Honors Thesis Planning & Proposal

• On this Page
• Finding a Project
• Identifying Your Area of Honors
• Your Thesis Committee
• Deadline 1: Thesis Proposal
• Deadline 2: Thesis Check-In
• Thesis Steps

Getting Started with your Honors Thesis

The thesis is your most ambitious undertaking as a Scholar. It may also be your most rewarding. This guide will walk you through the thesis process.

Keep in mind that your thesis committee (thesis honors adviser and thesis supervisor) is your central support team throughout the process.

Finding a Research/Creative Project

Our best piece of advice when beginning your thesis is to choose a project you are passionate about and a faculty member you enjoy working with. Consider multiple possibilities before selecting a topic. Your interest is what will carry you through when the thesis feels like a long and sometimes difficult process.

Identifying a Topic

An interest can come from anywhere and at any time. By your second year, you should begin narrowing down your interests to a few topics. Your topic exploration will likely start with your classes. What do you connect with and want to explore further? Talk to those professors after class or during office hours to learn about scholarship in their fields that might be possible for you to pursue. Join student organizations, which can help clarify what impact you hope to make. Join a research lab if that’s a direction you wish to explore. Talk to other Scholars and attend events, such as the Distinguished Honors Faculty Program, where you can discuss topics that may be new to you.

Once you have a general direction, talk with faculty, explore options with your honors adviser, and read professional journals. This initial research will give you a sense of what is important and what the open questions are.

Identifying Your Area of Honors

Your area of honors is the area in which you will complete your thesis and receive your honors designation when you graduate. Typically, your area of honors will be your major. The terms "area of honors" and "major" are often used interchangeably, though an area of honors can sometimes be a minor or a graduate program.

Major as Area of Honors

If you have one major and you write your thesis under the supervision of a thesis supervisor in that major, you will graduate with honors from that major. In this case, the required approvals are the thesis supervisor and your current honors adviser in the major.

Area of Honors Outside of Your Major

We do not limit your area of honors to your major. You can select another major, some minors, or some graduate programs. The area of honors cannot be a certificate or an option.

Your area of honors approval comes from an honors adviser in the area of honors/major. If you propose a minor or graduate program as your area of honors and it does not have an honors adviser listed, please contact SHCAcademics@psu.edu.

The thesis honors adviser is the gatekeeper for any area-specific policies or requirements beyond the thesis itself. For instance, some majors require that their students take specific coursework to graduate with honors. Some majors will only grant honors to students in their majors and minors, while others grant honors for any thesis supervised by one of its faculty. If you are considering honors outside of your major, contact the primary honors adviser in that department.

Area of Honors with Multiple Majors

If you have more than one major, you can do the following:

• Pick one major and write a thesis for honors solely in that major
• Pick a topic that can earn honors in both majors. This is considered interdisciplinary
• Write multiple theses, one for honors in each major
• Pick an area of honors outside of your major

Second- and Third-Year Entrants (including Paterno Fellows)

If you were admitted to the Honors College after your first year or via the Liberal Arts Paterno Fellows program, you are expected to write your thesis in your entrance major. You can pursue honors elsewhere, but there is no guarantee of approval.

Building your Thesis Committee

Your honors adviser is an important resource as you explore topics, but as you reach your third year at Penn State, you’ll need to assemble your thesis committee. Your thesis committee will guide you through the process. Typically, your thesis committee will include a thesis honors adviser and thesis supervisor.

Thesis Honors Adviser

An honors adviser from the area in which you are pursuing honors must read and approve your thesis. If you have more than one area of honors for a thesis (interdisciplinary thesis), your thesis proposal and final submission must be approved by one thesis honors adviser in each area.

Unless you are pursuing a thesis in an area of honors outside of your major, your honors adviser will become your thesis honors adviser. Your thesis honors adviser must approve each submission (proposal, check-in, and final submission). They are also your resource for any college- or department-specific guidelines related to the thesis.

Thesis Supervisor

Your thesis supervisor is the professor who has primary responsibility for overseeing your thesis work. As you research possible topics, you may naturally find a thesis supervisor, but most students need to take steps to identify a thesis supervisor.

Your thesis supervisor should specialize in the topic you are pursuing. For thesis projects that involve specific lab resources, this is highly important. Other thesis topics may offer more flexibility in how closely they need to align with your supervisor’s specialization. The honors adviser in your intended area of honors will determine whether a given thesis topic and supervisor are acceptable.

In addition to considering a professor’s area of specialization, you should also consider how well you can work with them. You will need to work closely with them for at least a year. For many Scholars, thesis supervisors can also become mentors long after graduation. If after meeting a potential thesis supervisor, you have concerns about working with them, consider continuing your search.

Faculty Reader

A minimum of two approvers is required for each thesis. If your Thesis Supervisor is also your Thesis Honors Adviser, you will need an additional approver (Faculty Reader). A faculty reader can be anyone from your area of honors. If you need assistance identifying a faculty reader, consult with your thesis supervisor.

Tips for Success

• Plan monthly benchmarks, regular meetings, and email updates with your thesis committee. If you fall behind with early thesis work, it is difficult to get back on track.
• Think ahead about what your thesis work will mean for your fourth-year schedule, especially if you have a significant capstone requirement.
• Consider including the summer between the third and fourth year in your research timeline.
• Apply for funding to support your thesis through Schreyer grants, the Erickson Discovery Grant, and your thesis supervisor.

Deadline 1: Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal is due one year before your planned graduation date. The proposal is a summary of your proposed project submitted via the Student Records System (SRS). The end-of-third-year requirement is from the Honors College, but your major may expect a much earlier commitment, so be sure to talk to your honors adviser as early as your second year about this. The thesis proposal needs the following things:

• Thesis Committee Members

  A Thesis Honors Adviser and a Thesis Supervisor, at minimum

• Working Title

  A working or tentative title for your thesis

• Project Purpose or Objective

  A clear statement of the purpose or objective of your project

• Intended Outcome

  The intended outcome of your project including conclusions or applications

• Project Interest

  A statement outlining why this thesis project interests you

• AI Usage

  A summary of how AI can and cannot be used in your thesis

• Satisfaction of Other Requirements

  Whether your thesis will be used to satisfy other academic requirements

• Research Approvals

  Whether your project requires approval for involving humans, animals, biohazardous materials, or radioactive isotopes

• Sources

  The list of sources being used for your thesis in a bibliographic format appropriate for your discipline

Your thesis committee reviews your proposal and either approves it or offers suggestions for revisions. If revisions are suggested, you must make changes and resubmit your proposal until it is approved. Your project can be revised after you have an approved proposal. However, if your thesis supervisor changes, you must submit a new proposal.

All Scholars, including those in the Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Program completing a thesis at the master’s level, must complete the thesis proposal.

Deadline 2: Thesis Check-In

Students must complete a Thesis Check-In via the Student Records System (SRS) to provide information about thesis progress, any significant changes to the project, and the extent of contact between the student and the thesis supervisor. Your thesis committee reviews the check-in form and indicates agreement or disagreement. Schreyer will follow up in cases of disagreement. Visit the Academic Deadlines page for the check-in deadlines based on your intended graduation date.

Thesis Step-by-Step

1. Current: Thesis Planning & Proposal

2. Next: Thesis Template & Format Requirements

3. Thesis Submission Guide

Additional Resources

Schreyer Academic Dates & Deadlines

Thesis AI Documentation Guide

Honors Thesis Frequently Asked Questions

Honors Theses (2010-Present)