Planning Your Thesis

Summer Before Senior Year (for fall projects) or Winter Break of Senior Year (for spring projects)

You will need to obtain formal faculty sponsorship of your project so that you can register for either BHP 499 Baccalaureate Honors Thesis (usually for interdisciplinary projects that may not "fit" into any particular Department) or the equivalent Independent Study course in your department (e.g., XXX 490, POL 450, HIS 460, ENV 480). See the appropriate department chair if you have questions about which course in your major or minor serves as an independent study.

Theses written for Departmental capstones (e.g., XXX 490), if evaluated as satisfactory by the faculty advisor, can also be counted as BHP theses. Please also note: In most cases, senior seminar classes in departments do not count as BHP theses with some exceptions, such as COM 415, GAM 402, HIS 460, POL 450, SOC 400, and SOC 460.

You will need specific forms to register for Independent Studies (e.g., XXX 490) or BHP 499. The necessary permission forms are available on the Registrar's Forms page (Click on "Independent Research and Creative Expression Form"). Once your proposal is approved by your mentor, the department chair (if applicable), and the honors director, you will submit the proposal along with the above-mentioned form (with all its requisite signatures) to the Dean's office by the first week of the semester. 

To begin work on your project:

Draft a formal proposal. Proposals are due to the honors director by the end of the week before classes begin for the semester in which the capstone is to be completed. You cannot be registered for a XXX-490 or BHP 499 until your Independent Study form and proposal is submitted and approved by your advisor, the Department chair (or BHP director for BHP 499 only), and academic Dean’s Office.

Education and music education majors: Proposals for EDU 465 or ME 492 to count as a BHP capstone must be approved by the honors director and an education advisor. Students will create a project based on their student teaching experience to improve their career preparation.

Approved Senior Seminars: Students enrolled in a senior seminar/capstone course approved to count for the BHP thesis (e.g., COM 415, GAM 402, HIS 460, POL 450, SOC 400, SOC 460) must also submit a proposal to the honors director by the second week of classes.

BHP Thesis Research Proposal Requirements:

If your project is a research paper, plan on an appropriate length for publication as an article in a good journal in your field. Requirements differ by discipline and can range from 12-30 double-spaced pages. Consult your advisor for models you might use as guides. 

1. Title of Project: it’s okay if this changes before the final paper is submitted.
2. Project Description and Significance: Explain your project's objectives/hypothesis and importance in ways that would make sense to non-specialists. For some projects, this section will include a literature review, followed by a description of the current project. 
3. Methods: Discuss the methods and procedures you will use in your project. 
4. Timetable: Provide a brief breakdown of tasks/assignments to complete the project, including frequent meetings with your advisor for review and feedback. 
5. Bibliography: Include a list of sources in a formal citation format appropriate to your discipline. It is expected that BHP capstone projects will ultimately include a minimum of 8-12 academic sources. While you do not need a full and finalized list of all your sources for the proposal, you should indicate how many more sources you intend to find if your proposal’s bibliography is incomplete. 
6. Project Evaluation: Your honors thesis advisor will provide a breakdown of how you will be graded on your project as part of your proposal. A sample is as follows: 
   • Project Evaluation: The grade for this capstone experience will be based on this research proposal (10%), attendance at meetings with advisor (10%), preparation, design, and execution of a scientifically sound research study (30%), data analysis (20%), final paper (30%).
7. BHP Justification: This section is unique to your BHP proposal. Answer all. 
   • In what way is your proposed topic or project significant to you personally? 
   • Explain how your research builds upon your previous work in BHP. Address which skills you have acquired in your honors classes and in the classes related to your major/minor that will aid you in completing this project. Also, describe how and why your project is interdisciplinary, as this is the essence of BHP.
   • How do you expect this project to contribute to your development and prepare you for your future endeavors?

BHP Thesis Artistic Proposal Requirements:

If your project is primarily artistic (e.g., a series of poems or short stories, a novel, or a play script; a choreographed or musical performance), the length will be partly determined by genre and artistic convention. Work with your advisor to determine what is appropriate for your case. Artistic projects must also include a short “context and significance” paper (5-8 pages) that locates your creative work within the relevant history and theory of your genre and helps your audience understand the nature of your contribution. This short paper must include references to at least 4-5 academic sources (these may include primary or secondary sources; consult with your project advisor about which type of sources make the most sense in your field).

1. Title of Project: it’s okay if this changes before the final paper is submitted.
2. Project Description and Significance: Explain the genre of your project and summarize the main ideas or themes. Place your creative work within the relevant historical, theoretical, or framework context to demonstrate the nature of your contribution.
3. Methods: Discuss the methods and procedures you will use in your project.
4. Timetable: Provide a brief breakdown of tasks/assignments to complete the project, including frequent meetings with your advisor for review and feedback. 
5. Bibliography: Include a list of sources in a formal citation format appropriate to your discipline. It is expected that BHP capstone projects will ultimately include a minimum of 8-12 academic sources. While you do not need a full and finalized list of all your sources for the proposal, you should indicate how many more sources you intend to find if your proposal’s bibliography is incomplete. 
6. Project Evaluation: Your capstone advisor will provide a breakdown of how you will be graded on your project as part of your proposal. A sample is as follows: 
   • Project Evaluation: The grade for this capstone experience will be based on proposal (10%), attendance at meetings with advisor (15%), rough drafts (20%), screenplay (30%), Context and Significance Paper (25%)
7. BHP Justification: This section is unique to your BHP proposal. Answer all. 
   • In what way is your proposed topic or project significant to you personally? 
   • Explain how your research builds upon your previous work in BHP. Address which skills you have acquired in your honors classes and in the classes related to your major/minor that will aid you in completing this project. Also, describe how and why your project is interdisciplinary, as this is the essence of BHP.
   • How do you expect this project to contribute to your development and prepare you for your future endeavors?

• Do your project! Do not procrastinate!
• Adhere as closely as possible to your timeline for working through the project, being sure to factor in the time your advisor will need to review work in progress and offer feedback that may require substantial further work on some aspects.
• A revised copy should be in your advisor’s hands no later than one week following return from spring break (generally the last week in March).
• The final version should be submitted to your advisor AND to the BHP Director no later than April 15. If you do not adhere to the timeline you and your advisor have agreed to, you risk an inability to complete your project satisfactorily in time for the presentation in May (a requirement for graduation with the BHP diploma).

• Plan a concise oral presentation for the capstone banquet to be held in early May.
• You want to convey to audience members what you did, and why it is interesting and significant. Therefore, the last two weeks in April should be used to plan a 3-4 minute (maximum!) presentation of your project.
• To help you plan your presentation, address each of the following questions in just a few sentences:
  • What was your research question or project goal? Please be sure to phrase this in a way that audience members with no background in your field can understand.
  • What are the major things that you found/ learned/ discovered?
  • Why is this interesting/ important not only to you, but to others?
  • If you did a creative project, and IF (and ONLY IF) you can fit it into your 3-4 minute time limit, you may choose to read (or perform, if applicable) a VERY BRIEF excerpt from your creative work.
  • If you did a research project, and IF (and ONLY IF) you can fit it into your 3-4 minute time limit, you may choose to present (just a couple!) slides or graphs that depict your outcomes.
  • (If you wish) What are your plans for after graduation?
• REHEARSE your presentation to make sure it is 1) coherent in content, 2) engaging in manner (anticipate what your audience would want/ need to know), and 3) properly timed. No more than 3-4 minutes! You will be timed!

• At the time of presentation, submit the final copy of your presentation for the BHP archives housed in Moore Library.