Senior Honors Thesis

Tufts’ seniors have the opportunity to pursue a senior thesis during their final two semesters of study. A thesis encourages an undergraduate scholar to pursue an in-depth independent project, to delve into a focused area of research within or across fields, and to produce a final product that is both a scholarly contribution to the field and a testament to a student’s commitment to their education. The senior honors thesis is a capstone experience for undergraduates in a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree program and available to students in the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), and the School of Engineering. 

There are many excellent reasons to pursue a thesis at Tufts and graduating seniors overwhelmingly report that undertaking the thesis was a transformative intellectual experience. They write that it enriched their educations, shaped them as thinkers, and helped launch them into the next stage of their professional and educational careers. The experience of writing a thesis can serve both intellectual and practical purpose. For a student who has fallen in love with a subject, the thesis can provide resources and time to excavate the material. For a student who is wondering whether graduate school is the right path for them, the thesis can demonstrate to them whether they enjoy embarking on this kind of research project independently. The experience of writing a thesis trains students in skills that are universally sought after on the job market. Crafting a research question, engaging with primary source materials, synthesizing data, and cogently making your discoveries accessible to a lay audience are all transferrable skills that students routinely are asked about in job interviews, grant applications, and graduate school statements. 

Finally, a thesis is an opportunity to work closely with an individual faculty mentor. The resources that Tufts can offer undergraduate researchers are second to none in terms or research opportunities, summer funding, archival access, and faculty support, fostering projects that span disciplines and are grounded in real scholarly inquiry. 

The senior honors thesis takes the form of an extensive and independent research-based project culminating in a significant piece of original work. For many students, the thesis results in a written paper, but students can also pursue creative or nontraditional theses (especially in the arts) as well.

The honors thesis:

• Spans two consecutive semesters during the final year of study.
• Is worth 8 credits (4 credits per semester) in the School of Arts and Sciences. In the School of Engineering, it is worth 6 credits (3 credits per semester; usually same letter grade for both semesters).
• Culminates in a defense.
• Is overseen by a faculty committee of at least two people (one of whom must be a full-time faculty member in the student’s major).
• Will be specially formatted and archived in Tufts Digital Collections and Archives.
• May be worthy of Thesis Honors.

Eligibility 

Students who wish to pursue an honors thesis must:

• Be in their final two semesters.
• Be in good academic standing.
• Have been on the Dean’s List at least twice before the senior year. If you have not met this criteria but wish to pursue a thesis, please contact Dean Caitlin Casey. 
• Meet departmental criteria for the major or program in which you will pursue the honors thesis. Some majors stipulate prerequisite coursework, a GPA threshold, a written proposal submitted during your junior year, or participation in a senior seminar. [mike, can we link here as well to the chart of the program directors/contact people and the departments?]
• Have approval of your major department chair or program director (indicated by a signature on your Honors Thesis Candidate Form).

Academic Experience

Regardless of a student’s academic experiences, writing a thesis is a unique experience that presents authors with unexpected challenges and delights. Any project of this length and investment is going to throw some complex issues at scholars. However, there are ways to prepare for the thesis over the course of your time at Tufts. Some departments have REQUIRED prerequisites for the thesis so please check in with your department about expectations.

Students who are interested in pursuing a thesis in their senior year should commit some energy in the preceding semesters to investigate whether this project is a good fit for them. The most important thing to figure out is if you are interested in research. Pursuing a position in a lab or as a research assistant, working with a faculty member on a project, or taking a research-based seminar in your field can be useful in helping you discover a love of research. While you absolutely do not have to have a topic in mind for your thesis early, it would be useful to know which time periods/countries/movements/topics are especially interesting to you and delve into those. You cannot write a thesis about Whitman without knowing something about American fiction in the 20^th century. You should think about what kind of projects have been engaging and satisfying and which ones have you procrastinated on for weeks. You should familiarize yourself with the offerings of the StAAR center, the writing fellows team, and Tisch library. Meet with a research librarian at some point. 

