brown university thesis

Graduate School

Dissertation guidelines.

• Academics & Research
• Rules & Regulations

Ph.D. candidates at Brown must file their dissertations electronically.

Brown's  electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) system  collects and archives final dissertations as text-based PDF files. Electronic dissertations submitted through the ETD will appear in the Library's  discovery service  and in the Brown  digital repository .

In the spirit of the dissemination of new knowledge that is a hallmark of higher education, dissertations will be subject to web searches and unrestricted downloads unless the student requests to opt out of that system and have their dissertation unavailable for download outside of the Brown community. A request to restrict download access to a dissertation has an initial two-year window from the time the degree is conferred. Guidelines associated with restricted dissertation access are:

• The full text version of the dissertation will be available for download only to members of the Brown community.
• Web searches including the citation and abstract of restricted dissertations will continue to be available to the general public.
• After two years the restriction will elapse.
• Restrictions on full text download may be renewed for two-year periods up to a total of ten years from the date of degree conferral. Requests for additional two-year restrictions should be made to the Graduate School.
• Any requests to extend the restriction beyond ten years must go to the Graduate Council for approval.
• In cases where the dissertation is a co-worked piece and there is disagreement between the student and the advisor over whether the dissertation will or will not be available for download outside of the Brown community, the dispute will be brought before the Graduate Council for resolution.

To complete the electronic submission process, doctoral candidates must have successfully defended their dissertation and had it approved by their committee. To use the ETD system, doctoral candidates must possess a valid username and password for accessing Brown’s computer network. If you are unable to create an account in the system, please contact  [email protected]  for assistance.

Graduate students are eligible to have degrees conferred, and to receive their diploma, at three different times over the course of the academic year. 

For students who complete their degree requirements the preceding summer term. The Application to Graduate opens on July 1, 2024 and closes on September 6, 2024. Degrees are conferred on October 20, 2024.

For students who complete their requirements the preceding fall term. The Application to Graduate opens on October 1, 2024 and closes on January 10, 2025. Degrees are conferred on February 9, 2025.

For students who complete their requirements over the preceding spring term. The dissertation deadline is May 1, 2024. Please note, the Application to Graduate deadline is April 19, 2024.

The doctoral dissertation and all of the associated forms and documents related to the completion of a Ph.D. must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadlines listed above; no extensions will be granted. See Submission of the Final Copy for important clarifications regarding the final submission process.

Commencement

Brown has one graduation per year; Commencement exercises and the conferral of degrees take place on the Sunday before Memorial Day. Students may file their dissertations at any time of the year in advance of the filing deadline. Students may choose to request a Certificate of Completion to show that they have completed all degree requirements before beginning a position, as faculty or postdoctoral fellow, for example.  See details below under Certificate of Completion. 

Tuition and Fees

If a doctoral student completes all of the requirements for the PhD during semester I, the tuition and fees for semester II will not be charged. Students must file before the first day of classes in semester II in order to avoid being charged the tuition and fees for semester II.

The Final Examination or Defense

The final examination or defense must be scheduled by the candidate at the convenience of the readers. At least two weeks prior to the final examination or defense, candidates must provide the department manager with the appropriate dissertation defense information so the  Dissertation Defense Information Form  can be completed and returned to the Graduate School.

NOTE:  Requests for waiving the final examination must be endorsed by the dissertation director as well as the director of graduate study or department chair.

After the Defense

The formal, final approval of all dissertations is handled by the Graduate School's Academic Affairs Manager (Barbara Bennett). Candidates must submit final copies of their dissertations  electronically .

The Manuscript

The signature page .

In addition to the electronic submission, all Ph.D. candidates are required to submit their signature page to the Graduate School, which may be sent electronically to  [email protected] . Samples are available online. The signature page should bear the signatures of the dissertation director and all readers. The typed names of the director and readers must appear under their signature lines. Electronic signatures are acceptable. An unsigned copy of the signature page should be uploaded to  ETD system .

Type and spacing 

Standard typefaces set to print at 10-, 11-, or 12-point font are acceptable. All text should be double-spaced, except for block quotations, captions, long headings, and footnotes. All these should be single-spaced with a blank line between items.

