Honors College

Senior Honors To-Do List

Senior Honors students take 7 hours of coursework. In their first semester, students take HON 300 (research forum, 1 hour). Note: Deadlines that fall on a holiday or the weekend are pushed to the following business day.

HON 300 – Selecting a thesis adviser and thesis topic
Enrolled Semester	Due Date	Action Required
Spring	5/1	Select adviser and thesis topic Thesis-adviser notification form due to both Honors College and to student’s home department.
Fall	12/1

Next, students take HON 301 (prospectus writing, 3 hours).

HON 301 – Writing a prospectus
Enrolled Semester	Due Date	Action Required
Spring	4/15	Draft of proposal in Word to adviser as e-mail attachment. See other page for details on electronic submission. Consult online prospectus guide as well as sample proposals.
	5/1	Final proposal in Word to adviser and 301 prof(s). (See electronic submission process below.)
	5/15	Adviser submits student’s prospectus in Word and message indicating whether or not it’s approved to honorscollegethesis@usm.edu. Adviser notifies student of decision.
Summer	7/1	Draft of proposal in Word to adviser as e-mail attachment. See electronic submission process below. Consult online prospectus guide as well as sample proposals.
	7/15	Final proposal in Word to adviser and 301 prof(s). See electronic submission process below.
	8/1	Adviser submits student’s prospectus in Word and message indicating whether or not it’s approved to honorscollegethesis@usm.edu. Adviser notifies student of decision.
Fall	11/15	Draft of proposal in Word to adviser as e-mail attachment. See electronic submission process below. Consult online prospectus guide as well as sample proposals.
	12/1	Final proposal in Word to adviser and 301 prof(s). See electronic submission process below.
	12/15	Adviser submits student’s prospectus in Word and message indicating whether or not it’s approved to honorscollegethesis@usm.edu. Adviser notifies student of decision.

After completing HON301, students should enroll in at least one 492H hour every semester (except summers, unless they are elected to do so) until the Honors College approves their final theses. Students take a total of three 492H hours in their home departments, either spread over two semesters (1 hour in first semester, 2 in second, or vice versa) or 1 hour in each of three semesters.

492H in major department – Writing your thesis
Enrolled Semester	Due Date	Action Required
Spring	3/15	Submit two progress reports on thesis to the Honors College each semester according to the following schedule. Remember to take at least one hour of 492H in your home department each semester you are working on your thesis.
	5/1
Summer	7/15
	8/1
Fall	10/15
	12/1

Steps to graduating with Latin Designation are broken down by semester:

Graduating Spring semester (May)
Due Date	Action Required
11/15 (semester before graduation)	Submit an application for graduation to your major college (Arts & Letters, Science & Tech, Health, Ed/Psych, or Business) through SOAR. Instructions by college are found at the registrar's office home page. Complete Application to Graduate with Latin Designation and submit to the Honors College. Submit Memo regarding intent to graduate with Latin designation to your department head, with copy going to Honors College. Print and complete memo, then submit to chair and Honors College.
3/1	Submit a draft of thesis in Word to thesis adviser by email. See below for details on electronic submission. Use proper thesis formatting, but don’t print thesis until Honors College notifies you the external reviewer approved it.
3/15	Adviser submits student’s thesis in Word to Honors College at honorscollegethesis@usm.edu AND department head and indicates whether it’s approved or not.
4/1	Take comp exam in your major department. Your major department prepares and administers the comp exam.
4/15	No action required. Major department submits results to the Honors College.
5/1	Complete and submit the Exit Survey for Graduating Seniors to the Honors College. Thesis advisers award Honors medallions to students at the Honors College Graduate Banquet, which is typically held the night before Commencement. Only students who submitted theses that met the Honors College standard and who passed their comp exams will receive medallions. If students cannot attend the banquet, they may pick up their medallions in the Honors College before noon on the day of the banquet.

Graduating Summer semester (August)
Due Date	Action Required
4/15 (semester before graduation)	Submit an application for graduation to your major college (Arts & Letters, Science & Tech, Health, Ed/Psych, or Business) through SOAR. Instructions by college are found at the registrar's office home page. Complete Application to Graduate with Latin Designation and submit to the Honors College. Submit Memo regarding intent to graduate with Latin designation to your department head, with copy going to Honors College. Print and complete memo, then submit to chair and Honors College.
7/1	Submit a draft of thesis in Word to thesis adviser. Email it to him or her. See below for details on electronic submission. Use proper thesis formatting, but don’t print thesis until Honors College notifies you the external reviewer approved it.
7/1	Take comp exam in your major department. Your major department prepares and administers the comp exam.
7/15	No action required. Major department submits results to the Honors College.
7/15	Adviser submits student’s thesis in Word to Honors College athonorscollegethesis@usm.edu AND department head and indicates whether it’s approved or not.
8/1	Complete and submit the Exit Survey for Graduating Seniors to the Honors College. Thesis advisers award Honors medallions to students at the Honors College Graduate Banquet, which is typically held the night before Commencement. Only students who submitted theses that met the Honors College standard and who passed their comp exams will receive medallions. If students cannot attend the banquet, they may pick up their medallions in the Honors College before noon on the day of the banquet.