Picking an Advisor 

Each thesis writer needs a faculty member thesis advisor to supervise the project. While for some students, this is an obvious choice, it might be unclear who the best fit for your project would be. A good staring point would be to reach out to your major advisor. This person might be a great fit for your topic but if they aren’t, they also know their peers and you, so they will be able to help you find a good fit. A good thesis advsior fit is someone who likes your topic, has some familiarity with the area of research, and you feel like you can talk to. When chatting with faculty about advising the thesis, be clear about your expectations and what you are hoping to get out of the experience. Some students want to be left to work independently with the occasional check ins and others want the advisor relationship to be more hands on. Clear expectations in the beginning will help make sure that the process runs smoothly. 

Picking a Topic

Students often worry that they need a concrete thesis topic in order to begin the process. Most thesis topics evolve over the course of the writing. If you can narrow to a figure, movement, text, idea, or era, you’re right where you need to be for the start of the thesis. The fine tuning will be a process that you and your advisor navigate together as you get into the material. 

Important Deadlines

• October 20, 2025: Senior Honors Thesis Candidate Form must be submitted.
• December 10, 2025: Defenses for February degree candidates must be completed by the last day of the fall semester reading period. Thesis submission deadlines are set by advisors and departments, but it is strongly recommended that the completed thesis is submitted to the committee at least two weeks before the final defense. This will allow readers and committee members to engage with the material presented by the student in preparation for the defense.
• December 11, 2025: Advisors must submit the "Recommendation for Senior Thesis Honors" form for February degree candidates by the end of the first day of fall exams. (This form is only available to Tufts faculty and staff and can be found in the Faculty Forms section on SIS.)
• April 30, 2026: Defenses for May degree candidates must be completed by the last day of the spring semester reading period. Thesis submission deadlines are set by advisors and departments, but it is strongly recommended that the completed thesis is submitted to the committee at least two weeks before the final defense. This will allow readers and committee members to engage with the material presented by the student in preparation for the defense.
• May 1, 2026: Advisors must submit the "Recommendation for Senior Thesis Honors" form for May degree candidates by the end of the first day of spring exams. (This form is only available to Tufts faculty and staff and can be found in the Faculty Forms section on SIS.)
• May 15, 2026: Archive your completed manuscript in Tufts Digital Collections and Archives (via the MIRA website) any time after your thesis defense and before your graduation date. See the online guide for instructions and specifications. This should be the final, completed, corrected version ready for posterity. Complete the deposit form and select “Agree and Deposit.” Archival uploads may be made a few weeks after graduation before the deposit window closes. Contact Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising, Caitlin Casey, for details if you need extra time or have a special circumstance.

Sophomore Year

• Begin talking to your major advisor about the thesis.
  • Attend departmental thesis colloquiums in the major to see if topics are exciting to you.
  • Talk to Dean Casey about the process if you have questions.
  • Organize academic plan to ensure that you have both the credits available and the scholarly background to make sure that you can do a thesis if you want to (lab work, GIS, research methods classes).

Junior Year

• Think about who you might want as a thesis advisor – it does not have to be the same as your major advisor but they are a good resource for helping think through the project in this early stage. 
• Begin to seriously think about what general field the thesis question might fall into.
• Begin to conduct background research to determine the viability of your topic.
• If required in your major department, submit your thesis proposal in the second semester of your junior year.
• Seek funding for your research; note funding deadlines. Perhaps meet with Emily Palermo, the Director of Scholar Development at Tufts, to discuss Summer Scholars or funding more broadly.
• Determine whether your research methods will require IRB approval.
• Make a one-on-one appointment with the reference librarian in your area of focus.
• Enroll in Thesis A and/or your departmental thesis colloquium if the department has one

Fall Semester of Senior Year

September

• Finalize your decision to write an honors thesis 
• Finalize your topic and research approach.
• Attend informational meetings and understand all requirements.
• Confirm primary thesis advisor and secondary reader.
• Think about length, breadth, and size of your finished thesis. Consider chapter breakdowns or other forms of presenting the finished product.
• Create your own project timeline and goals, including working with your advisor.