Page Numbers 

Each page, including blank ones, must have a number. The number should not appear on the title page or the copyright page but, these pages are assigned numbers and are included in the pagination. Preliminary pages are numbered with lower case roman numerals, centered at the foot of the page, three-fourths of an inch from the bottom edge. The title page counts as page i but the number does not appear on the page. The remainder of the dissertation is numbered with Arabic numerals beginning with 1.

Most dissertations consist of preliminary pages which are numbered using Roman numerals, and the dissertation proper which is numbered using Arabic numerals. The preliminary pages must appear in the following order:

• Title Page (do not number)
• Copyright Page (do not number)
• Signature Page (iii)
• Curriculum Vitae* (iv)
• Preface and Acknowledgments (v)
• Table of Contents (vi)
• List of Tables vii List of Illustrations (viii)

Should any element of the preliminary pages be longer than one page, number the pages consecutively. The preliminary pages should appear in this order but not necessarily with the page numbers shown above.

The dissertation proper (including introduction, main body of the text, illustrations, appendices, and bibliography) is numbered using arabic numerals. The numbering begins with "1" and runs consecutively to the end.

Do not place headers on each page. Use them only as appropriate to indicate major sections of the thesis (e.g., INTRODUCTION, CHAPTER 1, BIBLIOGRAPHY). They should be centered and placed two inches from the top of the paper in uppercase type.

* The curriculum vitae is a statement giving a short biography of the candidate, including institutions attended, degrees and honors, titles of publications, teaching or professional experience, and other pertinent information. Please do not include date or place of birth or phone numbers.

Graphs may be put on cross-section pages.

Dating the Dissertation  

Because degrees are conferred three times during the calendar year, the title page and abstract of a dissertation completed at any point during the academic year must be dated on the date the degree is conferred.

The Abstract

The dissertation must be accompanied by an abstract. The abstract should, in a concise manner, present the problem of the dissertation, discuss the materials and procedure or methods used, and state the results or conclusions. Mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials should be avoided. The abstract should not be part of the dissertation itself nor should it be included in the table of contents. It should be headed as follows:

Abstract of (TITLE OF DISSERTATION), by (AUTHOR'S NAME), Ph.D., Brown University, May (YEAR IN WHICH DEGREE IS TO BE AWARDED).

The abstract should be prepared carefully since it will be published without editing or revision. The abstract should be double-spaced and may not exceed 350 words (maximum 2,450 typewritten characters — including spaces and punctuation — about 70 characters per line with a maximum of 35 lines). 

Submission of the Final Copy

When the dissertation is presented to the Graduate School electronically, it must be in final form. Dissertations may require revision after their original presentation if it is determined by the Graduate School that the dissertation does not conform to the standards articulated above. The need for such revisions is not grounds for a deadline extension. If a dissertation is determined to be defective after the deadline, the Graduate School may refuse to confer a student's degree. Doctoral candidates are encouraged to submit their dissertations early, and to send questions not answered by the descriptions above, to  [email protected] .

ALL completing doctoral candidates are required to submit the documents listed below. (the title page and signature page can be sent electronically to  Barbara Bennett , the Academic Affairs Manager.) The dissertation will not be accepted and the candidate's degree will not be conferred if an item from this list is missing or incomplete. The online submission system will send notifications when each document has been received and approved by the Graduate School.

• Ph.D. Exit Survey , Brown University Graduate School; you may forward the email receipt.
• Survey of Earned Doctorates , National Research Council (The NRC sends the certificate directly to the Graduate School.)
• The title page; this may be sent by email.
• The signed signature page, which may be sent by email to  [email protected] .

Digital Supplementary Materials

Students interested in depositing digital supplementary materials along with their dissertation are welcome to contact the Library for assistance. Please contact: Andrew Creamer in the Library at  [email protected] .

Publishing the Dissertation

It is University policy that all research done at the University under its sponsorship must be freely published without restriction. Since 1954, the Graduate School has required that dissertations be published. In 1985, the Graduate Council reaffirmed that decision and approved the following policy:

"All Ph.D. dissertations and Master's theses will be open documents. The Graduate Council will not recommend the awarding of the Ph.D. or Master's degree until the dissertation or thesis is submitted to the Graduate School and accorded unlimited distribution status."

