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Honors Senior Thesis

The Honors Senior Thesis (HST) serves as a culminating academic experience for students in the Drake University Honors Program. It provides an opportunity to delve deeply into a question of personal interest, potentially extending beyond one's major field of study, demonstrate the interdisciplinary learning fostered by the Honors Program, and showcase advanced research and critical thinking skills.

This HST project offers students a specially designed time and structure to develop ideas prompted by coursework or those that have grown out of other learning experiences. It is an opportunity to do reading and pursue interests outside the structure of the classroom. The directed research involves a project that results in a product, such as a research paper, scientific experiment, or creative work. The interdisciplinary project, which is typically outside the student's academic concentration, is coordinated with the Honors Director and completed in conjunction with a Drake faculty adviser from outside of the student's major.

The HST emphasizes independent scholarship, interdisciplinary inquiry, and professional-level outcomes, aligning with the core values of the Drake Honors Program. The experience concludes with a 20-minute public presentation to the Drake community and the submission of a final project/paper. A successful HST must be interdisciplinary, intellectually rigorous, and result in a concrete product such as a 25–30 page written thesis, performance, film, or artwork (among other options). It must be the student’s original work and be guided by a faculty mentor from outside the student’s major, selected based on relevant expertise. Highly successful theses demonstrate a level of intellectual rigor, intensity, and acumen exceeding typical undergraduate work.

HST students who fulfill all of the Honors Track requirements, maintain a minimum GPA of 3.2 by the end of their graduating year, and successfully complete their HST earning a grade of "B" or higher are eligible to graduate with University Honors.

Prerequisite: completion of, or concurrently completion of, all Honors Track requirements. May be combined with a major capstone project, but conditions and restrictions apply.

Students should complete the Preliminary Honors Senior Thesis proposal before the end of the semester preceding the semester in which they will complete the HST.

At the beginning of the HST semester, students will finalize their project and submit the Honors Senior Thesis Proposal.

Honors Senior Thesis Options

To complete their HST, students register for either HONR 199 Honors Senior Thesis or HONR 197 Honors Senior Thesis Research Seminar. Both courses may fulfill the thesis requirement to graduate with Honors. 

HONR 199: Honors Senior Thesis (3 cr).
This course operates in an independent study format wherein you choose a topic, find an appropriate thesis advisor, submit a proposal, and then begin work on the thesis with guidance from your thesis advisor. You and your advisor determine methods you will use, areas in which to concentrate your research, timelines for completion of different parts of the thesis, and a preferred format for the final submission. Some advisors prefer weekly or bimonthly check-ins on your progress and work, others are more hands-off and let the student determine the frequency necessary for consultation. This format allows for a great deal of freedom and autonomy to do the work.

HONR 197 Honors Senior Thesis Research Seminar (3 cr)

In most ways similar to HONR 199, this course option is for Honors Senior Thesis students who desire concrete support and accountability to aid the completion of their thesis. This course uses traditional course days and times to meet each week. Students will create a research plan, design, and execute historical research, collaborate with peers to share, and receive, feedback, and give demo presentations of their research to their colleagues in the course. This format provides structure, tasks, skill development, and deadlines to ensure successful completion of the HST.

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