Senior Interdisciplinary Honors Thesis
The Interdisciplinary Honors Thesis is an effective culmination of the diverse topics students encounter throughout their studies in the Honors Program. Additionally, a few departments at UNM may not offer an honors thesis option, or may not have a faculty member available to oversee a student's research. By selecting the Interdisciplinary Honors Thesis, students are able to work with any one of the outstanding faculty members or instructors in the UHP. During this 2-semester plan students devise and research a thesis topic during the first semester and write, edit and orally present the thesis during the second semester.
Start with a Thesis Advisor
Thesis candidates will first need to retain a Thesis Advisor, either from among UHP faculty or from another UNM department. Often the research conducted during a thesis can serve as a guide for picking graduate schools or even a potential career. Therefore, being able to work professionally and congenially with a mentor for an entire year should be crucial factors in selecting a Thesis Advisor. The Advisor will oversee research, offer valuable guidance on the formation of a topic, as well as critique the writing of the thesis. When the semester commences, students enroll in the Reading and Research component. Throughout the research semester students confer regularly with the Thesis Advisor to ensure a steady progression of productive, creative, and thorough research methods.
Submit a Thesis Proposal
Once a thesis topic has been finalized, you and your Thesis Advisor will submit a Thesis Proposal Form to the UHP Senior Thesis Coordinator, Dr. Troy Lovata. Following approval of the proposal you should spend the balance of the semester completing the research into your thesis topic in regular consultation with the Thesis Advisor.
Writing the Thesis
The second portion of the Senior Thesis option comprises all of the writing and synthesizing of research conducted in the previous semester. Students and Thesis Advisors determine their own schedules for completing any outlines or preliminary drafts. The completed thesis should be at least 30, double-spaced, word-processed pages in length, excluding endnotes and bibliography. After the Thesis Advisor approves the thesis it should be submitted to the UHP Thesis Coordinator by the end of the 13th week of the semester. A Thesis Abstract and an Honors Senior Thesis Form must accompany the final manuscript. Thesis candidates will present an oral summary of their research at the UHP Thesis Presentation Day shortly before finals week.
Meetings
Along with regular meetings between the student and Thesis Advisor during the research and writing semesters, thesis students also attend one or two meetings together as convened by the Thesis Coordinator. These are excellent opportunities for students to share as colleagues the various successful research and writing techniques and strategies. Students also use these sessions to brainstorm ideas and professionalize the materials for thesis presentations.
Contact
For more information about Interdisciplinary Theses contact Dr. Troy Lovata, Senior Thesis Coordinator, by phone at 277-3663, by e-mail at lovata@unm.edu or visit room 2B of the Honors office.
