with the following information:

• Name of student
• Title of thesis or project
• Area(s) of Concentration
• Members of baccalaureate committee
• Date and time of examination

A Division staff member shall assign a room for the examination and the student then posts an announcement of the examination (consisting of all of the preceding information) on the Baccalaureate Announcement website, found on the Office of the Provost intranet page. The student may also post paper announcements in any or all of the following places:

• Division Offices
• Office of the Registrar
• Office of Student Affairs
• Any available student publication

A student’s senior thesis project committee, which is also the baccalaureate committee, includes a senior thesis sponsor and at least two other faculty members, all of whom have signed the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration Form on file in the Office of the Registrar.  In the event that a student wishes to change the membership of the committee, a new Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration Form , signed by the new committee members, must be filed in the Office of the Registrar two weeks before the baccalaureate examination. The Office of the Registrar will notify previous committee members of the change. A baccalaureate examination may be held only with the approval of the thesis sponsor.

A satisfactory Baccalaureate Examination Report signed by all of the members of the committee must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than 5:00 p.m. of the Friday preceding graduation week. A satisfactory Senior Thesis or Project Evaluation must be submitted online, through the Student Evaluation System by 5:00 p.m. of the following Monday. In addition, the student is responsible for delivering the final copy of the thesis to the Library that same day. If a baccalaureate is held and one or more members of the committee refuse to sign the baccalaureate examination form, then the student may:

• Fulfill conditions set by the committee to the satisfaction of the thesis sponsor;
• Request another baccalaureate examination with the same committee;
• Reconstitute the thesis committee. If the committee is reconstituted, then a new Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form, signed by all of the members of the new committee, must be filed in the Office of the Registrar; the baccalaureate examination may not be held sooner than two weeks after the new form is filed. The deadlines in the previous paragraphs remain in effect.

The faculty members of the SASC review the list of potential graduates and make their recommendation(s) to the New College faculty as a whole, in an executive session called by the Chair of the Faculty. The New College faculty, in that executive session, vote on conferral of all degrees. If a student has not met the requirements for the degree by the time of that faculty meeting, the student cannot graduate until the next degree conferral date.

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• Environmental Studies
• Major & Minor

Senior Thesis

  environmental studies senior thesis  .

Pursuing a thesis in ES enables a student to examine a set of questions that they discover working closely with an ES faculty advisor during the course of an academic year. It provides the opportunity to develop a specialized set of analytical skills in order to make a significant research contribution to environmental studies. In addition to the thesis, the products of this inquiry often include presentations at Ruhlman conferences, national professional society meetings, and in some disciplines, may result in submission of a peer-reviewed manuscript.  

If you are interested in pursuing a thesis, we encourage you to read through the informaiton below and speak to a member of the ES Advisory Faculty early in the process.  Any member of the ES Advisory Faculty would be happy to talk with you!

You can see examples of successful ES thesis proposals here and final ES theses here .

The steps to a thesis are as follows:

• Discuss your interest with an ES Advisory Faculty member
• Submit a pre-proposal by 3/25/24 at 5pm. Follow instructions below.
• Discuss feedback on your pre-proposal with your advisor.
• If your pre-proposal moves forward, a full proposal is due by 4/28/2024 at 5pm.
• Approval of ES theses will be made in May 2024.

Goals of the Pre-proposal

The pre-proposal is a way for you to demonstrate your curiosity and passion for the topic and approach that will sustain your thesis.  A pre-proposal is a way to put boundaries on the topic you are interested in researching. It explains the initial questions you wish to explore and the means and tools you will use to answer them.  The ES Faculty will discuss the proposals and reach out to you (likely through your identified advisor) to discuss next steps.  If your proposal moves forward, a full thesis proposals are due by April 28, 2024  

Pre-proposal questions.  Please copy and paste these questions to a new document and answer each one.  Submit the Google Doc to Jay Turner (the current chair).  

