The Senior Honors Thesis in the Honors College is typically envisioned and executed entirely as a written piece of work. This kind of thesis might resemble a long research paper in form, but it is different than a class paper. It tackles a problem that others have not yet addressed adequately, or it approaches the problem from a new angle. Research into what others have said and done is the essential first step, but your thesis should go beyond prior work to include your own insights and critical thinking. You should have an acquaintance with the relevant scholarship and display originality in the formulation of your arguments. Typically, such a thesis will run 50-75 pages.

Enrollment in the HON thesis course sequence is unusual and reserved for interdisciplinary theses subject to approval by the Honors College. In most cases, students enroll in the senior honors thesis through the department of their major.

Please refer to the formatting requirements for the college that houses your major, and use the UH Graduate School template for the front matter. Submit your signed defense form and your revised thesis following your defense to Dr. Rikki Bettinger in the Honors College for review of formatting and content by December 1 or May 1 of the semester you defend.

The thesis defense form and directions for submitting the final approved thesis to the Honors College can be found on the Defense and Graduation page. After your thesis is checked and approved, the final thesis must be submitted to the Senior Honors Thesis Electronic Portal by the last day of the term.

There are no bound copies of the thesis required for the Honors College. However, all students who complete the senior honors thesis are welcome to submit a bound copy to the Honors College for display in the Estess Library.