The Honors Thesis/Project is the culmination of your UMass Lowell Honors experience. The public presentation, critical thinking, analysis, writing, and organizational skills emphasized by the Thesis/Project Experience benefits Honors students looking to find jobs or internships after graduation. The Honors Thesis/Project also prepares you for the level of work expected of graduate students, giving you a leg-up against the competition.

Thesis Versus Project

An Honors Thesis conducts new research testing a hypothesis and involves the creation of a final document written in the style of an academic article in the student's discipline. All Honors Theses must be 6 credits and must be completed over two semesters. 

An Honors Project includes everything else and may be either a 6-credit two-semester project or a 3-credit one-semester project. Both the Honors Thesis and Honors Project must include a final archival written document. While there is no page requirement the final document generally runs 25-50 pages in length.

Honors Thesis Grant

The Honors College will grant up to $500 for materials related to the Honors Student’s Thesis. The number of grants awarded will be determined by available funding. To be eligible to apply, a student must be a member in good standing of the Honors College and must be working on an Honors Thesis. Research grant application must be submitted by the end of the add/drop period the semester you will need reimbursement. Download the Senior Research Grant Application (pdf).

For travel related to you Honors Thesis/Project, please fill out the Senior Professional Travel Grant Application (pdf).

General Completion Checklist for Students

• GPA of at least 3.25
• E1 completed for each semester active in Honors
• H1-H6 Requirements completed with a B or better
• Form 84 signed by Mentor and submitted to Honors College
• Thesis/Project Proposal Form and Proposal signed by Mentor and Committee Member and approved by Honors College
• H7/H8 courses submitted to Honors College for Transcript Coding
  • H7: Honors Thesis/Project (Part I) or a 3000/4000 Honors Course, or a Graduate Course
  • H8: Honors Thesis/Project (Part II) or One-Semester Honors Project
• Public Presentation of Honors Thesis/Project attended by Mentor, Committee Member, and Representative of the Honors College
• Thesis/Project Completion Form signed by Student, Mentor, and Committee Member submitted to Honors College
• Thesis/Project Title Page signed by Student, Mentor, and Committee Member
• Final thesis/project document submitted to Honors College