Identify a Thesis Committee Chair and Faculty Reader

Once a student has identified a general area of research interest, we encourage students to consider carefully the expertise and research focus of faculty who may be willing to serve as chair of their thesis committee. Often, students are familiar with faculty from whom they have taken one or more courses and have begun to foster a working relationship. Other times, students have worked on research projects or in a lab with a faculty member. Honors Coordinators know the faculty in their discipline and their general research interests, and often refer students to possible mentors and field experts. Department web sites and faculty directories often provide research profiles that can also facilitate a student's search. We encourage students and faculty to focus on a good mentoring relationship first, and a specific thesis topic second.  It is problematic if students identify too narrow of a thesis topic on their own and subsequently find there are no faculty with the requisite interest or expertise to support their research. Students should consult with potential committee members individually prior to extending official invitations through the Honors Thesis Tracker.