25 FAQ ON HONORS THESIS
1.
When do I do my thesis?
2. Can I do a thesis while studying abroad?
3. How do I find an academic advisor?
4. Does the advisor need to be from WSU?
5. How do I choose an academic question for my thesis?
6. What is an academic question?
7. What is a thesis proposal?
8. How long must the thesis proposal be?
9. When should the thesis proposal be completed and
submitted to the Honors College for review and approval?
10. Can the thesis proposal be submitted at any
other time?
11. Who evaluates the proposal?
12. Are proposals accepted without alteration?
13. Are any proposals rejected? If so, why are they
rejected and what does this mean?
14. Can I do my research in collaboration with a
fellow Honors student?
15. Can I compile a journal and use that for my
thesis?
16. What are my thesis options?
17. Can I teach and use that for an option?
18. When is my completed thesis due in Honors?
19. When will I make my oral presentation?
20. What format do I use for my thesis?
21. Who will attend my thesis presentation?
22. How will I know if I have passed?
23. What if I receive a pass contingent upon making
revisions?
24. What if I do not pass?
25.
What is a “Pass with Distinction” and how does this event
occur?
1. When do
I do my thesis?
The Honors College encourages you to initiate your thesis as soon as you
can. The sophomore year is not too early to identify an advisor and an
academic question to answer.
2. Can I
do a thesis while studying abroad?
Yes, a thesis can be either initiated or completed during your time studying
abroad. In this case you might wish to complete your certificate of competency
in a foreign language as well.
3. How do
I find an academic advisor?
An academic advisor is chosen by the student, and is based upon either
the student’s positive interaction with a specific professor, the
professor’s expertise in the area of the student’s research
or the student’s interest in a professor’s teaching.
4. Does the
advisor need to be from WSU?
Yes, the principal advisor needs to be a faculty member at WSU, but a
co-advisor from another academic institution or the world at large can
be arranged with the agreement of the WSU Honors College.
5. How do
I choose an academic question for my thesis?
Your academic question or hypothesis should reflect your interest areas
or major field of study. The question may be one to which you have always
wanted to know the answer, or it may reflect a question you identified
from one of your classes or discussions with a professor. Ultimately you
should have a passion or deep interest in the question you research.
6. What is
an academic question?
An academic question is one, which asks the “how” or the “why”
of some topic. This thrust invites further research and deeper curiosity
about an answer.
7. What is
a thesis proposal?
A thesis proposal is a document that provides the necessary background
to your question, clearly identifies the question being asked or the hypothesis
being tested, provides the methodology you will use to answer that question,
and notes what the expected results might be and what these results mean
placed in the context of what is known. An annotated bibliography of 5
or 6 key references is needed, as is an appendix if you have human or
animal studies approval, graphs, figures or charts of preliminary data,
or rubrics which you will use for analysis, and questionnaires or interview
questions you will use. Annotating a bibliography means preparing a short
commentary on each reference you use in the proposal.
8. How long
must the thesis proposal be?
The thesis proposal should be long enough to clearly explain what you
wish to do, in language the educated academic can understand, even if
the proposal is not in his or her academic discipline. Normally, the body
of the proposal, including the literature review, the question being asked,
the methodology and the expected results and conclusion sections, will
not exceed five typewritten pages.
9.
When should the thesis proposal be completed and submitted to the Honors
College for review and approval?
The Honors College has three deadline dates. They are: April 10 for work
to begin in the summer, July 10 for work to begin in the fall and November
10 for work to begin in the spring.
10. Can the
thesis proposal be submitted at any other time?
The thesis proposal can be turned in to the Honors College whenever it
is ready, but must be approved by the Honors College before you begin
your research.
11. Who evaluates
the proposal?
A special Honors committee will review the proposals, which are submitted
by the dates noted above. The Director of the Honors Thesis program will
evaluate those proposals submitted out of cycle.
12. Are proposals
accepted without alteration?
Yes, many proposals are accepted without alteration, while others may
require further explanation and revision.
13. Are any
proposals rejected? If so, why are they rejected and what does this mean?
Yes, a proposal can be rejected, but that is very rare. It is much more
likely that a proposal will be returned to a student for revision and
explanation of critical points identified by the reviewers. When the student
responds to those questions with cogent answers, the research can begin.
14. Can I
do my research in collaboration with a fellow Honors student?
Yes, but each student’s contribution to the thesis must be very
clear to all reviewers.
15. Can I compile a journal and use that for my thesis?
Yes, you can compile a journal of your experiences, but you must ask and
answer an academic question to fulfill the Honors Thesis requirement.
16. What
are my thesis options?
Your thesis will have UH 450 credits, but may include research completed
solely by yourself, team research, research involving some new method
of teaching, testing some concept in the private sector during or after
an internship, researching an interdisciplinary topic, or completing a
thesis that focuses on education abroad research and your education abroad
experiences.
17. Can I
teach and use that for an option?
Yes, you can but an academic question must be asked and answered by your
research, in this case with regard to teaching.
18. When
is my completed thesis due in Honors?
Two spirally bound (not comb bound), copies must be submitted by Monday
of the week prior to the start of oral presentations.
19. When
will I make my oral presentation?
Oral presentations are scheduled during the seventh week of each semester.
Summer presentations are scheduled throughout the summer, depending upon
what Honors faculty are here to review the presentations.
20. What
format do I use for my thesis?
The format should reflect a style used by the major academic journals
in your disciplinary area. You and your advisor will agree on which style
you will follow.
21. Who will
attend my thesis presentation?
Anyone may attend your presentation. We encourage you to invite your friends,
but that is up to you. The people required are your advisor, two Honors
faculty reviewers and you. The two Honors faculty may or may not be from
your disciplinary area, so you will need to prepare a talk accessible
to the whole academic community.
22. How will
I know if I have passed?
At the end of your 15 to 20 minute oral presentation, you will be asked
questions by anyone present, and when there are no more questions you
will be asked to step outside the room. Only your advisor and your two
Honors faculty reviewers will stay to discuss your thesis. In five to
ten minutes you will return to the room and be told whether you have passed.
The time allotted for all these events is one hour.
23. What
if I receive a pass contingent upon making revisions?
You will have 2 to 3 weeks to make all corrections, get your advisor’s
and the Honors College’s approval of the changes, and two new and
corrected, spirally bound copies to the Honors College.
24. What
if I do not pass?
This category may reflect a lack of effort, content or just overall performance
and each case will be dealt with on an individual basis. All students
will need to complete the thesis to the satisfaction of both their advisor
and the Honors College. This will entail the submission of a completely
revised thesis, (i.e. two spirally bound copies) to the Honors College.
Another oral presentation is not required in most cases.
25. What
is a “Pass with Distinction” and how does this event occur?
A Pass with Distinction is considered when the major professor believes
the thesis, when taken overall, breaks significant new ground or represents
an unusual amount of effort by the student, and subsequently nominates
the thesis for Pass with Distinction. Honors faculty reviewers must be
unanimous in their agreement and the thesis is forwarded to the Honors
Council for final review and determination of this award.
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Honors College, PO Box 642012, Washington
State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2012 USA