Graduating Fall semester (December)
Due Date	Action Required
7/15 (semester before graduation)	Submit an application for graduation to your major college (Arts & Letters, Science & Tech, Health, Ed/Psych, or Business) through SOAR. Instructions by college are found at the registrar's office home page. Complete Application to Graduate with Latin Designation and submit to the Honors College. Submit a Memo regarding intent to graduate with Latin designation to your department head, with copy going to Honors College. Print and complete memo, then submit to chair and Honors College.
11/1	Submit a draft of thesis in Word to thesis adviser. Email it to him or her. See page for details on electronic submission. Use proper thesis formatting, but don’t print thesis until Honors College notifies you the external reviewer approved it.
11/1	Take comp exam in your major department. Your major department prepares and administers the comp exam.
11/15	No action required. Major Department submits results to the Honors College.
11/15	Adviser submits student’s thesis in Word to Honors College at honorscollegethesis@usm.edu AND department head and indicates whether it’s approved or not.
12/1	Complete and submit the Exit Survey for Graduating Seniors to the Honors College. Thesis advisers award Honors medallions to students at the Honors College Graduate Banquet, which is typically held the night before Commencement. Only students who submitted theses that met the Honors College standard and who passed their comp exams will receive medallions. If students cannot attend the banquet, they may pick up their medallions in the Honors College before noon on the day of the banquet.

Electronic submission of prospectus and thesis

To save paper, the Honors College has adopted an electronic submission process for both the prospectus and the thesis. This not only conserves paper but makes it more convenient to distribute the thesis and prospectus to the parties who must approve them – your thesis adviser, your department chair, and the Honors College.

Keep in mind that although you may have worked very hard on numerous revisions of your thesis, the draft you submit for review is still a work-in-progress until all parties have approved it. Your adviser, your department chair or the Honors College dean’s office may ask you to make revisions. This extensive review process reflects the multi-layered peer review method common in academia and is intended to give you ample feedback to produce the best thesis possible.

You should not be surprised if you are asked to make revisions.

Electronic submission of the prospectus

By the due date, submit a draft of your prospectus to your adviser electronically (as an email attachment in Word or as an RTF [rich text format] file). Make revisions based on feedback provided by your adviser, then, by the due date, re-submit your prospectus in final form to both your adviser and your 301 professor(s). Next, by the due date, your adviser should forward your prospectus to the Honors College via honorscollegethesis@usm.edu (with a courtesy copy to the student) and should write in the subject line the student’s name and whether or not the prospectus is approved (Jane Doe’s Prospectus - Approved, for example).

The Honors College will undertake a final review of the prospectus and make a determination whether to accept it or consult with the thesis director about possible revisions. Students required to complete revisions will submit a revised version of the thesis to honorscollegethesis@usm.edu (with a courtesy copy to the adviser) with the student’s name and the words “Final Version” typed in the subject line.

Electronic submission of the thesis

By the due date, submit your thesis to your adviser electronically (as an email attachment in Word or as an RTF [rich text format] file). After the adviser reviews and approves the thesis, he or she will forward the manuscript to the department head and Honors College via honorscollegethesis@usm.edu and should write in the subject line the student’s name and whether or not the thesis is approved (Jane Doe’s Thesis - Approved, for example).

The department head should also review the thesis, and if it’s deemed acceptable as is, he/she should notify the Honors College via honorscollegethesis@usm.edu, including the student’s name and the words “chair approved” in the subject line. If revisions are needed, the department head will return the thesis via e-mail to the student and thesis adviser with suggestions for improvement and inform the Honors College via honorscollegethesis@usm.edu revisions are underway.

The thesis will also undergo review by an Honors reader who will make a determination to accept it or to consult with the Honors thesis director and department chair about possible revisions. Once all of the parties (thesis adviser, department head and Honors College dean’s office) agree the thesis is acceptable, the Honors College will forward the final version to the University Libraries for archiving in the Aquila Digital Community records.

Hard copy submission of the thesis

The Honors College does not require students to submit hard copies of their theses. However, if students wish to purchase a bound copy for their own personal records ($15.49/bound copy), they should: 1) pay for binding in the USM Business Office (1^st floor, Forrest County Hall), 2) deliver both the receipt for payment of binding and a hard copy of the thesis to the Honors College.

When submitting a hard copy of the thesis to the Honors College, each copy should be placed in a manila envelope with an additional title page taped to the outside of the envelope. It is essential that the type on all copies of the thesis be clear, black, and neat. A laser printer should be used. Corrections in the final typed draft may not be made in ink or pencil but must be made by a laser printer. In addition, each thesis should include an approval page that has been signed by both the thesis adviser and department head. Students should obtain signatures (electronic or otherwise) on their theses before turning the manuscript in to the Honors College for binding.

Contact Information

Senior Honors To-Do List