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The Honors College senior thesis serves as a remarkable opportunity unlike any other at the University. Although the thesis is a requirement towards graduation “with honors from the South Carolina Honors College,” we encourage you to think of it as an opportunity to draw your undergraduate learning experience together and to express the quality of your intellectual development.
The flexibility you have in selecting your topic is virtually limitless. You are encouraged to delve deeply into the subject matter of your own major or to pursue something entirely unrelated to your chosen degree. This is your opportunity to create the ideal course. YOU decide what you will research, and YOU will decide how that research will be presented. Please keep in mind that the senior thesis is not the time to attempt to learn a new field. Creativity is encouraged; however, provided you and your Director feel the chosen topic is manageable.
Throughout this project, you will rely primarily on your Director and Second Reader for guidance. It is extremely important that you meet regularly with your Director and frequently submit drafts of your paper. Furthermore, you are responsible for knowing what needs to be done and for completing all tasks on time. This large but manageable responsibility is one reason graduate and professional programs and employers are so impressed by a student who has successfully completed a senior thesis. If you want this to be the enjoyable learning experience it was meant to be, do not procrastinate!
The senior thesis should be something to which you can point with great pride and satisfaction. It should serve as an example of your finest work. It is for this reason the thesis requirement was instituted, and it has proven beneficial to our students.
We hope this handbook will serve to answer some of the basic questions you may have about the senior thesis/project.
A senior thesis does not necessarily follow a strict timetable. You may begin research as a freshman that culminates in a thesis project during your senior year. You may enroll in a class during your sophomore year that captures your interest. A hobby you have pursued for most of your life may be very appealing as a potential thesis topic.
The Honors College encourages a variety of avenues in approaching this project. With that in mind, we have devised a set of tentative “deadlines” for completing certain portions of your senior thesis.
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A major hurdle in commencing with the senior thesis is the selection of a Thesis Director. You may wish to work with a professor with whom you previously took a class, your major advisor, or someone with whom you have been working in a lab. The only requirement by the Honors College is that the Thesis Director be a full-time faculty member on the USC-Columbia campus (someone who has the power to give a grade). We also encourage you to be familiar with your Director’s teaching style and grading methods. You may be forced to seek out a professor from a department with which you are unfamiliar. This is particularly true in the case of interdisciplinary thesis topics and projects that fall outside your major course of study. This is not something we discourage, but it is important that both you and your Thesis Director are clear what each other’s expectations are at the outset.
Usually, students settle on a topic before attempting to locate an appropriate Director. Sometimes, it is difficult to find a faculty member willing to work with you on your proposed topic. If this problem persists during your search for a director, you may find it necessary to alter or completely change your topic.
Your Thesis Director should provide guidance in research, establish the criteria for your grading, and will be responsible for entering a grade via VIP at the conclusion of the project. Your Director should meet with you regularly and should be accessible throughout the course of your project. Work on the thesis typically begins in the second semester of your junior year and does not conclude until you graduate. Make sure your Director is planning to be on campus or accessible to you throughout that time.
You are expected to remain in close contact with your Thesis Director and Second Reader. Writing should be submitted for review on a regular basis, and you should expect corrections or suggestions to be returned in a timely manner. You must allow a reasonable amount of time for the Thesis Director and Second Reader to review your work, particularly immediately prior to the thesis defense. Keep your appointments, especially if you are having difficulty. The greatest cause of thesis/project anguish is inadequate communication between students and directors. If any problems arise, please contact the SCHC Director of Student Services.
You must select a Second Reader prior to enrolling in SCHC 499. In addition to the advice of your own Director, there are typically two principal rationales that may be used in selecting a Second Reader. First, you may wish to choose a Second Reader who will be the "technical expert" during the writing process for the thesis. Since the Thesis Director is primarily responsible for supervising the content of the thesis (e.g., your research and conduct during this undertaking), the Second Reader in this instance would give guidance in the mechanics of writing the resulting paper (e.g., correcting grammar and punctuation, suggesting changes in syntax, etc.).