Exceptions to this requirement will be made only if there is a letter from a publisher stating that the dissertation will be published within one year after the degree is awarded and that requests that circulation of the dissertation be withheld for twelve months after the degree is conferred. Six months will be allowed for the clearing of a patent.

If you have a question about temporarily removing your dissertation from the  Library's digital repository , please contact  [email protected] .

The Diploma

The Office of the Registrar's Application to Graduate provides the candidate with an opportunity to indicate how the diploma name should appear. Otherwise, the name that will appear on the diploma and in the Commencement program, and under which the Library will catalog the dissertation, is the name under which the candidate is officially registered. Any request for a change of registered name should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar and accompanied by supporting legal documentation, such as a court order, marriage license, passport, driver’s license, or social security card. 

Certificate of Completion

If all academic requirements for the degree and all financial obligations have been met before May 1, the Office of the Registrar will issue a certificate of completion within three weeks of the candidate's request.

If you have any questions regarding the submission of your dissertation or thesis, please contact the Graduate School's Academic Manager, Barbara Bennett, 863-2843,  [email protected] .

Additional Information

• Sample: Dissertation Abstract
• Sample: Dissertation Copyright Notice
• Sample: Dissertation Signature Page
• Guidelines for Dissertation Titles

The Library wishes you a nice holiday break. Buildings will be closed from 12/23/22 to 12/31/22. For a full list of closing and opening times, please visit the library hours page.

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Brown University Theses and Dissertations

Brown University Library archives dissertations in accordance with the Brown Graduate School policy .

For dissertations published prior to 2008, please consult the following Dissertation LibGuide

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Carina Cournoyer

• Brown Theses and Dissertations This link opens in a new window Search or deposit Brown dissertations and theses. more... less... The Brown University Theses and Dissertations database includes over 15,000 records for dissertations written and submitted in fulfillment of Brown University degree requirements from 1893 to 2000. Included are undergraduate honors theses, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations. Records include the author's name, thesis title, degree awarded, year, granting department, and when available, thesis advisor. [This resource is publicly available.]

See the University Archives and Manuscripts page by University Archivist Jennifer Betts.

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• Last Updated: Feb 29, 2024 4:03 PM
• URL: https://libguides.brown.edu/IRhonors

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Literary Arts

Completed by the end of April of your second year, your thesis will be a substantial manuscript or project of publishable material—a collection of poetry or short fiction, a novel, long poem or electronic work (or works) or a work that crosses the boundaries of disciplines. It must be formatted according to the  guidelines  provided by the Graduate School, with one minor exception: the rule about double-spacing does not apply to poets (and those in other areas may also make a case for a non-standard format). Early in your second year, you should visit the  Graduate School’s web site , where you can download the Graduate School’s requirements.

Please note that the Graduate School's 1 May deadline for filing the thesis is firm; do not expect to receive an extension on this deadline (and if you miss the deadline, you will not graduate in May).

Electronic Submission

The Graduate School page notes: a master’s student with a thesis requirement will submit the file through Brown's  electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) system . The system is designed to collect and archive the thesis or dissertation as a text-based PDF file. An electronic file submitted through the ETD will appear in the Library's  discovery service  and in the Brown  digital repository .

You should register for LITR 2410.

Senior Thesis

• Undergraduate
• Senior Capstone

There is no requirement for people concentrating in Philosophy to write an Undergraduate Honors Thesis; some people do so, many people don't.

To be eligible to write an Honors Thesis, you must have completed at least six courses toward the concentration by the beginning of your penultimate semester and have received a grade of A or Satisfactory with Distinction in more than half of them.

To write a thesis, you need a topic and an Advisor and a suitable amount of time. There is no single model to follow, but one standard approach is this. You'd work on the thesis during the two semesters of your Senior Year. In the first semester, you might work through a reading program with the advice of your Advisor, meeting with her or him three or four times in the semester and writing two or three pieces of work—for example, discussions of existing publications in the field and sketches of your own responses to them. Over the break you'd pull together a plan for the thesis itself. In the second semester, you'd write a first draft of the thesis and then a final draft—expecting, of course, that you would continue to do some new reading, and that you might need to be flexible with your original plan.

