Thesis

THESIS DOCUMENTS (SYLLABUS, DEFENSE FORMS, ETC.)

Advanced Readings & Research (HON 3100 & 3101)

Please see the description of the Advanced Readings courses, during which students work with faculty mentors to lay the groundwork for their thesis projects.

Honors Thesis (HON 4V87)

Development of the thesis continues in a sequence of courses totaling four credit hours. HON 4V87, Honors Thesis, is usually taken during the final two semesters. As a variable hour class, student must register for the class and total number of credit hours, usually two hours each term. In HON 4V87, students are expected to draft substantial sections of the thesis essay, often around half the thesis during each semester. The first section of the essay is quite often a review of the relevant literature, explored in the Readings courses, that places the thesis in the context of current scholarship. Subsequent sections then proceed to analyze primary sources, data, or laboratory results. At the conclusion of the project, the completed thesis is presented by the student and evaluated by a committee of at least three professors in a one-hour oral defense.

The Honors Program provides a set of specific guidelines and recommended procedures for every phase of the thesis project, but each thesis director may opt to modify the requirements of any thesis course at her or his discretion and evaluate the student's progress accordingly.

Honors Exit Review (HON 4088)

In the final semester before graduation, all Honors Program students should complete HON 4088, the Honors Exit Review. This serves primarily as an administrative check to ensure that all program requirements are fulfilled for a student to be certified as a graduate of the Honors Program. Please see the course syllabus.

Thesis Abstracts

Here is a collection of recent thesis abstracts indicative of the kinds of research and creative work pursued by Honors Program students as part of the thesis project. Browse through this list if you are curious about the kind of project that you might undertake.

Formatting the Thesis Project

Visit the Thesis Formatting Guidelines page for detailed formatting instructions. This page includes information on the thesis project, how to format the final document to Honors Program specifications, submitting the final copy, and (if desired) ordering professionally bound copies for your own use.

Questions should be addressed to Dr. Al Beck, Assistant Director of the Honors Program, or Ms. Mary Ziehe, Honors Program Advisor.

Oral Defense

At your defense, your thesis mentor will need a copy of the Oral Defense Form (also known as the thesis defense signature page). It is your responsibility to provide this form and the Guidelines for the Oral Defense (see below) to your thesis advisor prior to the defense. (It is also a good idea to bring a copy of the Oral Defense Form with you to your defense in case the original form is lost, misplaced, or forgotten.)

Submitting the Final Thesis to BEARdocs

The final steps of the thesis involve submitting an electronic copy of the defended and revised thesis to the Honors Program. View our submission page to learn more.

Library Resources

A list of library personnel who can direct you to pertinent sources of information in the library or online. Also, if you are having troubling creating a thesis defense committee, these faculty members can sometimes serve as a third reader on your committee.

Scheduling Calculator

Need help scheduling the thesis project? Do you find yourself always playing catch-up with various thesis deadlines? This Scheduling Calculator from the Baylor University Libraries will help you develop a timeline for writing each chapter, or for any other writing assignment that you might have. The calculator works best if you use the calculator to develop a schedule for each chapter or section rather than for the entire thesis.