The second rationale for choosing a Second Reader is most appropriate if you are pursuing an interdisciplinary thesis. In this case, the Thesis Director is chosen from one field while the Second Reader is chosen to represent the second field. The Director and Second Reader complement each other and, together, help to ensure you will include appropriate material from each discipline.
Unlike the Thesis Director, a Second Reader need not be a USC faculty member. You are free to choose any person who has the required expertise in the discipline. In fact, the Second Reader may be a person in the local community and does not have to be affiliated with USC in any way. However, the Second Reader, like the Thesis Director, needs to be accessible to you during the entire senior thesis process and must attend and participate actively in your thesis defense.
A final note on the selection of the Thesis Director and Second Reader: Your family members and friends are prohibited from serving in either of these positions. SCHC 390Z and 499 are courses like any other. Both the Second Reader and, particularly, the Thesis Director are responsible for grading this coursework. The conflict of interests which would inevitably arise must be avoided. If you are having trouble finding a suitable Thesis Director or Second Reader, contact the SCHC Director of Student Services for assistance.
EFFECTIVE FALL 2009: If you will be receiving 6 or more credit hours for your thesis, you will be assigned to either the Honors College Dean or one of the Associate Deans and will be expected to regularly update him or her on the progress of your work. Additionally, you will schedule a meeting 30 days PRIOR TO YOUR DEFENSE to include you, your Thesis Director, Second Reader, and your assigned Dean to ensure you are making sufficient progress towards completing your thesis.
What is the difference between a thesis and a project? A thesis involves extensive research resulting in what amounts to an extended term paper. Projects generally involve a performance, an exhibit, equipment design and construction, or other "hands-on" activities. A few examples of projects include a musical composition and performance; an art exhibit; writing a collection of short stories or an anthology of poetry; creating an advertising, public relations or marketing campaign; writing and directing a play; building a small car, dam, robot, or computer; illustrating and/or designing a book; developing and programming a computer game; etc.
The written portion of the project (i.e., the paper) usually is considerably shorter than a thesis. However, students often underestimate the time required to complete their projects. In fact, projects may require considerably more time than the traditional thesis. Be sure you have allowed enough time to complete your work before undertaking such an endeavor.
If you complete a project, you may wish to include as a part of your paper a self-assessment of a performance, a commentary on an exhibit, etc. In any case, your paper will be presented during your defense and will be subject to possible revision.
If you hold an exhibit, recital, dance performance, etc., you should also submit photographs and a DVD and/or CD of the exhibit/performance to SCHC. This material will be sent along with the papers to be bound. Be sure to notify the Honors College Director of Student Services of any exhibit or performance dates.
You may find it useful to visit Level 5 of Thomas Cooper Library to examine the bound theses of students who have previously completed an Honors senior thesis. Cataloguing of theses also began in 2006, so a great deal of information may also be found in the library’s online catalog (http://www.sc.edu/library/).
You may wish to complete your senior thesis with one or more other students. This is permissible, provided the project warrants giving each student involved a minimum of 3 hours credit. It is important to realize that carrying out a project over the long term with multiple people can significantly complicate matters in terms of scheduling time for research, writing, revisions, and the defense. Carefully consider these factors before undertaking this project with a classmate.
SCHC 390Z: Thesis/Project Planning Course was developed to help you have an earlier, smoother, faster start on your senior thesis. Your Thesis Director should assist in acquiring the necessary resources and information to enable you to write an appropriate proposal.
SCHC 390Z is a one-hour, pass/fail course offered in the second eight-week session each semester. It is typically taken in the second semester of your junior year. In order to enroll in SCHC 390Z, you are required to attend a thesis workshop and to turn in a completed Pre-Enrollment Form to the SCHC Director of Student Services by the deadline posted on the SCHC Current Student page. Thesis workshops are offered at a variety of times early in each major semester. It is your responsibility to find a workshop that fits your schedule.