The thesis itself is due about April 15th. More exactly, the thesis is due two weeks before the Friday on which the Reading Period begins.

For those who complete their thesis in the Fall, the same rule applies, more or less: The thesis is due two weeks before reading period begins. That date, though, usually falls during Thanksgiving break; if so, the thesis will be due on the Wednesday on which Thanskgiving break begins.

It is possible in principle to choose a topic which you don't know much about in advance; but typically the result of that is that you have to spend a larger amount of time reaching base camp, so to speak—getting a decent grasp of existing approaches to the topic—and you have less time for heading up to the summit—developing ideas of your own. Many of the best theses come when a student has already got some idea of a problem area, e.g. from a 1000 level course that might have spent a week or two on the detailed topic in question, and might have introduced the class to materials and methods used in related areas that might constitute a useful tool-kit for this topic too. If you already know a bit about the existing approaches to the topic, but have a feeling that you're not quite satisfied with any of them, then you're probably in a good position to go deeper into it, researching further proposals from other people and working out a distinctive contribution of your own.

When you have a first idea of the area in which you'd like to work, you can approach a potential advisor directly, e.g. by e-mail or in Office Hours, or you can discuss the matter with your Concentration Advisor, who should be able to point you towards Faculty Members with interests in areas close to your proposed topic. Don't let your ideas become too fixed too early: often a good discussion will leave you thinking of unexpected directions you'll want to head off in. The normal time for approaching an Advisor is in the first week of the first semester of your Senior Year (or a few days earlier), or at the end of the last semester of the Junior Year.

The standard thing is to register for a reading course, PHIL 1995 Senior Thesis, either for the first semester alone or for both first and second semesters, with the permission of the Advisor in question. (Note that PHIL 1995 takes on a different section number according to who the Advisor is.)

You can register for PHIL 1995 just for one semester (followed by registering for either 3 or 4 classes in the other semester). Alternatively, you can register for PHIL 1995 for a second semester. Which you do is a matter for negotiation with your advisor, taking into account, e.g. the number of meetings, and the amount and scope of reading and writing that is done. Obviously the work-load for a Reading course needs to be about the equivalent of a normal course.

There's no standard length, but 40–50 pages of carefully-argued material would for many topics be a good target.

Two copies of the Thesis are due by the Friday two weeks before the Friday on which the Reading Period begins, which will usually fall close to April 15th. They are to be handed in to the Thesis Advisor. Theses should be computer-printed, on one side only of paper; they do not need to be bound. Some people like to present them in a special folder or binder; this is fine, but not required.

There is usually no oral defense of the thesis. The Thesis Advisor will normally be one Reader of the thesis; there will be a second Reader too, appointed by the Concentration Advisor in consultation with the Thesis Advisor.

Division of Biology and Medicine

Biology undergraduate education.

More than 30 percent of concentrators in the Biological Sciences earn honors each year.

Honors Application Due Dates for AY 23-24

Students graduating in May: October 2, 2023 Students graduating in December: March 1, 2024

Application for Honors : Students should complete the Honors Proposal Application in collaboration with the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader. Both advisor signatures are due at the application proposal deadline (above).

HONORS PROPOSAL APPLICATION

Honors Eligibility

To be eligible for honors, students must meet  three  requirements: .

• Completion of an original research  thesis  that is recommended for honors by both the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader.
• Formal and public  presentation  of the thesis (oral seminar or by poster presentation).
• Demonstration of quality  grades  in the concentration.  

Students concentrating in Biology AB/ScB, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics are all eligible to apply for Honors , and the process is the same for each concentration.

Concentrators in Biochemistry apply via Biochemistry advisors; Applied Math-Biology students apply via Applied Mathematics; Computational Biology students apply via CCMB; Biomedical Engineering concentrators proceed via Engineering.

As per University policy, students may not use the same thesis to gain honors in more than one concentration. If pursuing honors in two concentrations, the theses must be fully distinct in content. 

