Honors Program

The Honors Program in Computer Science is an enrichment opportunity for students who demonstrate superior achievement in computer science. Honors work consists of research for and preparation of an honors thesis, which is supervised by a departmental advisor. The topic of the thesis must be approved by the Department as a whole.

Honors topics have included Emergent Behaviors in Artificial Life, Position-Aware Wireless Networking, and Modeling Complex Surfaces Using Dynamic Meshing. Preliminary reading and study in the thesis subject will begin prior to the senior year. In the senior year, on the completion of the thesis project, six credits will be awarded. An honors candidate is required to make an oral presentation of the completed thesis to a departmental seminar to which the public is invited.

To be eligible for admission to the honors program, a student must:

  • Demonstrate the independence, self-discipline, and perseverance necessary for a successful candidacy.
  • Have an overall grade point average of 3.0 and an average in computer science courses of 3.5 by the end the winter term of junior year.
  • Choose a thesis adviser and discuss a thesis topic with the adviser.
  • Submit a one-page statement of intent to the Department Head by the end of spring term of the junior year.  The statement should include the research topic area, the thesis advisor, the student's GPA, and a statement of why the student wants to work on an honors thesis.
  • Submit a one- to two-page proposal to the Department Head by the first day of classes of fall term of the senior year.  The proposal should include research questions/hypothesis and related work/references to reflect adequate preparation for an honors thesis.

Upon approval of the proposal by the Department, the student can begin work on the thesis.  Deadlines for the phases of honors projects can be found in the University Catalogue. Preliminary reports on progress will be made periodically to the candidate's thesis advisor.  The student will defend the honors thesis during the winter term of senior year. At least one week before the defense, the student will submit a draft of the thesis to the Department Head.

Questions should be directed to the Department Head.