Completing an Honors Thesis in History

To be certain that all requirements are met, honors candidates should review the Charles Center’s guidelines and the History Department’s “Honors Program” guidelines. The following dates are particularly
important. Please note that some History Department dates and deadlines (e.g., April 1 deadline for a complete final draft, oral exam deadline, etc.) precede those of the Charles Center.

Mid-January. A solid working draft of the entire thesis should be completed.
February 1. After consulting with the thesis director and other faculty members, the candidate should submit to the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in History the names of faculty who have agreed to serve on the examination committee. Remember that committees must consist of at least three faculty members—two from History and one from another department or program.
April 1. A complete final draft of the entire thesis must be submitted to the thesis director.
Two weeks before the last day of classes. Copies of the final version of the completed thesis must be submitted to all members of the thesis committee. Sufficient time must be allowed for all members to read and comment on the thesis. Only minor editorial changes will be allowed to the document after this submission. The thesis must conform to the specifications outlined in the honors guidelines, though it need not be on acid-free paper at this stage.
The student must schedule an oral defense of the thesis to take place before the final day of classes or, at the latest, during the first three days of the examination period. Contact members of the thesis committee well in advance to determine dates of availability for the defense. Call, email, or go to the department office (Daneene Kelley, 221-3720, dmkelley@wm.edu, BLR 329) to reserve the department library for the oral defense.
On the day of the oral thesis examination, print the final cover page (example) to take to the defense, in order to obtain the signatures of the committee members upon completion of the defense. A digital copy must also be submitted to the Charles Center here.
Immediately after completing the oral examination, the student should bring the signed cover page to the department office for administrative copies to be made.
No later than the last day of the exam period, one final corrected copies of the thesis, must be emailed to Daneene Kelley [[dmkelley]].
Before noon on Friday after the final day of classes
Failure to meet these deadlines and requirements may result in cancellation of the honors designation.
Final grades for History 495-496 will not be processed until both final corrected copies have been submitted.