Honors: Policy and Procedure for Biology Concentrations

The senior honors thesis is typically developed through a minimum of two, but more often three, semesters of research. Students intending to pursue a thesis in Biology often have a Brown faculty mentor and project secured in the summer prior to the senior year. Many students use  UTRAs to help support research, though this is not the only mechanism of support. Often faculty members provide student support from their own grants.

Students may also register for BIOL 1950/1960 independent study courses to support honors theses research, though this is not required.  Please note :  The Honors application process is  separate  from the  independent study BIOL 1950/1960 registration project proposal . The application for Honors is below.

Students graduating in May:

Students graduating in december*:.

A senior honors thesis in Biology is a substantial body of original scholarly research. Successful theses can be grounded in a number of methodological approaches including bench or field research, clinical study, mathematical models, computer simulations, meta-analyses that test hypotheses or yield new synthesis in a scholarly context. Regardless of the approach, successful theses will be inquiry-based and demonstrate contextual understanding of the work, formal assessment of scientific information, critical thinking, clear communication and a high level of independence.

The Thesis Advisor and Second Reader will evaluate and recommend the thesis for honors. Their roles are outlined below.

• The  Thesis Advisor  is the primary investigator who will mentor the project, and who will be available to the student in developing the thesis aims, designing methods, analyzing data, interpreting outcomes and casting the work in the context of the scholarly field(s) of relevance. The Thesis Advisor is also expected to guide the student in developing and delivering a polished final presentation of the thesis. The Thesis Advisor should be a Brown faculty member, usually but not always, from the Division of Biology and Medicine.
• The  Second Reader  will be a faculty member or associated scientist who is identified by the student, in consult with the Thesis Advisor, as appropriate to review the work. The Second Reader will evaluate the thesis, and provide an evaluation of the work. Second Readers should be acquainted with the field of research described by the project, and be willing and able to provide input and critique that will challenge and strengthen the thesis. The Second Reader should be at the doctoral level and ideally  not  from the same laboratory or research group where the project originates.

Presentation of the thesis can be fulfilled by participation in the Annual Biology Senior Research, Capstone, and Declaration Day or an arranged oral seminar.   If the oral seminar format is chosen the student will make scheduling arrangements with guidance from the Thesis Advisor. The oral presentation should be scheduled early to mid-April in order to meet the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader Final Evaluation Deadline.

While formal presentation of the thesis is required, there is not a specific set of criteria for evaluation. Advisors have the opportunity to comment on the presentation in the formal evaluation. Advisors should develop a mentoring plan to teach students about the various approaches to presenting scientific research. Opportunities for students to practice the presentation, receive, and incorporate feedback is especially helpful and encouraged.

Biology honors applicants are required to present their thesis research and senior capstone students are encouraged to do the same (though this is not a requirement). The Program in Biology will host the Annual Biology Senior Research, Capstone, and Declaration Day event on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 in Alumnae Hall Auditorium . 

Students are required to submit a pdf of their final thesis to their Thesis Advisor, Second Reader and the BUE Office via email by the third Friday in April (see timeline above).  

Submission Instructions

1. Email a copy of the final thesis to  [email protected]  as a single pdf document. The format of the thesis is determined by the faculty advisor and student. The pdf file name should be the student’s first name initial(s) in all caps, followed by the last name (no spaces). For example, Dean Smith’s thesis file name would read KFSmith.pdf. The BUE Office will maintain a copy of the thesis for programming purposes. The thesis will not be shared or made public without the student’s permission.

2. The email subject heading should read: Honors thesis for BUE filing only.

Thesis Evaluation for Honors

The Thesis Advisor and Second Reader will evaluate and recommend the thesis for honors based on the criteria outlined below. An electronic honors evaluation form will be provided directly, via email, to the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader by the Office of Biology Undergraduate Education. This form will be sent well in advance of the final evaluation due date (above). It is up to the student and Thesis Advisors to develop internal project deadlines for submitting drafts and final copies of the thesis so there is time for revisions, as well as formal presentation of your honors thesis (poster/oral) so that the final evaluation can be submitted. The entire thesis presentation should be delivered prior to the final evaluation deadline. Please adhere to the BUE internal deadlines above.