The course is considered complete when you have submitted a satisfactory thesis proposal to your Director. This proposal is, typically, 2-6 pages in length and is due to the Thesis Director by the last day of classes. Any requirements more specific than that are left entirely to the discretion of your Thesis Director.
Failure to meet the requirements for SCHC 390Z by the end of the eight-week period will result in a grade of "F" (Fail) unless the director has agreed to give you an "I" (Incomplete).
It is expected that the faculty member who serves as your Director for SCHC 390z will remain your Director throughout the duration of your senior thesis, including enrollment in SCHC 499.
SCHC 390Z is required to graduate with SCHC Honors, but there are several groups of students who are exempted from this course:
You should confirm with the SCHC Director of Student Services if you think you may be exempt from completing SCHC 390Z.
The Honors College senior thesis course, SCHC 499, has been designed as a full-year course. You are expected to spend your entire senior year on its completion. Typically, the grade for SCHC 499 is due during the semester in which you plan to graduate.
To meet the requirements for graduating “with honors from the South Carolina Honors College,” you are required to enroll in SCHC 499 for a minimum of 3 credit hours. Although most students enroll in the course for the minimum hours, a few elect to enroll in 6 hours. BARSC students are required to complete a 9-hour thesis. The exact number of credits you will receive is, ultimately, determined by your Thesis Director. In a typical university course, you are expected to work approximately 3 hours per week for every credit in which you are enrolled. Hence, if you enroll in SCHC 499 (a year-long course) for three credits, you should plan to work on your thesis/project for an average of 4 ½ hours per week throughout your senior year.
You may enroll in SCHC 499 by completing the Senior Thesis/Project Contract form and submitting it, along with your copy of your 390Z proposal, to the SCHC Director of Student Services by the posted deadline. All work (e.g., research, final paper, and defense) must be completed by the grade submission deadline during the semester in which you intend to graduate. Failure to do so will likely result in your inability to graduate on time. Therefore, it is extremely important that every part of the thesis process, from research to the defense, is timely.
You are advised to begin work on your senior thesis/project as early as possible, even before the semester officially begins. Many SCHC students have found that getting a head start on their theses has saved them from getting behind in their work later in the semester.
It is normal for your topic to shift, to narrow, occasionally even to expand; however, major mutations (major shifts in topics) should be brought to the attention of the SCHC Director of Student Services. Likewise, students occasionally need to change directors or second readers. This should happen only in extraordinary circumstances and MUST be cleared with the SCHC Director of Student Services first. In other words, if your thesis/project topic changes, or if you change either the Director or the Second Reader or both, you must submit a new Senior Thesis Contract with all the necessary signatures to the SCHC Director of Student Services as soon as possible. A change in topic also requires a new proposal be attached to the new Contract.
You may be required to complete a senior design project or thesis as part of your major requirements. The Honors College considers such courses to be equivalent to SCHC 499. For example, a history major may be required to enroll in HIST 499, or a chemistry major may be required to enroll in CHEM 499. Provided you submit a proposal (from 390Z or its equivalent) and a Senior Thesis Contract to the SCHC Director of Student Services and follow SCHC procedures as stated in the Senior Thesis Handbook, the Honors College will count that thesis/project towards fulfilling the requirements to graduate "with honors from the South Carolina Honors College."
The Honors College encourages you to do an independent study or research before beginning your senior thesis. This is perhaps the best way to gain valuable research skills, self-discipline, and experience working independently before you confront the greater task of completing the senior thesis. Honors students majoring in the natural sciences especially will find that doing an independent study or research first will allow you to "work out all the kinks" before doing your thesis. This, in turn, will enable you to begin your senior thesis without the delays that may be caused by your unfamiliarity with scientific research and laboratory procedures.
