Senior Thesis Program

For highly-motivated seniors who have participated in research projects throughout their undergraduate career and want a chance to share their innovative findings with the community, the Senior Thesis Program exists. Prepared under the close supervision of a faculty thesis director, a senior thesis presents the result of a major, independent research or creative project. Unlike most term projects, papers and lab reports written in undergraduate courses, senior theses address questions or issues for which no known or generally accepted answers exist. The goal of the thesis is to contribute something original and valuable to the scholarly, scientific, and/or artistic community by attempting to decipher these important, unanswered questions. Students who are writing a thesis enroll in UNIV 401 & 402 during their senior year, and are generally awarded either a Degree with Distinction or an Honors Degree with Distinction after the successful defense of their theses. For more details, see the Senior Thesis page of our website, and check out the Senior Thesis Handbook.