Here is a quick look at the thesis process from start to finish. To get more detail on each step, click on the key word.

1) Choose a Topic

Do you want to learn more about an historic event? Design a building? Write a play? Delve deeper into an ongoing laboratory investigation? Whatever fuels your academic passion is a likely topic for your thesis. Try to find a topic that is enjoyable, manageable, and original in concept or results. Think about a project that you might have begun as a course paper.

2) Find a Primary Thesis Advisor

Start by talking to faculty in your major department who are willing to explore possible topics with you. If they’re able to help you find a topic and are as enthusiastic about the possibilities as you are, ask them to be your Primary Thesis Advisor. Be sure to choose someone who can devote the time to guide your research, read your drafts, and hear your oral defense.

3) Formulate Research Questions

This is where you narrow your topic into a statement or question that will drive your research, guide your exploration, and ultimately be addressed by your written and/or creative work. CHC faculty has put together a list of questions to help you think in terms of “the contribution to scholarship” you hope to achieve with your thesis.

4) Prepare a Thesis Prospectus

Call it a roadmap, a blueprint, a game plan. The prospectus is the document that sets out your intentions and sources, and answers three questions: What’s my thesis about? Why is it important? And, most important, how will I carry this out? The mandatory Thesis Prospectus Class (HC477) is where you’ll get the guidance and feedback you’ll need to answer those questions and write your thesis in a way others can understand.

5) Write, Refine, Repeat

With an approved prospectus in hand and a good start on the research, you should be ready to start writing your thesis. It doesn’t have to be a lonely task, however. Meet with your Primary Thesis Advisor regularly and give him or her and other committee members drafts to review. Making a timetable of tasks will help you manage the research, writing, or artistic development that may overlap.

6) Defend Your Thesis

The defense is an opportunity for you to show your knowledge of a subject and to share your discoveries. Any interested students or faculty may attend, and you are encouraged to invite family and friends. The defense usually lasts about an hour, with15-20 minutes for presentation and the remaining time reserved for questions from the Thesis Committee and audience.

7) Wrap It Up

After the defense you’ll need to make any final revisions required by your committee, and to make sure the format of your thesis meets specifications. Then you are ready to submit two copies to the CHC Academic Coordinator to be bound and prepared for the CHC Library. You’ll also have the opportunity to include your thesis in the Scholar’s Bank, an electronic database maintained by the UO Library. If you do, be sure to copyright your material.