Step Two: Committee and Application
The thesis application: Instructions (for Class of 2010, June)
Thesis Topic: This may be a tentative, working title.
Thesis Committee: Be sure to include all requested contact information. If you are a joint concentrator, indicate which concentration each advisor and reader are from.
Signatures: Do not wait until the last minute to get signatures. If your thesis supervisor is not available to sign the application form, attach an e-mail from her/him stating their agreement to supervise your thesis. Note that you will need to meet with your Concentration Advisor so that s/he may review and sign your application.
Submission: Please be sure to submit a complete application. If your application is incomplete, we will be unable to review it, and your thesis approval risks being significantly delayed.
Special Attachments
- Attach a copy of your student record from the Registrar.
- Submit a petition statement if your college grade-point average is lower than the 3.5 required for honors concentrators. In it, explain why you feel your GPA does not reflect your ability to do a thesis. You should also ask your thesis supervisor(s) to send Laura Chivers (lchivers at wjh) confidential statements attesting that you are prepared to undertake thesis research
- Submit a petition statement if you are requesting a non-departmental co-supervisor who is not a member of the Board of Honors Tutors, explaining how this person is an appropriate supervisor for your research. You should note the person's title and affiliation in your statement (e.g., Professor of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School), and if the person is not Harvard-affiliated, you should include her/his curriculum vitae (resume).
Deadlines
All thesis applications should be submitted by 5 p.m. in William James 218.
Deadline: Friday 20 March 2009 — Aim for this deadline in all cases. This deadline must be met if you are planning to conduct summer thesis research. You must have a complete thesis committee to submit for this deadline; your supervisor(s) and reader should both/all agree to serve on your committee. Because this deadline is the day before spring break, you should be sure, if you are leaving early for break, to submit your application before you leave. We have set the deadline early to give you time to schedule a prospectus meeting before the end of the year and to prepare funding applications (which are often due in early April).
Second Deadline: Thursday 16 April 2009— This deadline may be used if you are unable to submit for the first deadline, although waiting until the second deadline can make it harder to secure summer funding or get a good start on the thesis project. If you are meeting this deadline and do not have a thesis reader, the department will assign you one. Choosing your own reader is highly recommended, since assigned readers are often outside the area of your thesis topic.
"Late" Deadline: Friday, 4 September 2009 — This deadline is available only if you are in a joint concentration with psychology as your secondary concentration, or if you are not in residence the spring of your junior year. You must have a complete thesis committee and completed prospectus to submit for this deadline.
THESIS APPLICATION FORM
Procedures after Submission
The Department's Committee on Undergraduate Instruction will review your application, and we will post a list of accepted applications on our website. We will e-mail you when this list is available, and will also e-mail you if there has been any problem with your application.
Once an application has been approved, you would need to submit a new thesis application, with signatures and accompanying petition, for any changes you would like to make to your thesis committee or for any major change you would like to make to your thesis topic.
While you are waiting to hear from us, you should be completing your prospectus. (If you are in Psychology 985, you must complete the prospectus this semester to get a grade of Satisfactory in the course.) Once you have completed your prospectus, you must distribute it to your thesis committee members at least two weeks before your prospectus meeting and also bring a hard copy to the Psychology Undergraduate Office at that time. The office's copy should have the signature(s) of your thesis supervisor(s) on the front page to certify their approval of it. Two weeks after you submit your prospectus, you may hold your prospectus meeting (although you will want to schedule it well ahead of time, given the busy schedules of faculty members).
Once you have completed your prospectus meeting, you should apply to the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research (CUHSR) for approval of your project if applicable. Application deadlines are noted in our thesis calendar.
Do not begin research until you have received prospectus and CUHSR approval.
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