Undergraduate Research and Honors Thesis
The Honors College, as the university-wide center for excellence in undergraduate education, plays a crucial role with undergraduate research at Georgia Southern University. Since the beginning of the College, students have been required to complete Honors Theses or Capstone Projects. These faculty mentored projects have spanned traditional research models, applied research, and creative activities in all academic colleges and majors.
Click through the links below to see honors theses submitted in recent years or to view past Honors Research Symposia. Current students will want to click on the resources section to read about support the College can give them.
What is the Honors Thesis?
The hallmark of an Honors College student’s experience is the Honors Thesis. Students develop a unique research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor in their major discipline. This work gives students the opportunity to become an expert on a topic in their field, and the completed thesis a great accomplishment to share with potential employers, graduate schools, or professional schools.
Students engage in all sorts of projects that fit under the term Honors Thesis including creative, practical, and applied approaches in addition to traditional lab, field, and archival research.
Since 2014, Honors College theses have been uploaded to Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. Click on the link to see the list of majors and click on a major to see specific theses within that field.
What are the steps students need to take for the Honors Thesis?
Students typically start their thesis three to four semesters from their graduation date, and generally they follow these steps:
1. Take their major specific upper-level honors courses. For some majors, these include research hours, research seminars, and thesis seminars. Check your major’s Honors College curriculum sheet for full details.
2. Find a thesis mentor and develop an idea and questions for research. The order of these two actions may vary. Students might settle on a topic and seek a mentor who will work with them. Other students might enjoy a class and ask that professor to work with them on a thesis. And many students find a mentor in the course of doing research or through their thesis and research seminars.
3. Begin preliminary work and develop a Thesis Proposal. Students do this work in consultation with their thesis mentor or in the context of a thesis/research seminar.
4. Submit a Thesis Proposal Form one year prior to graduation. This is also done in consultation with the thesis mentor, and must be signed by the mentor in order to be approved by the Honors College. The deadlines are May 1 for spring and summer graduates of the following year, and December 1 for fall graduates of the following year.
5. Conduct the research and complete the writing. Again, this is in close consultation with the thesis mentor and is ongoing. It is very important that students develop a timeline with their mentor to ensure timely completion of their thesis project.
6. Submit final thesis and upload to Digital Commons. A final thesis must be approved by the mentor. Directions on submission may be found in the Honors Upper Division Handbook. Deadlines are April 1 for spring and summer graduates, and November 1 for fall graduates.
7. Present at the Honors Symposium (fall) or the Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium (spring). All graduating seniors must present their thesis research at the Honors College Research Symposium (fall graduates) or the Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium (spring graduates). See more details in the Honors College Symposium section below.
Important Links
The Thesis Proposal Form must be submitted one year prior to graduation.
Students and their thesis mentors should also refer to the Honors Thesis Handbook as they prepare their final thesis for submission.
Each fall and spring, graduating seniors in the Honors College present their thesis research to the greater Honors College and Georgia Southern community. In the fall, students will present at the Honors Symposium, and in the spring students will present at the Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium.
Below is a list of past symposia programs. The 2020, Fall 2020, and 2021 program links lead to video recordings for most of the presentations.
- 2022 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2021 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2021 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2020 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2020 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2019 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2019 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2018 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2018 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2017 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2017 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2016 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2016 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2015 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2015 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2014 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2014 Honors Research Symposium Program
- Fall 2013 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2013 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2012 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2011 Honors Research Symposium Program
- 2010 Honors Research Symposium Program
Honors College Undergraduate Research Fund
Need funding for your project or to travel to a conference? Students seeking support for their research projects may apply to the Honors Undergraduate Research Fund. Monies may be spent on research supplies (ultimately owned by Georgia Southern) or for registration and travel to present research at conferences. Full details are found on the Honors Undergraduate Research Fund Application.
Printing Research Posters for Honors College Students
Presenting a poster at a conference or at the Honors College Symposium or Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium? We’ll print it for free!
Honors College students can submit posters to be printed on the Honors College poster plotter under the following conditions:
- The poster is to be used for a presentation of research or creative activity of the honors student in an honors course or as part of an on-campus or off-campus conference or symposium.
- Poster sizes are typically either 24×36 or 36×48. (Posters of other sizes will need to be trimmed by student.)
- The poster must include the nameplate of the Honors College.
- Georgia Southern University and the name of the student’s department and mentor should also be listed.
- Avoid overly dark backgrounds that require a lot of ink and drying time.
- File should be saved and submitted as either PDF or PowerPoint slide.
- File should be submitted at least five business days before poster is needed. Posters needed in less than five days might not be printed.
- Send files to Dr. Francis Desiderio at francisdesiderio@georgiasouthern.edu
Poster Template: Below is a suggested template in a Google Slides file. This template contains the nameplate, title section, and headers. Feel free to use this format; however, you should develop different header titles.
Keep in mind that you may design your poster however you wish, but you should strive for a clear and readable presentation.
PowerPoint Template and Honors College Nameplate
The Honors College nameplate should be used on posters. The nameplate also includes the University logo. Please find the Honors College nameplate in this folder:
Last updated: 3/25/2024
Honors College
PO Box 8130, Statesboro, GA 30460