Your thesis/project may be a continuation of work you already have started on a research fellowship, in a course, or in independent study. It may not, however, be a repetition of the same work for which you have already received academic credit.
You may opt to do either SCHC 399: Independent Study or a departmental independent study course (e.g., ENGL 399, CHEM 399, JOUR 547, etc.). Check with your major advisor first about which course would be most appropriate.
It is your responsibility to ensure your research complies with University of South Carolina and Office of Research Compliance policies and regulations. If you are using animals in your thesis/project, you must get approval from IACUC or be listed on an approved IACUA, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol. Likewise, if you are using human subjects or giving out surveys, you must get approval from the University Institutional Review Board, IRB, or be listed on an approved protocol.
Ultimately, details such as page length are left to the discretion of your Director. However, the Honors College has established a general rule for paper length. For a three-credit senior thesis, students in humanities or social science disciplines will write a thesis consisting of approximately forty-five to sixty pages. In fact, those theses tend to be quite a bit longer than those students writing in math, natural science or pre-professional disciplines. The latter may have theses consisting of only twenty-five to forty pages; however, the content in these theses tends to be more tightly packed.
Students who elect to complete a project rather than a traditional research paper or who are using an equivalent departmental course are still required to submit an accompanying paper as part of their senior thesis/project. Depending on the work involved in completing the project itself, it is likely the written component will be quite a bit shorter than a traditional research paper.
The Honors College has a small fund available to support extraordinary expenses associated with your senior thesis. The Honors College will provide a maximum grant of $1,500.00 to purchase needed materials for your senior thesis. Such items can include but are not limited to chemicals, rats, equipment, and the rental of exhibit space. Items purchased through a senior thesis/project grant become the property of the Honors College, and we request that you purchase items covered by the senior thesis/project grant through the Honors College.
The Honors College thesis grant cannot pay for travel, the typing or copying of a thesis or project paper, photo duplication, or purchasing books, periodicals, meals, or routine supplies (e.g., computer or printer ribbons, computer or typing paper, notebooks, etc.).
To apply for a senior thesis/project grant, you must submit an application (downloadable from the SCHC website) and an itemized budget proposal with a written proposal explaining the project you intend to pursue. When writing the itemized budget, it is to your advantage to give a brief explanation of why you need the items in the budget. If you have been awarded alternate sources of funding (e.g., other Honors College grants, a Magellan scholarship), these must be disclosed in your application for the thesis grant. If you were awarded funding through a previous Senior Thesis grant and are applying for additional funding, you must supply an explanation for why additional funds are needed. No student may receive more than the maximum grant ($1500).
The Honors College will not accept any late application, and deadlines can be found on the Honors College website. You will be notified by mail if you are awarded a grant and will be instructed how to receive reimbursement.
Any work supported by the Senior Thesis/Project grant subsequently presented or published should cite the support as: “This work was supported in part by a South Carolina Honors College Senior Thesis/Project Grant (followed by your initials).”
You are also free to seek financial support through sources such as the SCHC Undergraduate Research Fellowships, the SCHC travel grant, or other research funding available on campus.
The following is the standard format for an Honors thesis or project paper. While not every thesis paper will include the same sections and items, the following can be used as a general guideline.
NOTE: The title page (and its specific formatting), Table of Contents, and Thesis Summary are required for ALL senior theses regardless of discipline or project type. Copies that fail to contain those three elements will not be accepted by the Honors College. Additionally, final copies must be printed on the proper paper with the appropriate margins and page numbers. It is ultimately YOUR responsibility to ensure that the final copy meets all formatting requirements.
Margins
Margins are to be one inch at the top, bottom and right and one and one-half inches on the left (on all pages) to permit binding. Margins less than one and one-half inch on the left result in the deletion of much of the text, graphs, photographs, tables, etc. along the left margin. Final copies submitted without these margins will not be accepted.
Page numbers
The pages must be numbered consecutively.
