Faculty Honors Advisors and Guidance by Department
In writing a departmental thesis you will need to work with your departmental Honors Advisor. Their names and information, along with answers to frequently asked questions about deadlines, formatting and what is required, can be found below.
* Note that the Department of Computer Science has a more extensive guide than most departments. Some of the advice given there might be of interest to non-CS majors as well.
Department of Astronomy
Contact
Guidelines
- Number of readers required for the thesis: Research advisor + one additional reader if the research advisor is not a tenure/tenure track member of the department
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? Yes
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: One week before the last class day
- Required or recommended length: No specific requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- One hard copy and PDF file to Dr. Kraus
- PDF to Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? No
Biological Sciences: Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Environmental Science
Contacts
Biology Honors advisors and contacts for questions about the honors thesis are dependent on the biology degree.
- Molecular Biosciences Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:DR. ENAMUL HUQ
- Integrative Biology Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
DR. MISHA MATZ
- Biochemistry Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:Dr. Lulu Cambronne
- Neuroscience Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
Dr. John Mihic
- Environmental Science Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
DR. ANNETTE OSTLING
Guidelines
- Readers required for the thesis? At least two faculty members, including the research advisor
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? No. Participation in the CNS Undergraduate Research Forum is encouraged.
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: Last class day
- Required or recommended length: No specific requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- PDF of the cover sheet and abstract to honors faculty advisor
- PDF to honors faculty advisor and Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? No
- Special Departmental Honors in Biology – Guidelines for the Bio 379H Honors Thesis
Supervisors
The supervising professor will generally be a faculty member in the one of the biosciences or a faculty member in another department in the College of Natural Sciences who is affiliated with a Graduate Studies Committee in these sciences. The actual supervisor may be in another department outside our college, or even at another institution, but in that case a faculty member in the biociences must be assigned to be a second reader. Similarly, if the supervisor is a Research Scientist or a Lecturer, then the department in which the degree is earned must have a faculty member willing to co-supervise the work and co-sign the thesis. There should be at least two faculty members approving the thesis. One will be the supervising professor and the other is the BIO Honors Advisor.
Thesis Content
Each finished research thesis should have a well-defined subject or purpose clearly stated in the introduction. In general, the thesis should be a scholarly work that shows the writer’s knowledge of the relevant scholarship in the field and contributes to that scholarship. The project being described should define an unresolved problem in the field, and you should indicate what you have done to push towards resolution of the problem. The Abstract, which briefly defines the problem and summarizes your results is generally 1-2 pages and is written at a level readable by undergraduates in the College. It is important that the Abstract be written for the intelligent layperson. It is particularly useful if the students write the Abstract, Introduction, and Discussion as if they were addressing the interdisciplinary board of a grant-giving agency and had to explain the significance of the project to a group of intelligent people who know next-to-nothing about the field.
Thesis Format
The format used should conform to the technical language of its field and, in general, should include: Abstract, Introduction or Background, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, References, Tables, and Figures. The thesis should follow a manual of style that is in use in its field. It should also be well-proofed. A BIO 379H thesis may be around 10,000 words, but there is no fixed length requirement, and this will vary with the nature of the project.
Most theses should have a list of works cited, following one of the standard bibliographical forms; the exact format will be up to the Supervising Professor. Students should make sure that their audience can tell what information had its source in their own original research, and what had its source in work done by others.
Submission
The cover page will include thesis title, student’s name, and date. It will have a place for signatures of approval by the supervising professor, the second reader (if any), and the Biology Honors Advisor. A printed copy of the signed cover page and the Abstract as well as an electronic file (e.g., pdf) of the entire thesis should be submitted to the Honors Advisor.
Department of Chemistry
Contact
Guidelines
- Number of readers required for the thesis: Research advisor + one additional reader if the research advisor is not a tenure/tenure track member of the department
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? No
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: One week before the last class day
- Required or recommended length: No specific requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- One hard copy to the Chemistry department
- PDF to Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? No
Department of Computer Science
Contact
Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
Additional information available in the Undergraduate Advising Office located in GDC 2.702.
Guidelines
- Number of readers required for the thesis: Research advisor + one additional reader. Thesis committee also includes an external committee member and the honors advisor.
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? Yes. An approved oral presentation to your supervising instructor, second reader, and an assigned member of the Undergraduate Thesis Committee during the week prior to the last week of class.
- Deadline for turning in forms: Completed form(s) will be due in GDC 2.702 by the fourth class day (second class day in summer session) at 12 pm of the semester when you plan to graduate.
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: Draft due before oral presentation. Final thesis and documents due to the committee and department by the last class day.
- Required or recommended length: No specific requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- One hard copy to Dr. Van De Geijn
- PDF to Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? No
CS 379H Student Guide
CS 379H provides highly qualified undergraduates with an opportunity to participate in a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member. This course should be of special interest to students planning research-oriented careers and intending to pursue graduate study. Students successfully completing CS 379H and meeting GPA requirements are awarded the distinction of graduating “With Special Honors in Computer Science.”
To give students a preview of graduate-level research, CS 379H has been designed to mimic the process of doing a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation: the student must find a supervising instructor, decide upon a research project, work at his or her own pace to produce results, write a thesis describing the research, and then defend it in a presentation before a group of faculty members.