• Working title (i.e., a place-holder title for now)
• 150-word statement of problem space and initial questions being researched. Think of this as the trailer to your full thesis proposal. Make every sentence count.
• Which ES Advisory Faculty member(s) have you consulted with about this pre-proposal?
• General lines of inquiry/methodology (e.g. what sorts of sources will be consulted? Is lab and/or field work required? What types of analyses will you do?) (< 200 words)
• 3-5 key references. A thesis builds on the existing scholarly literature. Please provide 3-5 references that demonstrate the preliminary research you’ve conducted and reflect the body of scholarship you wish to contribute to. Note, these should not be the first 3-5 references that you find; the sample references you submit should reflect the work you’ve already undertaken to scope out your topic and the scholarship relevant to it.  You may include 1 to 2 sentences (no more) about each source explaining its relevance.
• How do your experiences in ES at Wellesley and beyond inform your proposal?  Do you see it building on specific courses, research experiences, and/or study abroad experiences?(< 200 words)

By the end of the semester, the entire ES Advisory Faculty determines if the proposed plan of study is feasible and gives preliminary approval to start the honors thesis process.

Once approved, students should indicate who the primary advisor is and list additional potential committee members who would be helpful for the thesis process. The composition of the thesis committee will be determined by the ES advisory faculty in consultations with the thesis student.

The honors committee must include the following:

• at least three and no more than four people
• at least two people from the ES Advisory Faculty (including a primary advisor who is a member of the ES Advisory Faculty)

There are two options for pursuing a thesis: ES 355/365 will be for senior theses and ES 360/370 will be for senior honors theses. In both cases, a thesis is a chance to pursue in-depth research for a sustained project, involving careful project design and research, over the course of the entire senior year. In all cases, thesis work is in addition to the 10-course requirement for the ES major.

The following schedule must be observed. Updated guidelines can be found on the  Registrar's website .

Spring Semester, Sophomore Year:  Students planning to study abroad should discuss their interest in honors with potential advisors during their sophomore year, and submit their application in April of their junior year abroad as explained below.

Spring Semester, Junior Year:  Early in the spring semester of their junior year the potential honors thesis student will meet with a potential advisor to explore topics, determine scope, and to begin to think about forming a three to four person honors thesis committee that would support the area of study. Students and their advisor should also discuss the possibility of summer funding options (described below) as these applications typically have February deadlines. 

Summer Before Senior Year: Students will begin research for their proposed project. This research should directly contribute to the development of the expanded proposal as explained below.

Students are encouraged to apply for on or off campus fellowships to support their summer research. On campus applications for the summer research programs in Social Science and the Science center can be found at:

http://www.wellesley.edu/provost/students/summerresearch http://www.wellesley.edu/sciencecenter/students/opportunities/summer

Fall Semester, Senior Year: Students will submit an expanded proposal to their committee before the first day of classes. This 7-10-page, double-spaced proposal should reflect the student’s summer research and include a detailed timeline .

During the first two weeks of the student's senior year (during add/drop period) the student will meet with the thesis committee to discuss the revised proposal and evaluate the status of the project. The ES Program Coordinator will help to schedule the meeting time and location with the student’s committee. If the committee decides that progress is satisfactory, students may enroll in ES 355/360. ES 360 students will fill out the Honors form at the Dean’s office.

Normally at the conclusion of the ES 355/360 a grade of TBG (to be graded) will be assigned. The final grade for the combined 360/370 process is assigned at the completion of the thesis.

Spring Semester, Senior Year: During the first week of the second semester, students will meet with their thesis committee and give a formal presentation and update on the progress of their project. At this point, the committee will decide if the student may advance to ES 365/370. A list of approved ES 365/370 students will be sent to the registrar and the office will register them. This is considered the halfway point of the thesis. If students are not able to continue with the thesis, the fall ES 355/360 is transformed into an ES 350 Independent Study course. Students choosing not to continue with the thesis can decide (in conjunction with their advisors) whether they want to continue on with Independent Study.

Students will submit a complete draft of their thesis to their committee in early to mid April, with a specific date to be determined by their primary advisor. After this draft is submitted, students will consult with their committee to schedule the one-hour thesis oral exam during reading period. Students, in consultation with their advisor, should also arrange for a Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policyvisitor to attend the defense.  Follow the link to more information about the  Procedure for Selecting Honors Visitors .

During the spring semester, students are expected to give a public presentation of their thesis research to the Wellesley Community. This 15-20 minute presentation and question & answer period will be for a general audience of ES students and faculty, and will take place over lunch.

Students will submit a final draft of their thesis in late April of their senior year, as scheduled by the Registrar's Office.  The electronic repository will distribute copies of the thesis to the honors examining committee, including the honors visitor. If honors is conferred, the Registrar's copy of the thesis becomes the property of the College Archives. There are no extensions permitted for handing in theses.

