Faculty Mentor Guidelines

Students on the Option 1 track (for departmental honors) pursue conventional science research in their major field of study (or in a lab approved by the faculty honors advisor in their major) under the supervision of the lab’s principle investigator (PI). The PI’s supervision is often supplemented by an advanced graduate student or post-doc. The student is expected to conduct original research and take responsibility for some project or significant component of a project in the lab.

Option 1 Overview

Option 1 thesis requirements and expectations are dictated by the student’s major department and their PI. The Option 1 thesis typically reports directly on the research the student conducts in the lab, and often resembles a manuscript intended for a discipline-specific audience in the relevant field. Length and format vary considerably; departmental honors theses are typically not less than 20 pages (with single-spacing), but may be longer; they usually include multiple graphics or images that visually support the written discussion of the student’s research. Students or faculty who are not familiar with departmental thesis expectations should reach out to the honors faculty advisor for their department.

Option 1 Coursework

Most departments in CNS require departmental honors students to take two semesters of thesis hours in the major field of study. For example, a Biology major conducting lab work under the supervision of a Biology professor would take BIO 379H for the last two semesters they are working on the capstone thesis project (typically fall and spring of the student’s senior year).

In addition, Option 1 HSS students take a one-hour thesis writing seminar (NSC 110H) sponsored by CNS Honors during their final semester of thesis-writing. This seminar offers the student support and accountability for the writing process as well as opportunities for peer feedback. 

Option 1 Faculty Supervision

For Option 1 students, the primary thesis supervisor should be their PI. The student should seek the additional guidance of a second reader, whether that is another faculty member in the department or another member of the lab group, typically an advanced Ph.D. (or M.D.) student or a post-doctoral fellow. In some cases, the department’s honors faculty advisor will serve as a second reader and/or sign off on the thesis, per departmental guidelines.

Option 1 students should occasionally meet individually with their PI in addition to lab group meetings that the student may attend. The PI should help the student identify an appropriate project that the student can take responsibility for within the lab setting—this typically happens during fall or early spring of the student’s third (pre-thesis) year, but may occur earlier.

In the student’s final semester of thesis writing, the PI should be willing to help the student stay on track with writing the thesis and should offer feedback on at least one rough draft of the thesis well before the department’s submission deadline.

Option 1 Thesis Submission and Evaluation

For Option 1, the student’s departmental honors contact or PI is responsible for setting a reasonable thesis submission deadline that allows for timely submission of a grade for 379H and also for submitting the student’s grade to the Registrar. CNS Honors is not involved in the grading process for departmental honors students.

Option 2 Overview

Option 2 students meet programmatic expectations for the thesis rather than departmentally-defined requirements. The typical Option 2 thesis is about 30–40 pages (or 60 for students double majoring with Plan II), double-spaced, plus references and any graphics or appendices the student may choose to include. It should be written for a well-educated but non-specialist audience.

Unlike the Option 1 thesis, the Option 2 thesis typically does not report directly on work produced for the capstone experience, although it may. Rather, many Option 2 theses are inspired by students’ observations during their capstone experience, which leads to a research question or related set of questions. Option 2 thesis projects may involve original data collection, or they may present original analysis of existing data or scholarly literature. For example, students have performed content analyses, systematic literature reviews, policy reviews, and developed proposals for future research as part of satisfactory HSS theses. We encourage students to talk with faculty mentors about appropriate and feasible methodological approaches early in the student’s thesis year, if not before.

Students who want to conduct human subjects research will need IRB approval, and should start the IRB process no later than the summer before their thesis year.

Option 2 Coursework

Option 2 students take the HSS program’s thesis seminar sequence, NSC 323 in the fall and NSC 371 in the spring of their final year in the program. Broadly, these seminars offer scaffolding, support, and accountability for the student, and we hope that they reduce the burden of supervision on the student’s faculty mentors. The seminars typically meet once per week.

