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Students begin discussions with their sponsoring faculty member to propose a research area and discuss their honors project topic.

Honors projects are officially added to a student's academic schedule during Add/Drop I in the first two weeks of the fall semester. Enrollment for an honors project is dependent on a mutual agreement between the Department and the student.

Students will spend the fall semester reviewing relevant literature, honing the direction of their research, and determining preliminary results. Two papers and presentations over the course of the semester will serve as checkpoints in the student's research.

Mid-Semester Checkpoint

This paper and presentation should contain a clear explanation of the problem you are attacking, a review of the relevant literature, and a description of what you are proposing to do.

The exact date of the presentation will be determined at the beginning of the semester, but will take place during the last week of October. Copies of the paper should be distributed to all faculty members no less than one week before the presentation.

End-of-Semester Checkpoint

This paper and presentation should expand on the proposed project work, describing any preliminary results and describing in detail the work you expect to do during the spring semester, including a timeline.

The presentation will take place on the first day of reading period that does not fall on a weekend. Again, copies of the paper should be distributed to all faculty members no less than one week before the presentation.

Students will continue their honors project work and research during the spring semester, culminating in a final thesis and oral presentation.

Thesis Draft

The week after spring vacation, students will submit a written preliminary version of their thesis to their supervisor for comments.

Final Presentation and Thesis

During exam period, the Department will hold oral presentations for all honors project students to give a final presentation of their thesis, open to the College community.

Although the student's talk should focus on spring semester work, it should be a comprehensive account of the project, including materials presented in previous talks (e.g., the literature review), although material presented previously should be presented in less detail. Note that copies of the final paper should be distributed to all faculty members no less than ten days before the presentation.

Evaluation

The judgement regarding any award of honors is made by the Department based on the year's work as described in the written thesis and the oral presentation, and on the student's overall record in the Department. Honors, if awarded, may be at any of three levels: honors, high honors, and highest honors.