Students who have earned a majority of "A" grades in courses required for the concentration and who are in good academic standing are eligible to apply for honors at the start of their penultimate (typically 7th) semester at Brown. Classes taken S/NC will count as qualifying towards that majority if they are marked "S* with distinction" indicating that had the student taken the course for a grade, the grade would have been an "A". Courses with a grade of S may be counted when a Course Performance Report indicates a grade of A. Students just shy of meeting the grade requirement for honors are encouraged to apply. Grades earned in penultimate semester concentration courses will be accounted for in the determination of quality grades made in the final semester. In order to verify quality grades efficiently, please make sure that your concentration course plan in ASK is up to date and that the number of required courses is listed.

Thesis Guidelines & Expectations

Faculty Advisors recommend the thesis for honors based on the following criteria:

• The writing, format, and presentation of the thesis are appropriate for the intended audience.
• The introduction of the thesis offers a formal review of the literature that presents the state of the field to date, and in doing so sets up a clear argument for the value of the work presented.
• The introduction of the thesis offers a clearly articulated goal, aim, question, and /or hypothesis to be tested.
• The methods and analyses selected are clearly justified.
• Results are interpreted appropriately and based on the analyses presented in the methods.
• The discussion section offers a compelling consideration of a) unexpected findings or challenges during the research process that may have influenced the results, b) implications of overall findings and their impact on the relevant field(s), c) future directions / next steps.

A thesis in Biology, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics make take a variety of forms and formats. It is up to the honors candidate and Thesis Advisors to determine the specific expectations for the final thesis form and format. Elements of a thesis in Biology vary greatly depending on the nature of the project, the specific sub-field, and the student's learning goals. Communication about these expectations should be clearly articulated and agreed upon early in the research process. A common choice is for students to prepare the thesis as if they were to submit the work to a peer-reviewed journal. This approach offers the opportunity for students to experience the first step of the publication process. Another option is to prepare the thesis manuscript following the  dissertation guidelines  set forth by Brown's Graduate School. Previous students have found this useful in preparing for doctoral or master's research programs. Students and Advisors may also look to  Brown University's Digital Repository of Undergraduate Theses  in Biology for examples of formatting previously followed. Regardless of format, a thesis in Biology, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics will exhibit the highest quality writing, novel content, context of findings, and documentation of sources expected at the undergraduate level. STEM theses generally include an abstract, robust introduction, complete methods, results, full discussion & conclusion, a complete list of references that illustrate the state of the field of relevance, clear figures and tables with appropriate captions, and necessary appendices. Regardless of format, a thesis in Biology, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics will exhibit the highest quality writing, clear articulation of the state of the field relevant to the work, novel content, context of findings, and documentation of sources expected at the undergraduate level. 

“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes (Richard Buckminster Fuller).”

Science does not always go as planned. Methodological hurdles and insignificant results are common experiences of researchers at every stage. Regular communication with the Thesis Advisors is essential for navigating hurdles that arise during the research process. Students with an approved application to the honors program are encouraged to submit the thesis even when challenges occur along the way. When outcomes are not as planned the student and Advisors are encouraged to work together to develop a new plan for presenting the work in the form of a formal thesis. Indeed, there is great value in presenting work completed and formally discussing challenges, unexpected outcomes, and insignificant findings. Dean Achilli is available to assist with planning during this process and to discuss alternative means of evaluation as necessary.

MDL Poster Printing Service

MDL Poster Printing service is available to: > Students participating in the BUE events, or > Students enrolled in a BIOL Course and are going to a conference, or > Students enrolled in an independent study course with an approved biology proposal and are going to a conference. See instructions from the link below:

Thesis Archival in the Brown Digital Repository

Fill out the archiving form and upload your thesis.    The BDR is Brown University's online archive of student and faculty scholarship maintained by the Brown University Library. By choosing to deposit your honors thesis in the BDR, you are making your scholarly work discoverable and accessible into the future.