In the fall semester seminar (NSC 323), the seminar instructor, Dr. Rebecca Wilcox, leads students through the process of refining their topic in response to existing research; exploring library research databases relevant to their area of interest; reading at least one sample thesis; developing a log of at least 20 academic sources for the thesis (though students will need to continue to read additional sources well into the spring semester); writing a detailed annotated bibliography to help prepare them for the kind of writing and analysis we expect of the thesis itself; beginning an outline for the thesis project; evaluating their own writing and the writing of peers; and drafting the first few pages of their thesis. Students work in pairs and small groups regularly to brainstorm and share feedback. In addition, students meet one-on-one with their instructor and a graduate teaching assistant at least once per semester.

In the spring thesis seminar, students are required to submit incremental rough drafts of the thesis about every two weeks, adding at least five pages to their draft with each submission. Each draft receives feedback from either an instructor/graduate TA or a CNS Honors classmate. Students also refine and expand their outline; write and revise an abstract; workshop use of sources and citations; reflect on feedback they receive from instructors and peers; and peer review visual aids and practice for their thesis presentations (which occur in April and are graded as part of the course). As in the fall, students meet one-on-one with their instructor and a graduate TA at least once. 

Thus, the Option 2 thesis seminars provide structure and support for the student’s development of their thesis, allowing faculty supervisors to focus on methodological and discipline-specific considerations in the student’s research and drafting. Please keep in mind that the thesis seminar serves students in a wide range of disciplines studying an even wider range of self-designed topics; our emphasis is on broadly-applicable process development for literature research and writing.

Option 2 Faculty Supervision

The student must secure the support of at least two UT faculty members to serve as mentors for the thesis project: either a primary supervisor and a second reader, or co-supervisors. Co-supervisors may be particularly appropriate if the student’s mentors need to share time commitments or offer complementary disciplinary expertise, or if the student identifies a strong mentor with expertise in the field who is not a faculty member in an academic department at UT. In general, supervisors and second readers will be affiliated with UT Austin; exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis. An advanced doctoral student with expertise in a relevant area may be approved to serve as second reader with the permission of the primary supervisor.

Students seek out faculty in departments and research units related to their capstone experiences in order to identify mentors who bring different perspectives to their topics. Mentors help guide the student’s research and they help brainstorm directions, approaches, and methodologies. They are not responsible for defining the student’s thesis topic for the student. Option 2 students are responsible for identifying and setting up meetings with relevant faculty members; the thesis seminar instructor is happy to support the student through brainstorming if necessary.

Students should identify a primary thesis supervisor no later than the beginning of the fall semester of the thesis year. The student should identify a second reader or co-supervisor before the fall (Thanksgiving) break of the senior year.

The student should meet with the primary supervisor(s) occasionally to discuss readings, possible thesis topics, methods, data collection (if applicable), structure, and written content appropriate to the discipline in which the student’s project is grounded. At minimum, the thesis supervisor should be willing to meet (or communicate) with the student at least once per month during the fall of the thesis year and at least every two to three weeks during the spring of the thesis year. In addition, the thesis supervisor should be willing to complete a very brief progress report, comment on at least one rough draft of the thesis in the spring, and provide a grade for the final thesis at the end of the spring term. Loose grading guidelines are offered below.

The responsibilities of the second reader are similar to that of the primary supervisor, but somewhat reduced in scope. We suggest that a second reader be willing to meet with the student at least twice in the fall semester for brainstorming and/or to review the student’s reading list, and to meet at least twice again in the spring to discuss the thesis itself. Second readers should plan to offer the student feedback on at least one rough draft of the thesis in mid- to late spring. Starting in the 2022-23 academic year, we ask that second readers participate in evaluating their student’s thesis, either independently or in coordination with the primary supervisor, by submitting a recommended grade at the end of the spring term.

Option 2 Thesis Submission and Evaluation

For Option 2, the student’s final thesis has traditionally been due on the Tuesday after the last class day in the spring semester. Given recent changes to the academic calendar, the thesis seminar instructor will be sure to communicate with Option 2 supervisors about our deadline in the spring semester. If you will need your student to submit their final thesis to you before the CNS Honors deadline very soon after the last class day, please make sure to communicate this to your student as soon as possible.