During reading period, students will complete the pre-arranged oral exam/defense of thesis. In Environmental Studies, this will be a hybrid of the public presentation, and a more formal discussion (the defense component). The examination should be approximately one hour in length. The oral examination committee is composed of the honors advisor, the department chair/program director (or a designated representative), a third faculty member from the department/program, and a non-voting representative of the Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy.

After the defense the committee and the student will determine the date when the final thesis with essential revisions is to be handed in. Submission of the revised thesis usually occurs within 10 days of the defense, and no later than commencement. If revisions to the thesis are suggested or required at the conclusion of the oral examination, the student is responsible for submitting the corrected copy of the thesis to the Office of the Registrar prior to graduation.

Honors Thesis Structure and Format

We expect that the thesis will follow one of two broad strategies. 1) Students may choose to complete a thesis that is broadly interdisciplinary, or 2) students may decide to have a focused thesis that includes an interdisciplinary component, which is broadly related to the thesis topic, but is not a separate entity supplementary to the thesis.

The thesis must include an executive summary that is accessible to the entire Environmental Studies community. The length of the executive summary should be approximately 2-4 pages, single-spaced. In general, this piece should be a concise presentation of the project and its relevance to environmental studies. The ES Advisory Faculty will provide examples of acceptable executive summaries.

There is no single, preferred stylistic format for the honors thesis. All archived copies of the thesis should, however, include a standard title page. See Sample Title Page . The candidate should consult her honors advisor about the acceptable forms for footnotes, bibliography, and other issues of form appropriate to the field. One often-consulted reference is Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations.

Electronic Copies

The Registrar's Office now requires all theses to be submitted electronically. Visit the registrar's office site for guidelines on the submission process. 

Financial Assistance

Limited funds are available to support student research with Wellesley College faculty members. Students seeking a research grant should submit an application form. These forms are available in the Office of the Dean of the College or on the Web.

Library Policy for Thesis Students

Study carrels are available at the Science Center, Art, Music Libraries (and Clapp after renovations) for thesis students. Request a thesis carrel.

Organismal Biology & Ecology

Senior thesis.

Any senior OBE major may elect to undertake a senior thesis. A senior OBE major who completes a high quality senior thesis, presents it orally at OBE Day, and has a high grade point average will receive Graduation with Distinction. This honor will be recorded on the student's official transcript and noted on the commencement program at graduation. If a student meets the senior thesis and presentation requirements, but does not have a high enough GPA, s/he will not receive Graduation with Distinction, but the successful completion of the senior thesis requirements will become part of the student's official transcript under BE499 Senior Thesis.

CHECKLIST to graduate with distinction in Organismal Biology and Ecology

• Complete an OBE senior thesis with a grade of A- or above and
• From the courses taken for the OBE major, achieve a GPA of at least 3.7 for the 10 courses with the highest grades. If a student does not have seven or more grade track courses, e.g. is a transfer student or a student taking the MBL Semester in Ecosystem Science, a faculty member may nominate the student for consideration for distinction by a departmental vote.

The option of undertaking a senior thesis must be initiated by the student and approved by an OBE Department faculty member (primary research advisor), who will supervise the student's research and senior thesis. In addition, another faculty member (who may be in another CC department if the area of research falls under the other faculty member's area of expertise) must agree to act as a secondary advisor. The primary and secondary research advisors comprise the thesis committee. The thesis committee will establish the format and requirements of the research and thesis, read and suggest revisions in the thesis, and determine whether the thesis is of sufficient quality to qualify for Graduation With Distinction. Ideally, the decision to write a senior thesis should be made in the fall of the junior year so that the spring may be devoted to a survey of the literature and planning for the research. The research itself should begin by the following summer. Work on the writing of the research must begin by the fall of the senior year. The senior thesis is based on original research done by the student. A literature review, although a necessary part of a senior thesis, is not in itself considered to be a thesis.

