Honors Research Thesis
Students considering going on to graduate school in Computer Science or related disciplines should take a wide variety of Computer Science and Mathematics courses, as well as consider getting involved in independent research as early as possible. This would be no later than the junior year and can begin even earlier. Students interested in graduate school in computer science or its related areas are strongly encouraged to participate in the SCS Honors Undergraduate Research Thesis program. Additionally, graduate CS courses can be taken with permission of the instructor and in consultation with an academic advisor.
The goal of the SCS Honors Undergraduate Research Thesis Program is to introduce students to the breadth of tasks involved in independent research, including surveys of prior work, problem formulation, experimentation, analysis, technical writing and public speaking. In particular, students write a short paper summarizing prior results and current progress in their desired area of research, present a public poster session in December of their senior year describing their current progress, present their final results with a poster and an oral presentation in the year-end university-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium (Meeting of the Minds) and submit a written thesis at the end of their senior year. Students work closely with faculty research advisors to plan and carry out their research. The 07-599 SCS Honors Undergraduate Research Thesis typically starts in the fall semester of the senior year, and spans the entire senior year. Students receive a total of 36 units of academic credit for the thesis work, 18 units per semester. Students should prepare their research prospectus (i.e. proposal of work) during the spring semester of their junior year, and students in this program are advised to plan their schedules carefully to ensure there is ample time to perform the required research for the thesis during the senior year.
Students interested in research are urged to consult with their undergraduate advisor and the SCS Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs no later than the end of their sophomore year in order to plan their workload effectively. Although there is no specific QPA requirement to participate, students are expected to have at least a 3.5 QPA in the core SCS topics relevant to their proposed research to be successful in their work. For those students with no background in research, they may consider using 07-300 Research and Innovation in Computer Science (9 units) as an introduction to the research process in their junior year since this course will introduce students to research going on in the School of Computer Science and important skills that are needed to be an effective researcher. This course leads to a subsequent research practicum, 07-400 Research Practicum in Computer Science (12 units), that allows students to complete a small-scale research study or experiment and present a research poster. Students who use this practicum to start their senior thesis can use the 12 units toward the required 36 units. Students should consult with their academic advisor concerning how the units earned toward the senior thesis can be used toward elective requirements for their major.
Interested juniors should submit a project prospectus of 3-4 pages by the end of their junior year, although submissions over the summer prior to the senior year will also be considered for review. A prospectus must include:
- The name of the research advisor (an SCS faculty member)
- A short abstract (two paragraphs, max)
- A description of the problem to be worked on and its significance
- A tactical description of the proposed research plan, including:
- a description of the background reading to be carried out,
- a description of the research contribution,
- a description of the expected results of the research, and
- a reasonably detailed timeline for the thesis work
- A bibliography of related work (all references belong here)
- The signature of the research advisor, signifying endorsement of the project and willingness to supervise and evaluate it (or an email confirmation from the research advisor)
Students who need help finding potential advisors should get in touch with their academic advisor or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. Applications to the program are due by the start of the senior year, although submission of applications in the junior year is encouraged.
Students completing an outstanding senior thesis based on the judgement of the SCS Undergraduate Review Committee will earn SCS College Honors and can compete for various SCS research awards given out during commencement.
