The How

The thesis process will vary across students, but the general steps include:

1. Think about potential thesis topics.  What interests you?  What sounds like a good project?  Is there a paper, group project, or internship you have completed and would like to continue or develop further?  Talk to your professors!  Based on your classes and other academic or research experiences, think about narrowing down to a more specific topic.  See examples of theses in your major (click here (Links to an external site.) for more information).
2. Schedule an appointment with an Honors Faculty Advisor (Links to an external site.) to discuss and brainstorm potential topics and faculty mentors for your Honors Thesis project.  It is recommended that you do this at least a couple of semesters before intended graduation.  
3. Find a faculty mentor who will supervise your Honors Thesis project.  Faculty mentors can be from any department on campus. As you consider a mentor, think of faculty members whose research is interesting, and with whom you connect.  
4. Prepare and submit a Thesis Proposal (Links to an external site.) from to Dr. Virginia Solomon at the Honors College (virginia.solomon@honors.utah.edu).  
5. Enroll in HSP 4999.  This is a 3-credit hour independent study course with no set meeting times that gives you time to do the Honors Thesis Project.
6. Conduct and submit the Honors Thesis Project under direction of your faculty mentor.
   1. During this process, be sure to meet with your faculty mentor to agree on a schedule for reviewing your progress, submitting drafts, making final revisions, etc.  
   2. Please use the Thesis Formatting Template (Links to an external site.) for your final thesis.
   3. Theses with approval signatures are due to the Honors College by the day grades are due Registrar's Office (Links to an external site.) the semester in which you plan to graduate.
7. Submit completed thesis document to Honors College, once approved by your faculty mentor and Honors Faculty Advisor.  
   1. Submit an electronic copy of your final Honors thesis with e-signature approvals from your Thesis Faculty Mentor, Honors Faculty Advisor, and the Department Chair. The Honors College will provide you with the upload link during your final semester.
   2. Turn in a signed USpace Permission Form (Links to an external site.) when you submit your thesis. USpace is the J. Willard Marriot Library’s institutional repository and provides permanent electronic storage for your work to be publicly available. If you have questions or concerns about making your thesis available through USpace, please contact the main Honors Office.
8. Honors students present their thesis work at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium (Links to an external site.).  Students can also publish in the U's Undergraduate Research Journal (Links to an external site.).  Submissions are accepted year-round for online publication each summer.  
9. Apply for theUndergraduate Research Scholars Designation (Links to an external site.) (URSD) - Students who complete two semesters of research with a faculty mentor and present and publish their work (for example in the Undergraduate Research Symposium & Abstracts Journal) are eligible for this special transcript designation. Deadlines found here (Links to an external site.).

Note:  If you are a double major, have an early conversation with the Honors Faculty Advisors from each major and your faculty mentor about whether your project can satisfy requirements of both majors.