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Research thesis and research distinction.

An undergraduate thesis is an official, academically-integrated undergraduate research project with a formal written outcome. Completing a thesis is permanently recognized on a student's diploma as graduation with "Research Distinction" or with "Honors Research Distinction".

The requirements for graduating with research distinction vary by college, but generally include submitting an application to complete a thesis at least a semester prior to graduation, enrolling in thesis course credit hours, submitting a written thesis manuscript and completing an oral examination or defense to a faculty panel. Students should discuss their interest in completing a research distinction project with their research advisor and academic advisor as early as possible.

Theses are permanently stored in the University Library's Knowledge Bank so they are also considered to be a published material.

Research Thesis and Distinction by College/Program

Please contact your academic advisor if you are interested in completing a research thesis or distinction program.

• Graduation and Research Distinction Guidelines
• Research Distinction (Honors and Non-Honors)

Students should contact their academic advisor for information on graduating with Research Distinction or Honors Research Distinction.

• Undergraduate Research & Distinction
• Undergraduate Research Advising Packet
• Honors and Research Distinction (including Non-Honors)
• Guidelines for Research Distinction
• Research Distinction
• Honors Distinction and Thesis
• Undergraduate Research, Independent Study, and Honors Program
• Research Pathways
• Research Distinction Guidelines
• Honors Research and Thesis Requirements

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Undergraduate Thesis Leading to Graduation with Honors Research Distinction

There are three options for honors students in the College of Arts and Sciences (ASC) interested in pursuing graduation with honors research distinction or with honors distinction :

• The graduation honor with honors research distinction in [the major field] recognizes those students who demonstrate excellence in the study of a discipline both through major course work and by completing an independent research project culminating in an undergraduate thesis.
• Students majoring in mathematics may choose the graduate-level course work option to graduate with honors distinction in Mathematics .
• The graduation honor with honors research distinction recognizes those students who complete and successfully defend an undergraduate thesis in a discipline other than the major.

Students majoring in the arts may pursue a creative project or thesis that leads to graduation with distinction .

For information about the thesis option for students not in an honors program, please see the Research Thesis web site .

To graduate with honors research distinction , you must satisfy the following requirements:

• Identify an Ohio State faculty member to serve as your project advisor. The project advisor will provide guidance to you throughout the research process.
• Submit the Thesis Application to the ASC Honors Office by the deadline noted below.
• Students must register for at least 4 credit hours of thesis research from the College of the Arts and Sciences, using course number 4999H. (Note: Psychology requires enrollment in a 4999H course sequence.) These 4 credit hours may be divided and taken over the course of multiple semesters. 
• Successfully defend the thesis during an oral examination.
• Meet any department-specific requirements, which may include honors course work and/or a minimum grade point average within the field of distinction.
• Graduate with a minimum 3.4 cumulative grade point average on at least 60 graded Ohio State semester credit hours. 
• In order to graduate with honors research distinction , you must be enrolled in the ASC Honors Program , which requires completion of the honors course work requirement (fulfilled by completion of an approved Honors Curriculum ).

*** Thesis Option for students not in the ASC Honors Program ***

If you are planning to graduate with honors research distinction , you should submit the Thesis Application to the ASC Honors Office upon enrolling in 4999H research credit and no later than the following deadlines:

• Students defending  Autumn 2024 : Applications were due to  Rebecca Sallade  by Friday,  January 26, 2024
• Students defending Spring 2025: Applications are due to Rebecca Sallade by Friday, September 6, 2024
• Students defending Autumn 2025: Applications are due to Rebecca Sallade by Friday, January 31, 2025

Questions about the application may be directed to Rebecca Sallade, the Undergraduate Research, Honors Thesis, and Honors Project Coordinator.