Paper Type
The final thesis paper, including the title page, must be printed on standard, white (ivory and light beige are also acceptable) 25% OR HIGHER cotton bond paper, single sided. This type of paper is easily found at copy shops and office supply stores. It is a heavier weight paper with a watermark that will resist deterioration.
Ink Type
The final thesis paper must be printed in black ink with the exception of photographs, maps, charts, graphs, figures, tables and similar items, which may be printed in colored inks.
A senior thesis defense must be held before your Thesis Director assigns a final grade. Attendance by you, your Thesis Director, and Second Reader is mandatory.
The purposes of the defense are:
You must submit one copy of the pre-defense draft, complete with scholarly apparatus (e.g., appendices, graphs, maps, etc.), to your Thesis Director and one copy to the Second Reader. An additional copy (along with the completed Defense Confirmation Form) should be emailed to the SCHC Director of Student Services at least two weeks prior to the defense. This step gives everyone time to review the thesis and to prepare questions for the defense. Since thesis defenses are considered public events, it is important to understand that any interested persons may attend, though they may not actively participate in the defense. Advanced notice of the defense to the Director of Student Services allows SCHC to publicize the event on its website.
It is your responsibility (possibly with help from your Director) to schedule the defense, find a location, and inform the SCHC office (via the Defense Confirmation Form) two weeks in advance of the date, time and location of the defense. Any scheduling difficulties should be brought to the attention of the SCHC Director of Student Services.
The length of a defense usually ranges from thirty minutes to an hour. The Thesis Director and Second Reader determine the format, but the usual procedure is to make a ten-minute presentation on the thesis/project and then respond to questions. Suggestions for revisions will be made both during and after the defense. At the defense's conclusion, both you and the public are excused while the two readers determine the modifications, which must be made before the thesis will be accepted. Finally, you are recalled and informed of the required modifications. If the Thesis Director so chooses, you may be informed of the grade you have received for the thesis. However, the Thesis Director may instead choose to delay assigning a grade until after the revisions have been made to the paper. Arrangements should also be made for delivery of the final thesis or project paper to the Thesis Director and Second Reader to acquire their signatures on the title page.
BARSC candidates are required to complete a thesis of at least 9 hours, and, thus, will also be responsible for meeting the requirements for the 6+ hour theses (sending the Honors College dean regular updates on your thesis and for scheduling a meeting 30 days prior to your defense). Your defense should be scheduled well in advance since you must accommodate the schedules of your Director, Second Reader, and the Honors College Dean. BARSC candidates must also submit TWO pre-defense copies of the thesis or project paper and the required Defense Confirmation Form to the SCHC Director of Student Services and, of course, one to each reader, at least two weeks prior to the defense.
Grades for SCHC 499: Senior Thesis/Project may range from "A" to "F" and should be posted on VIP as with any other course. It is likely that, for students registered in SCHC 499 during the fall semester, a grade will not be due until the end of the next semester. Under no circumstances should a grade be posted before you have conducted a defense or before your Thesis Director has approved the final copy. If you cannot complete ALL PORTIONS of the thesis before the deadline for submission of grades, your Thesis Director should consider posting an “Incomplete” or an ‘NR’.
Any student who completes the requirements to graduate with SCHC Honors (including all portions of the Senior Thesis/Project) AFTER they have graduated from the University of South Carolina will NOT be able to have the distinction "with honors from the South Carolina Honors College" retroactively added to their transcripts or to their diplomas. This is part of a policy established by the University Registrar's Office ending the awarding of any kind of honors (Dean's Honor List, President's Honor List, cum laude, SCHC, etc.) after a student has graduated from USC. Therefore, it is imperative that you complete ALL requirements for the senior thesis BEFORE you graduate from the University, including holding your defense, receiving all final grades, and submitting the final copies of your thesis/project paper.
If you complete your senior thesis/project early, the SCHC Director of Student Services will send your Thesis Director a gradesheet via email.