OFF-CAMPUS RESEARCH

Off-campus research projects done in such programs as the Oak Ridge Semester, the ACM Tropical Field Research Program in Costa Rica, research at another institution, or other approved research experience at a laboratory or field station may be used for the research on which a senior thesis is based. Students should be aware, however, that sometimes research supervision in these programs is not very good, and that they could end their off-campus program without having obtained suitable data for a senior thesis. A student should approach a CC OBE faculty member about being the student's primary research advisor before the student undertakes the off-campus research . When the student returns to CC after finishing the off-campus research, the primary thesis advisor will determine whether the results of the student's off-campus research project is worthy of a senior thesis. Students are additionally cautioned that the actual writing of the senior thesis based on off-campus research must be done by working closely with the CC OBE Department faculty member who has agreed to be the student's primary research advisor . In this case the primary thesis advisor supervises the data analysis and writing of the thesis, rather than supervising the actual research.

REGISTRATION FOR SENIOR THESIS

Students undertaking a senior thesis must return a completed form (on OBE website) entitled, Registration for Senior Thesis , by the end of block 2 of the senior year , to the coordinator of the Senior Thesis/Distinction program. Students must arrange for a thesis committee consisting of a primary research advisor, who must be an OBE Department faculty member, and a secondary advisor, who may be in another academic department. An oral presentation advisor, normally the primary research advisor, is also necessary. These advisors must sign the registration form before it is turned in to the Senior Thesis/Distinction coordinator.

ENROLLING IN BE499 SENIOR THESIS

By the end of block 2, students planning to do a senior thesis should be enrolled in BE499 Senior Thesis through the Registrar's Office. Enrolling in BE499 and completing the OBE Department's requirements for a senior thesis will provide an official record of the senior thesis on the student's transcript. There is an option of enrolling in BE499 as a regular block course, or enrolling in BE499 as a FULL YEAR extended format course. Students may enroll in one extended format course per semester for ½ CC unit at no extra tuition cost (in the case of BE499 students therefore must enroll for both semesters, thus obtaining a whole unit of credit). The instructor for BE499 should be the primary thesis advisor.

ORAL PRESENTATION OF THESIS

In addition to the written senior thesis, a student must make a high quality oral presentation of the thesis research and results. Ordinarily, this presentation will be at the annual spring OBE Day. The presentation is prepared under the supervision of at least one OBE faculty member who is also part of the thesis committee. Normally the oral presentation advisor is also the primary research advisor for the senior thesis, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. The student's oral presentation advisor will help the student fit the presentation into the time available at OBE Day, make suggestions about organization and the preparation of slides, and help set the level of the talk appropriate for the CC audience. The talk must be a well-planned, rehearsed, understandable, and professional presentation of scholarly work. Students who do off-campus research as a basis for their senior thesis are cautioned that they must work closely with their CC presentation advisor to prepare their talk, even if they have orally presented the results previously as part of their off-campus research experience. This will help ensure that the presentation will meet the OBE Department's standards of quality.

The student must inform the faculty coordinator of OBE Day of his or her intention to give an oral presentation at OBE Day and must submit an abstract of the presentation for the OBE Day program. The OBE Day coordinator will send instructions for the abstract via campus mail or e-mail to all those students who have submitted a form declaring their intention to write a senior thesis (see section on Registration for Senior Thesis); however, it is the student's responsibility to check his/her Worner box and e-mail regularly and make certain that his/her abstract is submitted in a timely manner.

Note: Any student may request to present research based on independent study (such as for BE309/409) at the OBE Department's annual OBE Day. Because of time limitations for oral presentations of students attempting to qualify for Graduation with Distinction, however, other student presentations at OBE Day will usually be in the form of a poster. The coordinator of OBE Day will make the final decision about the format of research presentations at OBE Day.

Students attempting to graduate with distinction in December must discuss their situation with their advisor and the Department Chair to arrange for fulfilling the oral presentation requirement outside of OBE Day.

TURNING IN THE FINAL COPY OF THE SENIOR THESIS

By the first Friday of Block 8, a final, clean, and professional-looking original of the thesis, signed by the thesis committee (on a title page as shown in Appendix II of this handbook) must be turned in to the OBE office. By signing, the thesis advisors have judged that the written thesis meets the standards of quality necessary for Graduation With Distinction.

The thesis must also be submitted to the library, which only accepts electronic copies. The student should use their last name and tiger number to log in to the following website: http://discovery.coloradocollege.edu/etd/ . After logging in, they will be prompted with instructions on how to complete the submission.

For a detailed overview of the thesis submission process, covering everything from how to get departmental and personal bound copies to submitting a thesis electronically, see http://coloradocollege.libguides.com/content.php?pid=345211 .

