Senior Year Honors Program
The student will continue his or her research, produce a thesis, and present the results of his or her work in a public forum, such as the CALS Symposium, the University Undergraduate Research Symposium, or a professional meeting in their discipline.
All CALS Honors students will also enroll in two semesters of Senior Honors Thesis (681-682) or equivalent for 2-4 cr. each semester in the department of their faculty mentor. Students will also take CALS Honors Interdisciplinary Senior Seminar (CALS-Interdisciplinary 488, 1 cr) in the fall, which will be a faculty-led colloquium to discuss issues including the following: the results of student projects, career planning, and the ethics of research and the possible societal impact of scientific results. An emphasis will be on students developing their ability to communicate research results and implications to colleagues from other disciplines. If a schedule conflict prevents a student from taking InterAg 488, a request to substitute another experience in place of this course should be submitted to the Honors Dean.
Electronic submission of the student's thesis to Assistant Dean John Klatt, countersigned by the mentor, will serve as final documentation of the student’s work. The thesis should document the following: (i) The demonstration of a problem or question, with sufficient background about that problem to inform the reader; (ii) Evidence of demonstrated skill in research methods; (iii) The critical analysis of the proper interpretation of results or experiences; (iv) A summary of the impact and results of the research on the original question or issue that was analyzed.
The following documents must accompany the thesis:
Cover Sheet—Students electing to make their theses public should use the Electronic Version; those choosing not to make their theses public should use the Non-Electronic Version.
Abstract Page—The Abstract Page requires an abstract of not more than 150 words and must be signed by both the student and his/her research mentor.
Upon completion, theses are stored privately on the Steenbock Memorial Library server for five years after submission. If a student opts to make his or her thesis available to the public, Steenbock will upload the thesis to the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Honors and Undergraduate Research Program section of Minds@UW.
Upon successful completion of program requirements, students are awarded the Bachelor of Science degree with Honors.
For more information contact CALS Undergraduate Programs and Services at (608) 262-3003
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