Senior Thesis
Students are encouraged to conduct research with professors in the program and to have conversations with prospective faculty advisors about their research ideas. A senior thesis is normally a two-semester project, often involving work during the summer after your junior year (or before). To do a thesis, students register for Senior Thesis (ENVS 4951 and ENVS 4952) during the senior year, and work with their faculty thesis advisor to submit a course contract and research proposal (1-3 pages) by the end of the spring semester of their junior year. Students with a GPA of 3.4 in major and 3.3 overall, at the beginning of their senior year, qualify for the Senior Honors Thesis (ENVS 4961 and 4962). In the spring of senior year the completed honors thesis, signed by the faculty research advisor, is due to the Environmental Studies faculty committee by April 20. Theses that demonstrate a high level of scholarship and mastery of the subject matter will be awarded the honors distinction.
Students can also write a senior thesis under the Scholar of the College program.
The timeline for completing a senior thesis varies among students and depends on the nature of the research, the opportunities to conduct research, and the expectations of the thesis advisor. Ideally the process begins in the student's junior year. Here is a general timeline for guidance
Timeline for Completing a Senior Thesis
The timeline for completing a senior thesis varies among students and depends on the nature of the research, the opportunities to conduct research, and the expectations of the thesis advisor. Here is a general timeline for guidance.
Junior year
Fall
- Take the foundation course, ENVS3600 Research Methods in Environmental Studies.
- Brainstorm ideas for a senior thesis.
- Consult with faculty who share your research interests about writing a thesis with them.
Spring
- Write a 2-3 page research proposal that includes a problem statement, justification for the research, research questions, and main methods for answering the research questions.
- If your thesis research would benefit from financial support, submit a proposal for an Advanced Study Grant for Thesis Research. (Visit the website for BC Fellowships site for more information.) Some students work on a senior thesis through the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Students apply directly to REU sites. (Visit the NSF REU website for more information.)
- Submit for approval a course contract and a 2-3 page research proposal to the Environmental Studies Program at envstudies@bc.edu. Note that the contract and proposal need to be approved by your thesis advisor.
Senior year
Summer
- For research on human subjects (e.g. research involving interviews and surveys), submit an Institutional Review Board (IRB) application. Visit the BC CyberIRB website for guidelines.
- Collect data.
- Read research articles that inform your research topic, questions, and methods.
Fall
- Collect data.
- Summarize and analyze data.
- Create figures and tables.
- Conduct a thorough literature review.
- Write some sections of the thesis such as the introduction and methods.
Spring
- Write the remaining sections of the thesis.
- Submit and revise several drafts to your advisor (draft deadlines should be worked out with the advisor and included in the course contract).
- April 20: Submit final honors thesis (approved by advisor) to the Director of Environmental Studies.
- Discuss with your thesis advisor the possibility of depositing the thesis in eScholarship@BC, a searchable database of undergraduate, graduate, and faculty scholarship.
Elements of the Thesis
The thesis itself should be about 40-60 pages long and includes multiple sections.
Cover Page with the Boston College Seal, name of the academic program, name of the student, name of the thesis advisor, and the date of submission.
Abstract
Acknowledgements where the author thanks those who helped them throughout the research and writing process
Table of Contents
Introduction that includes:
- Problem statement and justification for the research
- Literature review that engages with research articles, books, and other sources of reputable evidence in order to provide context for the study.
- Use an appropriate citation format, such as APA or MLA, for both references at the end and for in-paragraph citations.
- Research objectives with specific questions and/or hypotheses.
Materials and Methods
- Site description for research where location is relevant.
- Description of subjects under study
- Data collection methods
- Data analysis
Results
- Present findings that address the research questions or hypotheses.
- Tables and figures with titles and captions
Discussion
Where results are interpreted and related to other studies
Conclusion
Summarize the value of the study and main findings
Works Cited/References
Appendices
- Survey instrument
- Supplemental tables and figures
Here is an instructional template that you can use for guidance.
Submission
Final honors theses that are approved by the thesis advisor are due in a digital format to the Environmental Studies Director on April 20th. All other theses are due to the advisor for final grading at an agreed upon time and to the Environmental Studies Director on April 30th.
We encourage all students who have completed a senior thesis to present their study at the Environmental Studies Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium, which typically occurs during the last week of classes.
We also encourage you to share your research findings by publishing your thesis via:
- Environmental Studies Student Research webpage
- eScholarship repository (accessible to the BC community only)
- Elements - The Undergraduate Research Journal of Boston College
- Other Undergraduate Journals