• If you are working toward a thesis, it is your responsibility to register for 4999H . In some cases (e.g., in the Department of Psychology), the 4999H research hours are actual courses in a sequence and will require prior planning to make sure you are able to register in a timely fashion.
• The number of research credit hours you take in a given semester will depend on the amount of time you plan to spend on your research during that term. You should plan to discuss this with your thesis project advisor.  Keep in mind that you will need to take at least 4 credit hours of 4999H to meet the requirements for a thesis.
• Your thesis project advisor will need to provide written permission for you to register for 4999H. Permission to enroll in 4999H can be documented on a Course Enrollment Permission form [pdf] . You should submit the signed form to the Arts and Sciences Honors Office no later than the second Friday of the semester to have the hours added to your schedule.  (Late registration for research hours will result in a $100 Late Course Add Fee and may only be added by petition.)
• Students must register for at least 4 credit hours of thesis research from the College of the Arts and Sciences, using course number 4999H. (Note: Psychology requires enrollment in a 4999H course sequence.) These 4 credit hours may be divided and taken over the course of multiple semesters.

Students who have submitted a Thesis Application for approval will be contacted by the ASC Honors Office with oral examination instructions early in the semester in which they plan to defend the thesis (usually around the third or fourth week of the semester).

Abstracts and copies of past undergraduate theses completed for graduation with research distinction are available for examination online through the Ohio State Libraries' Knowledge Bank and in the Mortar Board Room (room 202) of the Thompson Library . They are valuable not only as examples of research undertaken in various disciplines but also as sources of information.

• ASC Honors General Research Information
• Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry
• ASC Undergraduate Research Scholarship
• Denman Undergraduate Research Forum

As soon as you know you intend on completing a thesis project, it is advised to get the application started. For a complete application you will need to have your OSU Faculty member chosen as well as a general project idea. Minor tweaks to the application can be made (or cancelled) later if needed.

If you are still deciding between general research and a thesis and/or are deciding between a few different project ideas, it is okay to hold off on the application.

The deadline to submit a thesis application is in the first few weeks of the semester prior to your defense and/or graduation. Keep an eye on your ASC Honors newsletter or contact the Honors Thesis Coordinator at [email protected] for specific dates.

Please don't forget to include a project description with your application- this is commonly forgotten!

Your project description should include a general overview of your study idea, how you plan on analyzing your data , and how your findings will contribute to the field at large . We are also looking for confirmation that all (or the vast majority) of your project is done individually.

It is advised that you show your project description to your PI/Project Advisors/Co-Signers when asking them to sign your application.

The project description can be sent via attached Word document or within the body of the email used to submit your application.

It is strongly recommended that you have an approved thesis application on file prior to enrolling in 4999H hours. However, there may be some situations in which this is not feasible (or would result in a rushed application). If you choose to enroll in 4999H hours prior to having an approved thesis application, please remain in close contact with our Honors Thesis Coordinator (Rebecca Sallade.3) to make sure that your faculty advisor and project idea are appropriate.

If you started at OSU prior to AU22, then you must have an approved Honors Application on file prior to submitting a thesis application.

If you started at OSU during AU22 or later, then you must be up-to-date with your Honors Project Benchmark submissions.

For questions about thesis application "pre-reqs", please visit our Membership page.

Your thesis does not have to correspond with your major nor do you have to take your 4999H hours within your major department. As long as your project is interesting and relevant to you, then go forth!

Keep in mind however that your 4999H hours MUST be taken within the College of Arts & Sciences. If you need help finding an appropriate department to house your 4999H hours, please talk to your Primary Project Advisor and/or our Honors Thesis Coordinator, Rebecca Sallade.3.

Although you are free to work with faculty outside of ASC , your 4999H hours MUST be taken within the College of Arts & Sciences. If you need help finding an appropriate department to house your 4999H hours, please talk to your Primary Project Advisor and/or our Honors Thesis Coordinator, Rebecca Sallade.3.

If you are working with a lab/faculty outside of ASC or maybe adjacent to OSU (COM faculty, Nationwide Children's, etc.), contact our Honors Thesis Coordinator, Rebecca Sallade.3, or your ASC Honors Advisor to see if a 4999H section under your PI is already set up.

If you are working with a lab/faculty member with no OSU affiliation , you will be required to find an OSU faculty member willing to advise you on your project.

There is no correct/standard length of time since each thesis project is different. Most students spend 1-2 years on a thesis, but this can depend on a variety of factors.

