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Honors Thesis Information

Honors in Philosophy:

To apply for honors in philosophy, students will be expected to have completed coursework in the relevant subject area(s) before being approved to take on an honors thesis. Special features of a particular project may necessitate other requirements, which can be worked out between the supervising faculty and the student, and approved by the Department.

For Admission to Honors:

  1. Senior standing.
  2. A GPA in the major of at least 3.50.
  3. A completed application form and prospectus. See Dates and Deadlines below.
  4. Approval of the Department.

For Completion:

  1. Successful completion of the two honors courses, PL483 (or PL450) and PL484.
  2. Presentation of a substantial written thesis (approximately 50-75 pages, as a guideline), approved by the two readers, and awarded a grade of at least A- by the supervisor in consultation with the second reader.
  3. A public presentation of the results of the study.

For Receiving Honors in Philosophy:

  1. Successful completion of an Honors Thesis (PL483 [or PL450] and PL484).
  2. A GPA of at least 3.50 in the major.
  3. Approval of the Department Faculty.
  4. Publication of the thesis on Colby’s public archive in both print and electronic form strongly recommended. For information on submitting a completed thesis to the Colby’s Digital Commons, see here.

Dates and Deadlines:

  1. Spring term of Junior year, preliminary conversation with potential supervising faculty member.
    Conditional on agreement from a supervising faculty member, you can move on to (2) Application.
  2. Application form due May 1st of the Junior Year. You can find the application here.
    Conditional on acceptance by the philosophy department, you can move on to (3) Prospectus.
  3. Prospectus due June 15th, following Junior Year. You can find instructions for your prospectus here.
    Conditional on acceptance by the philosophy department, you can register for PL483 (or PL450) and begin work on your honors thesis.
  4. By the end of the first week of classes of the Senior Year: A detailed written calendar of steps toward the completion of the project and a detailed tentative outline of the project to be agreed upon by the supervisor and student.
  5. Last day of Final Exams of the first semester of the Senior Year: A sufficient draft text (e.g., a chapter) and updated outline of remainder of thesis.
    Conditional on approval of the department and the supervisor, the student may continue on to PL484 for the spring semester. Otherwise, the project (PL483) will be turned into an independent study (PL491) for which the student will receive academic credit.
  6. April 1: A completed first draft of thesis.
  7. May 1: Final Copy of the thesis.
  8. No later than the last day of scheduled events: The oral presentation.
  9. All dates are firm. Any changes require the approval of the entire Department.