At least one hard copy of the revised (post-defense) thesis/project paper must be submitted to the SCHC Director of Student Services. This copy must have the title page in the required format, contain all required elements of the paper in the exact order as stated in the section of this handbook entitled “Format,” and must carry the signatures of both readers. SCHC will obtain the signature from the SCHC Dean; a line at the bottom of the title page should be left for this purpose. You are also responsible for providing the Honors College with an electronic version of your senior thesis/project on a CD (in pdf format) for the future creation of an online thesis database.
When you submit your copies of the thesis/project papers, you will be asked for a completed Binding Form (available on the 2nd floor of Harper College) and a check (made out to the USC Educational Foundation) in the amount of $15.00 to cover the expense of binding one copy of the thesis/project paper. Please note that this copy of the thesis/project paper is not for you; instead, it will be shelved in the Thomas Cooper Library. Additional bound copies (such as a copy for the Thesis Director) are also $15.00 per copy. You must submit all copies you wish to have bound, as the staff of the Honors College cannot make copies. It is customary for a student to present his or her thesis/project director with a bound copy of the thesis. Such thoughtfulness is seen as a professional courtesy. When the copy(ies) are returned from the binder, they will mailed to the forwarding address that you include on the binding form.
Failure to submit final thesis copies will result in a student’s inability to graduate “with honors from the South Carolina Honors College.”
From time to time, unavoidable circumstances may occur in the course of completing your senior thesis.
Two examples of unforeseen conflicts which most often arise are:
Change in topic or reader
Sometimes the topic you originally intended to pursue does not work out. In this case, you are advised to discuss the possibility of choosing a different, more viable topic with the Thesis Director and Second Reader. Often, a change in topic necessitates a change in Director, Second Reader or both. Whether you change the topic, reader, or both, a new Senior Thesis/Project Contract Form must be submitted to SCHC with the signatures of both readers. A change in topic also requires the submission of a new proposal.
Emergencies
If your Director or Second Reader becomes seriously ill or hurt, leaves town, or experiences some other emergency that hinders your ability to complete your thesis, please contact the SCHC Director of Student Services as soon as possible. If necessary, the Honors College will help you to locate a new Director or Second Reader. This change in personnel will require you to submit a new Senior Thesis/Project Contract Form with the signatures of both the Thesis Director and the Second Reader.
If you experience an emergency that prevents you from completing the thesis on time, an “Incomplete” may be granted at the discretion of the Thesis Director. If you feel you are unable to complete the thesis, a withdrawal may be granted by the Honors College only in a case with extenuating circumstances (e.g., a lengthy illness, death of a family member, etc.). For more information, refer to the section on “Dropping a Course” in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your senior thesis, they can be addressed by your Director or the SCHC Director of Student Services, supervisor for Senior Theses/Projects for the South Carolina Honors College. The majority of all problems that arise with a senior thesis can be fixed fairly easily, but it is up to YOU, the student, to seek help when necessary and to address problems sooner rather than later.We strongly urge you to keep multiple copies of your paper saved in multiple places. Send copies to yourself in email. Keep multiple discs or flash drives handy. This practice will make corrections after the defense vastly easier and faster. Perhaps more importantly, this practice will save you a lot of panic and headaches in the event of loss, theft or accidental erasure of the original paper. These situations really do happen; be prepared.
The Honors College recognizes the hard work involved in pursuing a senior thesis. Furthermore, we acknowledge that your thesis would not be possible without the assistance received from your Director, Second Reader, other USC faculty, and members of the community. We hope you will endeavor to conduct yourself well throughout this process and that you will demonstrate an appropriate level of gratitude to those people who help you along your journey. The Honors College staff and other members of the USC community continue to be impressed by the amazing and thoughtful projects engineered by Honors students. We hope you, as well, will find this to be a rewarding experience.
Brooke RoperDirector of Student Services803-777-6280 brooke@schc.sc.edu