View an UNOFFICIAL general thesis project timeline here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18QGlaINwvZnbT8SwHz7WeYJvdJTcZBJS/view?usp=sharing

If your thesis is completed within your major field, your diploma will read with honors research distinction in [your major field].

If your thesis is completed OUTSIDE of your major field, your diploma will read with honors research distinction.

There are some nuances/exceptions to this depending on the combination of your major department, faculty advisor, etc. Please contact our Honors Thesis Coordinator, Rebecca Sallade.3 if you have questions about what your diploma will say.

While the vast majority of thesis candidates have lab experience, ASC Honors has had students start their own projects completely from scratch with no research experience, that have demonstrated great success.

In a general, here are the main differences between pursuing standard research and pursuing a thesis project:

• Individuality from Lab:  General research usually involves contributing to someone else’s lab and hypothesis (like your PI, a PhD student, etc.), whereas a thesis is pursuing your own project/hypothesis. You can absolutely start a thesis from scratch/not affiliated with your current lab. I would say most students start out in a lab and then their project develops from there- usually as a spin-off of their PI’s work, taking the same data and analyzing it in a new way, expanding their study, having a question on a participant survey that is just for your own research, etc.
• Credit Hours:  With research academic credit is optional (4998H), but with a thesis it is required (4999H).
• Scientific Process:  Standard research can involve a variety of pieces (like literature review, data collection/analysis, maybe contributing to a manuscript, working with participants, etc.) although not all of this is required. In a thesis you are participating in the entire scientific process (lit review, study design, data collection, analysis, your own manuscript writing, and then presenting those findings via oral defense before you graduate).
• Diploma Distinction:  Successfully defending your thesis will result in with honors research distinction  or with honors research distinction in [insert your major here]  being printed on your dipoma, whereas standard research is not noted on your diploma.

Please note that BOTH experiences are valuable in their own way , so there is no right/wrong path to take.

Please reach out to our Honors Thesis Coordinator, Rebecca Sallade (.3) and she would be happy to help!

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Graduation with Research Distinction

Research thesis.

Ohio State offers several different avenues for completing a senior research thesis. You do not have to be an Honors student to write a thesis; any student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will be eligible to consider the thesis option, including students from disciplines in which research takes the form of creative projects or scholarship. Requirements for both regular theses and honors theses and information pertinent to both students and professors can be found below. As noted, students need a faculty research advisor and a substantial body of completed work to fulfill the thesis requirements. 

There are two options for students of the Department of Classics in the College of Arts and Sciences (ASC) interested in pursuing graduation with research distinction or with distinction:

• Graduation with research distinction in [Classics or Modern Greek] recognizes those students who demonstrate excellence in the study of a discipline through major course work and by completing an independent research project culminating in a thesis.
• Graduation  with research distinction recognizes those students who complete and successfully defend a thesis in a discipline other than the major.

For more information on pursuing a Research Thesis, please visit the Arts and Sciences Advising and Academic Services website.

Requirements

To graduate with research distinction, you must satisfy the following requirements:

• A student may complete a thesis within his/her major or in other disciplines, provided the student has a  faculty research advisor serving as his/her project advisor  (the faculty research advisor may be tenure-track, clinical, research, or auxiliary faculty). Lecturers and others who do not have tenure-track faculty status may not serve as the designated project advisor.
• Submit the Thesis Application at least one term before your graduating term.
• Apply to graduate, early in your final term, with Ed Quinn .
• Complete a minimum of 60 graded hours at Ohio State .
• Complete a minimum of 4 semester hours (a maximum of 10 hours) of 4999 research credit in the relevant discipline.
• Successfully defend the thesis during an oral examination, typically in the final term.
• Meet any department-specific requirements, which may include a minimum grade point average within the field of distinction.
• Graduate with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

A co-signer from the major department will be required only if the project advisor is affiliated with a college outside of Arts and Sciences, OR if the project advisor is affiliated with a department outside of the department of distinction. The co-signer should be either the departmental advisor or the chair of the department. Students pursuing distinction in an interdisciplinary major (e.g. International Studies, Comparative Studies, etc.) will most likely require a co-signer.

