An Honors Senior Thesis takes two quarters to complete. The first quarter, or “The Proposal Quarter,” will be done in Spring Quarter or Fall Quarter. The second quarter, or “The Thesis Completion Quarter,” will immediately follow the Proposal Quarter in either Fall or Winter.
All students who complete an Honors Senior Thesis will also present their research and project at the annual Honors Research Conference, which takes place in Spring.
Be sure to review the Senior Thesis Timeline below and regularly reference the timeline to be sure that you are on track to successfully complete your thesis.
Senior Thesis Timeline
Quarter 1: The Proposal Quarter
You will begin working on your thesis in either Spring Quarter or Autumn Quarter.
Decide what topic you will explore and what kind of research project you will create. Options for research projects include: a traditional research paper; a creative project; an applied project.
More details on what each type of project entails can be found here.
Each student’s thesis project is guided by a team of two faculty members. One faculty member serves as the Thesis Director, and one faculty member serves as the Faculty Reader. Students must ask faculty members to serve as their Thesis Faculty.
You can learn more about faculty roles and how to secure a faculty team here.
In consultation with your thesis faculty, develop an annotated bibliography of scholarly sources that will give shape to your research.
- The bibliography must include citation information and annotations for three academic sources (minimum) that you plan to draw on in your thesis.
- Indicate sources as primary or secondary.
- Secondary sources should be peer-reviewed and scholarly; non-scholarly sources (e.g., blogs, general websites, popular news articles, etc.) may be used to supplement your research but do not count towards the minimum.
- Sources should be appropriately cited using a citation style standard to the relevant discipline of your thesis (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).
- Annotations for each source should be 250 words (minimum). Annotations should briefly describe the main idea or argument given in the source and explain how you intend to incorporate this material into your thesis.
- The bibliography should also include a minimum of seven additional sources that you plan to consult during your thesis completion quarter (annotations not required).
Complete the Intention to Propose form and submit it, along with your annotated bibliography, to the Honors Program.
- The Intention to Propose form must be submitted no later than Week 3 of the Proposal Quarter. Signatures from both thesis faculty members are required to confirm that they have been consulted and have agreed to serve as your thesis faculty.
- Please only use the professors’ standard DePaul email address (e.g., kmikos@depaul.edu). If the professor uses a non-DePaul email address, or an email address not in the standard DePaul format (e.g., keith.mikos@depaul.edu), the system will not work.
- You must submit the Intention to Propose before you are able to access and complete the Thesis Proposal form.
The Thesis Proposal consists of two parts, each of which are outlined below.
To submit the Thesis Proposal, you will use the online portal: go.depaul.edu/honorsthesis.
Proposals are due Week 9 of the Proposal Quarter.
Firm deadlines will be communicated via email and dpuhonors.com.
If accepted, Honors Program staff will enroll you in a section of HON 395 to indicate you are earning course credit for completing an Honors thesis. HON 395 is a four-credit independent study that fulfills the Honors Senior Requirement. A grade of C- or higher is required to successfully complete the Honors Thesis.
Part I: Thesis Abstract
The Thesis Abstract is a required 100-word summary of your proposed project.
Part II: Proposal Statement
- The Proposal Statement is an essay of at least 750 words that must include:
- A working title.
- An overview of the topic and a description of the intended audience.
- A discussion of comparable scholarship and the critical contribution the thesis will make (convey the significance of the proposed thesis).
- A description of the project’s goals and its place within the existing literature.
- A description of the methods or approach the student will use to investigate the topic.
- A description of the anticipated conclusions or outcomes of the completed thesis.
- Like the bibliography, the proposal should be reviewed by the thesis faculty before submission. Thesis faculty are required to approve and sign the “Thesis Proposal.”
Quarter 2: The Thesis Completion Quarter
You will begin working on your thesis in either Autumn Quarter or Winter Quarter.
Work with your thesis faculty to develop a research timeline. Your timeline will be determined by considering the demands of your field and project. Conduct your research in accordance with this timeline.
Please Note: The due date for your near-final draft should be set for Week 8 of your thesis quarter. Develop your research timeline with consideration for this due date in mind.
Consistent check-ins will ensure that you are meeting scholarly standards and are progressing steadily towards completion. Work with your Thesis Director to schedule regular check-ins throughout the quarter.
Work with your Thesis Director to outline and draft your thesis.
Again, the due date for your near-final draft should be set for Week 8 of your thesis quarter. The exact date will be determined in consultation with your thesis faculty. Remember that faculty need time to closely read your draft and provide substantive feedback, and you need time to revise your draft in response to that feedback.
Complete and submit the final, revised draft of your thesis to your thesis faculty and the Honors Program. Once complete, your thesis director will enter your grade for HON 395.
The Honors Research Conference
All thesis students are required to present their Honors Thesis at the Honors Student Research Conference, held every May. Students who graduate early are expected to return to campus to present at the conference.
Thesis students will present in two different exposition formats:
- Thesis Panel Presentation: In a small break-out setting, thesis students with topics in similar fields will each speak about their project for fifteen minutes—topic, research or creative process, and findings—to a small audience. The session is moderated by a faculty member, and presenters are free to use PowerPoint or other media to accompany their presentation. Following all the presentations, the faculty moderator will oversee a question-answer session.
- Poster Session: Thesis students will create a poster that provides a visual representation of their thesis project. At the poster session, students will stand by their poster to discuss their thesis with conference visitors. The library prints posters for free, and the Honors Program provides the easels.
All thesis students will attend a thesis rehearsal/poster workshop session in spring to prepare for their presentations.
Form Links
Intention to Propose Form (link coming soon)
- Access the Thesis Proposal Form here
Important Considerations:
- The Honors Program encourages students to propose thesis projects in spring quarter to be completed in autumn. Doing so allows students to apply for summer research grants while giving additional time over the summer to conduct research.
- The Honors Program requires prospective thesis students to have completed coursework or other demonstrable training in the discipline or medium/genre they are pursuing in the thesis.
- The Honors Program does not prescribe a specific formatting style for theses. Students should use the citation and formatting style most appropriate to their academic discipline (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
Explore More
For individual questions about the Honors Senior Thesis, email Dr. Keith Mikos at kmikos@depaul.edu.