Who does an honors thesis?

There are two separate honors programs that require an honors thesis:

1. University Honors
   This honors program is at the magna cum laude and summa cum laude levels. Students must complete a minimum of 45 hours at U.T. Dallas and have GPAs both in the major and overall of 3.9 for summa cum laude and 3.75 for magna cum laude. Students whose GPA qualifies them for summa or magna honors must complete an honors thesis or project in their major with an evaluation of summa or magna, respectively, by their program; without an honors thesis, these students will receive Cum laude University Honors. Cum laude level honors require a minimum of 45 hours at U.T. Dallas and GPAs of 3.5 in the major and overall, but not an honors thesis.

2. School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Honors
   This honors program is for majors in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Requirements include: at least 30 hours at U.T. Dallas, at least 12 hours of required core courses in the major, a GPA in the major of 3.4 or better, completion of the Spring Honors Seminar, and successful completion of an honors thesis. The College Master has more information about this program.

What types of honors thesis are there?

There are two basic types of honors thesis:

1. Empirical Research Thesis
   An empirical research thesis is a journal-style report of the methods, findings, and conclusions drawn from an empirical study. In most cases students design and conduct the research study themselves under the direction of their Faculty Sponsor. In some cases the thesis involves the analysis of archival data. Good models for this type of thesis can be found in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

2. Library Research Thesis
   There are two varieties of library-research theses. The most common is a literature review thesis that involves an integrative and critical review of a significant body of published research; papers published in Psychological Bulletin serve as excellent examples. The other variety is a theoretical project that involves critiques of significant theories and the elaboration of original theory; papers published in Psychological Review serve as excellent examples.

How much work is an honors thesis?

An honors thesis involves substantially more work that than a term paper. It will probably be the largest single project you will undertake as an undergraduate.

1. A library research thesis is usually 25 to 35 pages long. It necessarily involves multiple rounds of revisions. It can be done in one full semester if the topic and scope are clearly laid out before the semester starts, but two semesters are recommended.

2. An empirical research thesis (roughly 15-25 pages) usually takes longer than one semester. Empirical research takes time to design, analyze, and write up. In the past, some students who tried to complete an empirical research thesis in one semester ended up postponing graduation another semester. The analysis and write-up of archival data may be possible in one semester.

What are the steps for completing an honors thesis?

1. Find a Faculty Sponsor who is willing to supervisor your work. At the very latest, you must have a sponsor by the beginning of the semester you plan to graduate. You may need to talk to several faculty members before you find one who has the time and interest required to supervise your thesis. Be aware that supervising an honor thesis requires a considerable investment on the part of the faculty sponsor. Faculty members are not required to supervise theses, but rather are willing to do so for students who are bright, eager, hardworking and whose thesis topics are of interest to them. It is up to the student to convince the faculty member that the investment of time will be rewarded.

2. Register for PSY 4397 Honors Thesis independent study with your Faculty Sponsor during the semester you plan to finish the thesis. In consultation with the faculty supervisor, the student decides on the thesis topic, its form (i.e., empirical or review) and tentative title. This step also takes time, usually several meetings between the student and sponsor. Do not expect a faculty member to approve of your proposal without substantial discussion and refinement.

3. The student submits a completed Honors Thesis Application form to the College Master's office. This should be done by no later than the seventh week of the semester you plan to graduate. The College Master decides whether or not to approve (a) the proposed topic/form of the thesis, (b) the selection of the Faculty Sponsor, and (c) the Second Reader who the student nominates. Instructors who are not regular tenure-track faculty in the School may supervise honors theses provided that the student finds a regular faculty member of the School to serve as a Secondary Sponsor. The Secondary Sponsor, in this case, serves as the Second Reader and is obligated to make sure that the student and primary advisor adhere to all University procedures and that the finished thesis meets the School's standards of excellence. The College Master's Secretary has copies of the Honor Thesis Application form. The College Master will mail the student a copy of the approved application along with two Reader Evaluation Forms, one for the Faculty Sponsor and the other for the Second Reader. Students hold the Evaluation Forms and give them to the Faculty Sponsor and Second Reader when they turn in copies of their finished thesis to the readers.

4. The student works closely with the Faculty Sponsor to complete the thesis. It is important to understand that a thesis is not like a term paper that is simply turned in once at the end of the semester. A thesis must be a high quality product that has been refined through multiple cycles of drafts, faculty feedback, and revisions. You must allow weeks (and sometimes months) for completing the revision cycles.

5. Only after the Faculty Sponsor is satisfied that the thesis is ready for outside review should it be submitted for evaluation. One copy of the thesis is submitted to the Faculty Sponsor (along with the Thesis Evaluation Form), a second copy is submitted directly to the Second Reader (along with the Thesis Evaluation Form), and a third copy is submitted to the College Master's Office. The thesis must be submitted for evaluation by no later than the last day of classes for the semester. The Faculty Sponsor and the Second Reader have one week to review the thesis and turn in their Thesis Evaluation Forms in to the College Master. Students are strongly advised not to wait until the last day of classes to submit the thesis for evaluation. Often times readers ask for substantial revision to the thesis before its is deemed worthy of honors. Leave time to make these revisions to avoid having to postpone graduation for another semester.

6. Turn in the final revised and accepted thesis and Evaluation Forms to the College Master by no later than noon of the last day grades are due. The final copy should be bound or in a suitable binder. The thesis should be typed according to APA publication guidelines or comparable format standards. The important thing about the format is consistency.

7. Congratulate yourself on a job well done! Be sure to express your appreciation to your Faculty Sponsor and Second Reader for their efforts.