When to take CS 379H
Many students take CS 379H their last semester before graduation. If you do this, plan your schedule carefully to ensure you have the time needed to complete your project without delaying your graduation. Be aware that job interviews and site visits will take away from your research.
If you are applying to graduate school, taking CS 379H a semester earlier may be worthwhile. This will allow you to describe your research in your graduate school application, and your supervising instructor may provide a valuable letter of recommendation.
Prerequisites
- You must have at least a 3.0 overall UT grade point average.
- You must have at least a 3.5 CS grade point average. Your CS grade point average is computed using all grades you have earned in UT courses having a CS prefix.
- You must have completed CS 429 or 429H and CS 336 or 336H.
- You must have completed any upper division CS courses relevant to your area of research, as determined by your supervising instructor and the honors faculty advisor. (For example, if you are interested in working in the area of operating systems, you must first complete CS 439H.)
- Additionally, you are strongly encouraged to have taken CS 370 before registering for CS 379H. In the absence of this, you will need to show other evidence of research and a strong endorsement from your research supervisor.
Supervisors
It is your responsibility to find a faculty member willing to supervise your research. Be aware that faculty members have limited time and may not be available every semester to supervise CS 379H projects. Make arrangements early, preferably by the start of pre-registration the semester before you will begin your project.
Faculty members will be more agreeable to supervising you if you have done well in their courses and if your interests are similar to theirs.
While you are working on your research, you should make arrangements with a faculty member to serve as your second reader. This faculty member will read your thesis, attend your presentations, and approve the work you have done. Your supervising instructor will assist you in finding a second reader.
Thesis Topic
There are several ways to find a topic for a CS 379H project. Occasionally, students know exactly what problem they want to work on. More often, students rely on faculty members for suggestions. Some faculty members direct large research projects on which both undergraduate and graduate students work. These faculty members may be able to find a piece of the larger project that is perfect for a CS 379H course. Other faculty members may have projects that require only one student to complete.
When you approach a faculty member about supervising you, expect to be asked about your interests. The more specific you can be, the easier it will be for the faculty member to help you select a topic.
There is perhaps nothing more important than finding a project that you enjoy and a faculty member with whom you can interact easily. Be prepared to talk to several faculty members about different projects before making a decision.
Paperwork
Once you have found a supervising instructor and decided upon a project, you should complete the CS 379H Contract and obtain the necessary signatures. We recommend you complete the paperwork the semester before you plan to take CS 379H. You may pre-register for CS 379H even if you have not finalized arrangements for the course.
Submission
During the fall/spring semesters, the completed form(s) will be due in GDC 2.702 by the fourth class day at 12 noon. Failure to turn in a completed form by the deadline will result in being dropped from the course. During the summer, the completed form(s) will be due in GDC 2.702 by the second class day at 12 noon. Failure to turn in a completed form by the deadline will result in being dropped from the course.
CS 379H Deadlines
First Month
- Student and supervisor must finalize second reader.
- Student confirms that their second reader will be in town for the oral presentation and will be available to review the thesis during the last 2 weeks of class and first week of exams.
- Honors Advisor communicates External committee member assignments. The student’s Honors Thesis Committee consists of the supervisor, the second reader and the external committee member assigned to the student.
Second Month
- Student and supervisor finalize date & time of oral thesis presentation in consultation with the honors thesis committee. The talk must be scheduled the week prior to the last week of class, at a time convenient to the committee.
- Notify the undergraduate office of the date and time so that a room can be scheduled for the talk.
- Presentations are scheduled for 1.5 hours, actual talk time should be approximately 45 minutes.
Third Month
- Student submits thesis draft to her/his committee.
- Oral thesis presentations take place. Expect to receive feedback from committee.
Last day of classes
- Students submit their final thesis documents to committee and to department.
- Students complete the Publication Release Form and submit to the department.
School of Human Ecology
Contacts
-
HDFS Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
-
NTR Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
-
PBH Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
-
TXA Honors advisor and contact person for questions about the honors thesis:
Guidelines
- Number of readers required for the thesis: Research advisor + one additional faculty member
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? Yes. Presentation also must be approved by the thesis committee (research supervisor and another faculty member).
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: One week prior to the last class day
- Required or recommended length: No stated requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- One hard copy or PDF to the honors faculty advisor
- PDF to Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? Consult your research advisor for formatting requirements
Department of Mathematics
Contact
Guidelines
- Number of readers required for the thesis: Research advisor + two additional readers
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? No
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: Two weeks prior to the last class day
- Required or recommended length: No specific requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- PDF to Dr. Martines
- PDF to Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? No
Department of Physics
Contact
Guidelines
- Number of readers required for the thesis: Research Advisor + Honors Advisor (Dr. Sitz)
- Presentation or defense of thesis required? No
- Deadline for turning in completed thesis: One week prior to the last class day
- Required or recommended length: No specific requirement
- How many copies should be turned in, to whom, and in what format?
- One hard copy to the research advisor
- One PDF copy to Dr. Gordon
- PDF to Texas ScholarWorks
- Are there formatting guidelines, in addition to the DS guidelines, that should be followed? No