Brown Archiving Form 

Students wishing to archive their thesis with the BDR should follow these instructions:

• Fill out the  archiving form online . Information on access and licensing is provided on the form.
• June 10  is the deadline to submit a thesis for BDR archiving.

Students who encounter any issues with the upload process to BDR can email  [email protected] .

Department of Economics

Honors thesis.

• Undergraduate

Junior year is the time to start thinking about eligibility requirements, topics of interest, and potential advisors for an honors thesis.

An Honors Info Session is held each spring to answer junior’s questions about their senior year, and interested students must fill out the  honors thesis form  by the end of junior year.

We strongly encourage students to write an honors thesis. This is very valuable for students interested in graduate school or careers requiring independent research skills, as well as for students interested in tying together their academic experience with an in-depth investigation of one topic.

More than a good course paper

An honors thesis is more than a good course paper. It must represent a substantial effort in research and exposition. A thesis must be an original contribution to knowledge, beyond a simple replication exercise. The department does not specify page lengths, methods, or topics. Instead, an honors thesis candidate should establish his or her goals – and a timeline to meet those goals – in an understanding with the thesis advisor. To see the range of topics and methods prior students have pursued, take a look at  examples of past honor theses here  or by visiting the academic office in person. To find a faculty advisor who would be a good match for your topic of interest, see their research questions  here. 

Requirements

To graduate with honors, students must satisfy the following requirements  by the   end of junior year ,

• Complete at least 70% of the courses required for the concentration.
• Have earned a grade of “A” or “S with distinction” in at least 70% of grades earned in the economics concentration, or 50% in the joint concentrations in APMA-Econ, CS-Econ, and Math-Econ (excluding courses transferred to Brown without a grade, and those taken Spring 2020).
• Economics Concentrators  must find a faculty thesis advisor in the economics department.
• Joint Concentrators  must find a primary faculty thesis advisor in either economics or the partner department. CS-Econ concentrators must have a secondary reader in the other department by the fall of senior year. APMA-Econ and Math-Econ do not require a secondary reader, unless the primary advisor deems it necessary. Joint concentrators need to satisfy the honors requirements of the economics department if their thesis advisor is in the economics department; while they need to satisfy the honors requirements of the partner department if their thesis advisor is in the partner department.

During senior year , thesis writers must:

• Enroll in ECON 1960 in the fall & spring semesters (Note that 1960 does not count as a 1000-level elective for your concentration). A requirement of ECON 1960 will be attendance at one of two lab sessions each week. 
• Submit a thesis proposal to both your thesis advisor and the Undergraduate Programs Coordinator Kelsey Thorpe, [email protected]  (see below for due date).
• Submit their work in progress to their thesis advisor and Kelsey (see below for due date).
• Depending on the nature of the thesis work, the thesis adviser may require the student to successfully complete one or more courses from among the  data methods ,  mathematical economics  and/or  financial economics  course groups in the fall of senior year, if they have not already done so.
• Complete an honors thesis by the deadline agreed upon with their primary advisor and obtain the final approval of their advisor(s) (see below for due date).
• Thesis writers are encouraged, but not required, to participate in the departmental Honors Thesis Presentation session held in May, with a brief presentation of their work and findings.

For students graduating  Spring 2024 :

• Proposal - September 18, 2023
• Work in Progress - December 18, 2023
• Final Draft - April 19, 2024

For students graduating in  Fall 2024*:

• Proposal - February 2, 2024
• Work in Progress - April 25, 2024
• Final Draft - December 10, 2024

For students graduating  Spring 2025 :

• Proposal - September 16, 2024
• Work in Progress - December 16, 2024
• Final Draft - April 18, 2025

For students graduating  Fall 2025 *:

• Proposal - February 7, 2025
• Work in Progress - April 24, 2025
• Final Draft - December 9, 2025

*Note that for the Requirements listed above, "by end of senior year" means by the "end of Fall semester 2023" for Fall 2024 graduates and "end of Fall semester 2024" for Fall 2025 graduates.

More information

For students interested in finding out more, please attend the information session on honors theses that will be given in the middle of every spring semester. For students interested in undertaking research, but not wanting to pursue honors, the department offers  senior capstone options .

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