The Senior Thesis

All majors will complete a one-semester thesis in Linguistics as their culminating experience. Honors majors will write their thesis in LING 195, and course majors will write their thesis in LING 100. LING 90 Advanced Research Methods is highly recommended for students to help prepare them for thesis work, but is not required. Ling minors are welcome to write a thesis if they wish, but do not usually do so. 

The thesis is usually completed in a student’s senior Fall, but a Spring thesis seminar with limited spots is generally available at Haverford. Students who are student teaching or writing a thesis for another major in their senior Fall will often choose to write in the Spring semester of their junior or senior year. Honors theses must be completed by January of the senior year.

Linguistics does allow joint theses with other departments so long as the final product includes substantial linguistics content. Reach out to the chair if you are interested in this option.

Students should start thinking about possible thesis topics by the spring of their junior year. Students must have sufficient background in their proposed research area to do advanced work on the topic. This can usually be fulfilled by some combination of two or more relevant courses or research experiences. We encourage students to build on previous work such as term papers or final projects. A student’s advisor may veto a thesis topic if the student has insufficient prior background in the area, if the topic is not sufficiently relevant to Linguistics, or if it is too broadly or narrowly scoped or otherwise inappropriate for a thesis. 

During pre-registration, students may register for any thesis section. Specific faculty will be assigned to co-teach the thesis seminars as part of their normal teaching load, and they will advise all of that semester’s theses, usually 5-6 advisees per faculty member as first reader. In early April, the department will send out a survey to all rising seniors and other thesising students asking them to submit their thesis ideas. After these have been collected, each student will be assigned to a thesis advisor. Assignments are made on the basis of several factors. While we try to match each student to an advisor whose area of expertise overlaps with their proposed topic, this is not always possible. Some students will be assigned to an advisor at a different TriCo campus, in which case they will attend the thesis seminar at their advisor’s campus. Once advisors are assigned, students’ registrations will be moved to the appropriate seminar section. All sections are roughly equivalent in terms of syllabus, content, scheduling, and due dates.

Students will also be assigned a second faculty reader, who will give them additional feedback throughout the process. Occasionally the Chair or another faculty member not teaching the seminar will serve as first or second advisor, based on enrollments or expertise.

Thesis orientation meetings will take place in the Spring. Students are expected to attend this meeting if at all possible, and to let their thesis advisor know if they can’t make it (for example due to study abroad). Students are encouraged to be in touch with their advisor over the summer, and to begin to make progress on tasks like background reading or running experiments/gathering data. If a proposed thesis requires IRB approval, students are strongly encouraged to apply during the summer, as the process can be lengthy. Swarthmore students and BiCo students working with Swarthmore advisors whose projects pose no more than minimal risk can obtain departmental human subjects approval ; all others must go through their campus IRB committee. Students doing work with human subjects should discuss this with their advisor.

The department currently budgets $50 per student to cover thesis expenses such as payments to language consultants or experimental subjects. Students may use this form to apply for funding.

A completed thesis usually consists of a 20-35-page research paper on the students’ topic, written for an audience of fellow senior linguistics majors. Beginning in Fall 2024, the department has approved a pilot policy to allow thesis which take alternative formats. Guidelines for these formats are below. There are a number of intermediate steps, drafts, and checkpoints along the way; students are expected to meet these.

Students will normally complete their thesis by the end of the semester, and present the completed project in a defense or public presentation. The grade is assigned by the faculty advisor in consultation with the second reader primarily on the basis of the finished product, though process and timeliness with regards to intermediate deadlines can affect the final grade as well.

Guidelines for alternative thesis options:

• Our current thesis format remains the (default) option. Other formats must be approved by the advisor.  Advisors may say no based on student preparation or the appropriateness of a given format for the student’s topic, usually after some discussion.
• 40-60 minute plenary style talk with handout or slides
• 15-20 minute film
• policy brief/proposal
• software package or implementation
• other format of the student’s choosing
• Work must still reflect individual research on a defined research question ; only the format of presentation is different.
• The student must already possess the skills necessary to produce the alternate format — e.g., they should already be experienced at video editing if they want to produce a film. Advisors should take this into account when deciding whether to approve an alternate format. The advisor need not have expertise in that area. 
• Intermediate deadlines for alternate format theses may need to differ from those for traditional theses; these should be discussed with the advisor at the start of the semester. As with a written thesis paper, the project should be carefully scoped for the time available.
• Alternate formats should be proposed as early as possible. Some options will be foreclosed as time passes: For example, pivoting to a video format isn’t practically feasible later in the semester, while a plenary talk format may well be. Approval of a format change is at the advisor’s discretion.
• The execution of the final product should count towards the final grade in the same way that writing quality counts towards the final thesis grade. E.g., a sloppily edited podcast presenting strong research should be graded in the same way as a poorly-written thesis paper on strong research. The product should be intentional and explicit about its audience and designed with them in mind. The intended audience of a written thesis is generally an academic audience / "fellow ling majors".
• For formats other than a plenary talk or traditional thesis, the final product should include a short (~3-5 page) companion paper including a brief lit review/references, discussion of the research questions addressed, a reflection on product itself and whether it met the student’s goals, and discussion of the process and what the student felt they gained.
• All theses, regardless of format, should take accessibility into account and follow established best practices. Videos and podcasts should include an accurate transcript and/or subtitles. Written papers should be accessible to screen readers, with the document structure properly formatted (e.g. headings should be in Heading format, not just bolded regular text) and alt text for images and figures. See https://www.swarthmore.edu/accessibility/practical-how-to

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Senior psychology major reveals how South Carolina Honors College transformed her life

After distinguishing herself as one of the rare transfer students accepted into the highly competitive South Carolina Honors College as a sophomore, Ruth Moniz still had only a vague idea where she ultimately might fit in the wide spectrum of career opportunities for psychology majors. She was hungry for meaningful professional insight, and one Honors psychology course — Research, Practice, and Policy in School Behavioral Health — changed everything.

“Before taking this class, I knew I was interested in psychology, and I knew that I liked working with children, but, other than that, I had absolutely no idea what my future academic or professional path might look like,” Moniz recalls. “I was trying to get as much exposure as possible to different things. I was toying with the idea of counseling but didn’t really feel a strong connection to it. … I also had the opportunity to volunteer with a local middle school and trained in motivational interviewing. It was absolutely amazing and so rewarding to see the impacts of positive behavioral interventions and supports in action in a local environment.”

Finally discovering that school-based psychology would be her niche was not without its challenges. Moniz was initially intimidated by the academic rigor of Honors College courses, especially reading and understanding sophisticated academic articles. However, during the first week of Honors classes, she was stunned to experience a level of enthusiastic participation and engagement that was far different from high school. Soon, Moniz found herself looking forward to the Honors assignments and in-depth discussions.

“I had spoken to other friends who were in Honors and had read many wonderful things online about the enhanced experiences available to Honors students,” she says. “I knew that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take my college experience to the next level. … I had no idea just how impactful it would be.”

I would not be the student or person I am today without my Honors experience.

The psychology course was the catalyst that opened the door for Moniz to pursue her undergraduate research at USC, which ultimately led to her choice of senior thesis topic: “The use of effective health communication strategies to reduce inequitable and exclusionary discipline in schools.” It examines disciplinary practices in K-12 schools that remove students from the school environment as well as reviews the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which is how an individual’s belief systems influence their decisions to behave in a certain way.

Today, Moniz is a part-time research assistant on nationally renowned psychology instructor Mark Weist’s School Behavioral Health Team. As a senior, she was even invited to present her research findings at the 2023 Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference where Moniz networked with top professionals in the field. She will become a full-time research assistant after graduation in May. Beyond that, she is keeping her options open.

Having previously served as a Peer Leader for University 101 programs, Moniz hopes to stay involved in the first-year seminars while preparing to apply for graduate school. She is proud that USC ranks No. 1 nationally for first-year experience and leads the state with 20 nationally ranked health science graduate programs.

“I would not be the student or person I am today without my Honors experience,” Moniz says. “I have gained so much knowledge as an Honors student, but I think, more importantly, I have gained so much more confidence in myself as a student and my ability to chase my dreams and aspirations. Honors will always have a special place in my heart.”

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Dining, Conferences and Campus Events (DCCE)

By Cheryl Lacey . Published on April 23, 2024

Deeply missing the vegan lemon garlic aioli!

In 2020-2021, there was vegan lemon garlic aioli available every day in the alternative milk fridge and it was genuinely one of the best parts of my freshman year. Is there any way this could make a comeback this Spring? I love it when you have aiolis at the vegan bar on burger days!!

We’ll discuss this at the next menu meeting.

Thanks for writing,