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Undergraduate Thesis Information
Honors Thesis (PHY194H)
The University give three levels of honors at
graduation: honors, high honors, and highest honors. The lowest
level (honors) is based purely on a GPA cutoff. To receive high
honors or highest honors, you need to enroll in two quarters of a
Physics 194H research project with a faculty advisor. Before
beginning Physics 194H, you must write a one-page
project proposal for approval by the Undergraduate Curriculum
Committee chair.
At the end of Physics 194H you will be expected to write an undergraduate thesis, which must be
read by your research advisor before you submit it. The thesis
will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, a subset of
the physics faculty. Your advisor will also write a brief
statement describing your work. Based on your entire record, but
especially the thesis, the committee will decide which level of honors
to recommend you for.
The committee looks at the thesis, most importantly, for physics
outside of normal coursework and some understanding of the research
process. This may include a new result from your project; but
even if something goes terribly wrong with your research program, you
can discuss the physics background and motivation for your project.
The thesis should have roughly the same format as a Ph.D. thesis or a
journal paper. This includes an abstract, an introductory section
describing the relevant physics background and physics motivation, an
explanation of the techniques used, your results, a conclusion which
may point the way to further work, and a list of references. In
the "results" section, show actual data when possible rather than
simply summarizing your interpretation. If your project doesn't
work out, you can use that section to explain what the problems were,
how you discovered them, and how they might eventually be solved.
If your project is mainly a study of the literature on a particular
question, you can replace the "results" section with a discussion of
what opinions you formed and what led you to them.
Your advisor will be able to give you feedback as you write the thesis,
and you are welcome to ask me if you have further questions.
Best wishes,
Patricia Boeshaar
(Chair, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee)
The submitted copy of your thesis
should contain:
1. A Title Page containing:
The Thesis Title
Your Name
The date submitted
Your thesis advisor’s name
2. An abstract of the work presented. Below this should be
a Table of Contents, listing
each section of your thesis followed by the
page number on which it begins.
3. The body of your thesis, with pages clearly numbered.
4. A comprehensive bibliography of all works cited in the body of
your thesis.
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