Senior Thesis Policies

Senior Thesis Requirements

In the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, students who choose to do research for their capstone experience may opt to complete a senior thesis. Both Latin Honors and Departmental Distinctions require the completion of a senior thesis.

Timeline and milestones

  • By the spring of their junior year, the student should select a faculty member to guide the generation of the thesis.
  • Early in the Fall of the student’s senior year:
    • The student should enroll in EEPS 4990 Honors Research (GPA > 3.65) or EEPS 4900 Independent Study (GPA < 3.65) with that faculty member for the Fall semester.
    • The student and faculty advisor should meet and choose two additional readers for the student's thesis (the thesis committee) and establish a set of goals for the fall semester's work. It is recommended that the student hold this meeting with their faculty advisor as early as possible so that they have adequate time to plan for research and writing during the Fall and Spring.
  • During the Fall semester, once the readers for the thesis committee have been selected, the student should fill out and submit the Senior Honors Topic Form. The final deadline for submission of this form is the last day of the Fall Semester (Dec. 17, 2025 for AY25-26). The form should be submitted via hard copy or via email to Erin Marshall.
  • Early in the Spring semester of their senior year:
    • The student may (but is not required to) enroll in EEPS 4990/4900 with their senior thesis faculty advisor.
    • The student and faculty advisor should meet as early as possible in the Spring semester to establish a timeline for submission of early drafts of thesis sections, figures, and other components of the thesis to the faculty advisor. The student and faculty advisor will work together to determine this timeline so that there is ample time to provide the student with feedback.
  • The draft thesis is due to the student’s committee no later than the Monday following Spring Break (for AY25-26: March 16, 2026). An earlier deadline may be arranged between the student and their senior thesis faculty advisor if desired.
    • The advisor and readers will review the thesis and give the student feedback to incorporate into the final version. Turnaround time for feedback is typically ~1 week. Readers may provide written feedback to the student directly or the faculty advisor may summarize the feedback for the student.
    • Thesis readers, faculty advisors, and members of the undergraduate studies committee will review thesis drafts in order to take them into consideration when making evaluations as required by the program, including levels of distinction. Although the version at this stage is still considered a “draft,” it should be a complete and fair representation of the student’s work.
  • At the end of the Spring semester, an oral presentation of the senior honors thesis research will be given during the annual EEPS Undergraduate Symposium. The EEPS Undergraduate Symposium is typically held on the Thursday of the last week of classes in April (for AY25-26: April 23, 2026).
  • The final written thesis, including revisions required by the committee, is due by the first day of the final exam period (for AY25-26: April 30, 2026).