Application for Graduation with Research Distinction

If you are planning to graduate with research distinction, you should contact Ed Quinn in Arts and Sciences Advising to submit the Thesis Application (upon enrolling in 4999 research credit and no later than one semester before your graduating term). Questions about the application should be directed to Ed Quinn .  

•   Thesis Application

Examples of Theses

Abstracts and copies of past honors theses completed for graduation with research distinction are available for examination online through the Ohio State Libraries' Knowledge Bank at and in the Mortar Board Room (room 202) of the Thompson Library. They are valuable not only as examples of research undertaken in various disciplines but also as sources of information.  

CLAS 4999 or 4999H Thesis Research (minimum of 4 hours)

The senior thesis is  required  only for the Ancient History and Classics major field, because students in that major are most likely to apply to graduate school and they will need a significant writing sample stemming from an original research project, but it is also  recommended  for majors in Classical Humanities and the ancient languages. If you wish to take this course and write a thesis, you need to find a faculty advisor who will give you the information that you need in order to enroll in it. You may contact our Director of Undergraduate Studies for help in finding a thesis-advisor. If you intend to apply to graduate school in the humanities and use this thesis as a writing sample, keep in mind that applications to graduate school are usually due at the end of the autumn semester, so you will want to have a significant part of your thesis finished by then, and not leave it for the spring semester (your last before you graduate).

HONORS RESEARCH THESIS

There are two options for honors students of the Department of Classics in the College of Arts and Sciences (ASC) interested in pursuing graduation with honors research distinction or with honors distinction:

• The graduation honor with honors research distinction in [Classics or Modern Greek] recognizes those students who demonstrate excellence in the study of a discipline both through major course work and by completing an independent research project culminating in an honors thesis.
• The graduation honor with honors research distinction recognizes those students who complete and successfully defend an honors thesis in a discipline other than the major.

For more information on pursuing an Honors Research Thesis, please visit the Arts and Sciences Honors Program website.

To graduate with honors research distinction, you must satisfy the following requirements:

• Identify an Ohio State faculty member to serve as your project advisor. The project advisor will provide guidance to you throughout the research process.
• Submit the Application for Graduation with Honors Research Distinction at least two semesters before your graduation.
• Complete a minimum of four semester credit hours of 4999H research credit in the relevant discipline.
• Successfully defend the thesis during an oral examination.
• Graduate with a minimum 3.4 cumulative grade point average on at least 60 graded Ohio State semester credit hours.
• In order to graduate with honors research distinction, you must be enrolled in the ASC Honors Program, which requires completion of the honors course work requirement .

The basis for membership in the Arts and Sciences (ASC) Honors Program is a rigorous curriculum and high achievement.

Criteria for maintaining Honors membership: To maintain your membership in the ASC Honors Program, you will be expected to meet the following requirements:

• Maintain a minimum 3.4 cumulative grade point average;
• Complete at least six honors or 4000-level classes (500- or 600-level classes on quarters) over the course of your freshman and sophomore years;* and
• Submit an Honors Contract or Honors Thesis Application at the conclusion of your second year of study.

All students in the ASC Honors Program are required to complete an Honors Contract and/or an Honors Thesis/Distinction Project. Please consult with an ASC honors counselor to learn more about the Honors Contract and Honors Thesis options.

*If your major program of study requires a large number of prerequisite courses, it may not be feasible for you to complete six honors or 4000-level courses by the end of your sophomore year. If you find yourself in this situation, you should plan to take honors or 4000-level courses when appropriate and submit an Honors Contract by the end of your sophomore year to ensure continued membership in the ASC Honors Program. Consult an ASC honors counselor for details.

Application for Graduation with Honors Research Distinction

If you are planning to graduate with honors research distinction, you should submit the Application for Graduation with Honors Research Distinction upon enrolling in 4999H research credit no later than two semesters before graduation. Questions about the application may be directed to an ASC honors counselor.

• Honors Thesis Application

Examples of Honors Theses