October

• Submit Thesis Honors Candidate Form. The Chair of your major department must sign this form. Must be submitted by the sixth week of the semester.
• Conduct research in library, lab, or field.
• Develop research strategies for gathering, recording, and categorizing information as you find it. Keep accurate bibliographic notes and organized files to make citations easier in the writing period. Perhaps research note taking/bibliography programs available through Tisch.
• Establish a regular meeting time with your primary advisor and provide regular progress reports or written drafts to advisors.
• Meet with a writing consultant, attend the StAAR center’s writing groups/writing open hours, or join a writing group to help you stay on track.

November and Early December

• Begin to draft a significant piece of writing to submit for the fall semester. 
• Reassess chapter breakdowns; work on outline of thesis as whole.
• Mid-year assessment: You and your advisor should assess your progress so far to determine if you should continue to pursue the honors thesis in the spring or switch to a different genre of project.
• Plan detailed research and writing agenda for winter break. If you are doing a traditional research-based thesis, you should plan to write a substantial amount over break.
• Enroll in the Ex College Thesis writers course for added support as you transition from research to writing in the spring semester. 

Spring Semester of Senior Year

January 

• Schedule a meeting with your thesis advisor or thesis committee to discuss your work completed over winter break.
  • Plan a new timeline for spring. Plan to have the thesis substantially written BEFORE spring break.
  • Continue to send regular progress reports to your committee.

February and March

• Be very careful to cite sources correctly and incorporate them into your writing so as to avoid accidental plagiarism. Thesis works are subject to the same standards regarding academic integrity as all other materials submitted for grades. 
• Set a date and time for your defense in April; all committee members must be present at the defense. Remember to book a room that has everything you need (for example, a movie screen or audio equipment). Defenses must be completed before exam period, so please plan accordingly. 

April

• You should be rewriting and revising by early April. Now is the time to pay attention to clarity of expression and prose style; you may need to work on major structural changes to your outline or clarify your logic.
• Rewrite and revise according to your advisors' recommendations. Be sure the committee is in agreement on what they expect from you during the revision process.
• Schedule a meeting with your entire committee so there will be no unpleasant surprises during the defense.
• Submit your completed thesis with complete and accurate bibliography to your committee at least two weeks before your defense date.
• Celebrate!

May

• First day of finals: This is the deadline for "Recommendation for Thesis Honors" form to be submitted by your honors thesis advisor to the degree audit coordinator in Dowling Hall.
• Your committee may ask you to correct or rewrite portions of your thesis after the defense but before you submit it to archives.
• Prepare the final document for archives. See the online guide for instructions and specifications.
• Submit your completed manuscript to Digital Collections & Archives.
• Enjoy Senior Week–you’ve earned it.

• STAAR Center: offers writing consultants who meet individually with senior thesis writers to help them with anything from making and meeting deadlines to planning out chapters to polishing final drafts. They also hold workshops and writing groups.
• Undergraduate Research Fund: may be used toward some research-related expenses. Check with Emily Palermo in Scholar Development about other funding sources. 
• Dean Casey upholds senior honors thesis policies, grants waivers, and can answer questions about policies and deadlines. She also loves the thesis project and is eager to know what yours is about!
• The ExCollege offers a thesis writers class in the spring to help students transition from research to writing. 
• Research consultations with a reference librarian can expedite your research process.
• Online citation information from Tisch Library
• How to Write a Senior Thesis Proposal: Before you get started on your thesis, many departments require a proposal.
• Surviving the Defense: What to expect and how to prepare for your senior thesis defense.
• Formatting Your Manuscript: How to format your thesis so it can be added to Tufts’ digital archive.