Option 2 thesis grades are integrated into the course grade for NSC 371; thus, the thesis seminar instructor is responsible for submitting student’s grades to the Registrar. The student’s faculty mentors will be prompted to submit their thesis grade recommendations to the seminar instructor via a secure Qualtrics form.

GRADING GUIDELINES FOR CNS HONORS THESES

The following guidelines are intended to support the evaluation of undergraduate student theses across multiple disciplines; please use your own best judgement in evaluating how your student has met these expectations within the context of your shared discipline.

• A grade of A (exemplary) on the final thesis should demonstrate thorough research through a familiarity with authoritative sources and methods of the discipline, a well-reasoned analysis of the research methods and sources used, direct application of the research to the argument being made, a cogent conclusion based on the research, and superior written presentation of the thesis argument.
• A grade of B (better than required) should demonstrate all of the above, but may use fewer or less appropriate research sources and methods, and sufficient (rather than superior) written presentation.
• A grade of C (as required but no better) will indicate a basic grasp of the data and appropriate sources, limited application of the research towards the argument being made, and merely acceptable written style.
• A grade of D (barely passable) indicates minimally acceptable research findings in addition to poor analysis and writing standards.
• A grade of F is appropriate where the thesis represents a crudely thrown-together last-minute effort or even evidence of unoriginal work.

If you have questions about the evaluation of your student’s work or if you suspect academic dishonesty, please contact your department chair or department honors faculty advisor (for Option 1 students in 379H) or Rebecca Wilcox, the thesis seminar instructor (for Option 2 students in NSC 371).

Many faculty members have worked with undergraduate researchers before and have developed a repertoire of responses to common student challenges. However, faculty members who are new to undergraduate thesis supervision may find some of the suggestions below helpful in understanding and responding to students facing common challenges or pitfalls as they develop their thesis projects.

Lack of experience in the field

•   Ask the student about their coursework and reading to determine relative level of knowledge and experience.

•   Point the student to key publications or researchers in the field.

•   Gently challenge assumptions and misconceptions. Point them to more nuanced or up-to-date perspectives in the literature.

•   Help the student identify a paper providing a positive example of the methodological approach.

•   Remind the student that subject librarians can help identify and navigate relevant databases.

Normalized over-achievement

•   Remind the student that the thesis is the most significant academic project they have undertaken, and everyone struggles with their first big project.

•   Remind the student that there's no such thing as a perfect thesis.

•   Suggest that the student list and prioritize their commitments, and consider letting one go.

Imposter syndrome

•   Remind the student that they are not expected to produce publishable work (in scope or quality). 

•   Remind the student that we were all beginners once.

•   Remind the student that they are doing the best they can under the circumstances they are in now; they can’t control external factors.

Lack of communication

•   Remind the student that you want to help them meet their goals.

•   Ask the student if they are embarrassed about their writing and remind them that rough drafts are meant to be rough. Focus on ideas over expression.

•   Schedule biweekly meetings, and set expectations and agendas in advance to promote accountability.

•   Ask the student to send you weekly updates on their progress.

•   Consider contacting Rebecca Wilcox to nudge the student.

Competing commitments

•   Suggest that the student list and prioritize their commitments.

•   Ask the student about their goals and values. What is most important?

•   Suggest that a counselor may be able to help them evaluate priorities. 

Mental health concerns

•   Ask the student if they have spoken to a counselor or therapist about managing anxiety, stress, conflicting priorities, or personal hardships.

•   Contact BCCAL at 512-232-5050 or https://safety.utexas.edu/behavior-concerns-advice-line.

For Option 2, if you are not confident that you are able to continue working with the student for any reason, please contact the thesis seminar instructor at rebecca.wilcox@austin.utexas.edu as soon as possible. Perhaps she can mediate between you and the student; if not, she will try to support the student in finding another faculty mentor.

HSS CONTACTS

Questions about the capstone experience and thesis supervisor eligibility may be directed to Sara Corson, Director of CNS Honors. Questions about the thesis seminar and thesis evaluation for Option 2 may be directed to Rebecca Wilcox, the thesis seminar instructor. Students with questions about Option 1 eligibility or other academic considerations should contact their academic advisor, Mark Hemenway.