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Honors in History: The Portfolio and the Senior Thesis

There are two ways to earn honors in history. Each pathway is two additional credits, and each pathway allows students to develop and demonstrate excellence in historical scholarship.  In order to receive honors, students must have an overall history GPA of 3.7 (at the time of graduation).

Option 1: The Portfolio

The portfolio option is the first path to honors in the history major and is an excellent way for students to demonstrate their breadth of interest in historical scholarship. Portfolio students take two additional classes: an additional 300-level history seminar, and a second section of HIST-300 History Workshop (with a different professor from the previous time).

Portfolio students then select three of their best papers/projects to submit as a portfolio, with a short essay explaining how their portfolio exemplifies the department’s learning goals. At least one must be a primary-source-based research paper or a public-facing project. Portfolio students are not expected to undertake additional research outside of their classes or during the summer, but they may wish to, and can apply for history student travel funding to support such research.

Students present their portfolios to a small panel of history faculty for discussion. A small celebratory event for faculty and portfolio students follows these discussions.

Portfolio Guidelines, Procedures, and Deadlines

Students intending to submit a portfolio should discuss their options with their advisor in their junior year, but they do not need to formally declare until spring of their senior year.  The portfolio option thus offers more flexibility than the thesis option.

The deadline to submit the portfolio is the same as the thesis and prize deadline in the spring (in 2025, this is April 16). The cover sheet should be submitted with the portfolio, and contains instructions on writing the introductory essay. The portfolio panels will be scheduled for the end of the semester or beginning of reading week.

Option 2: Senior Thesis

The senior thesis is the second path to honors in the history major and an exciting opportunity for students to undertake focused, self-directed historical scholarship. History has a two-credit thesis completed over the senior year:

  • HIST-498: In the fall, thesis writers are enrolled in HIST-498, the thesis research seminar. This class is taught by the chair and meets weekly. Discussions and short assignments are designed to support thesis writers’ progress and to complement their ongoing meetings with their advisor. The expectation is that students will have an outline, a draft chapter, and a draft bibliography done by the end of the fall semester. Students receive a grade at the end of the semester.
  • HIST-499: In the spring, students who successfully complete HIST-498 will be enrolled in HIST-499.  This counts as one credit on the student’s schedule, but there is no ‘class’ or fixed meetings: rather, students arrange regular meetings with their thesis advisor. The final grade for the two-credit thesis is awarded by the thesis advisor.

What is a thesis?

A thesis is a substantial written work of independent, original scholarship. A thesis is an opportunity for a student to explore a historical topic in depth, critically examining the existing scholarship and undertaking original primary source research. We expect that the final thesis will be in the 60-120-page range, with most being 80-100 pages in length (including notes and bibliography). More important than length, the thesis should be clearly written, advance a coherent argument, utilize a broad and deep source base, and have full and accurate citations.

Each student has a thesis advisor, a history faculty member with subject expertise. Thesis advisors can assist students in identifying a second reader for the thesis. Although the thesis advisor must be a faculty member of the History department, a second reader may be a member of a different department or program.

A public presentation of the theses takes place following the last day of classes. This is a special day for friends, family, and the entire History Department to celebrate the thesis writers’ accomplishments.

Senior Thesis Application Guidelines, Procedures, and Deadlines

History majors who wish to write a thesis during their senior year must submit a thesis proposal during the spring semester of their junior year. They also must have a minimum history GPA of 3.0. (Although a thesis and a 3.7 in the history major are both ultimately required to earn honors in the major, a student may write a thesis even if they are not likely to reach the 3.7. Writing a thesis is not a guarantee of receiving honors.)

There are four main steps for juniors who would like to write a senior thesis:

  1. Declaration of Intention to Write (February 7, 2025). Students should email the chair of the department to declare that they hope to write a thesis. They should indicate their broad topic and the name of their advisor. (If a student has not identified an advisor, the chair will assist identifying one.)
  1. Submission of Draft Annotated Bibliography (Friday, March 14, 2025). Students should send a bibliography their thesis advisor for approval. The bibliography should be divided into the secondary and primary sources which the students intend to use. This annotated bibliography is intended to help students to refine and focus their topics, to consider how and when they would access these sources, and to discuss any required travel with their advisor.
  1. Submission of Proposal (Wednesday, April 16, 2025). The Proposal is a statement summarizing what the student intends to investigate, what historiographical issues are in play, and how and which primary sources will be examined. A template is available from the chair. A revised annotated bibliography must be included. The proposal is read by the thesis committee.
  1. Committee Response (by mid-May 2025). The thesis committee will read the proposals and determine whether the topic is suitable for a thesis. The committee can approve the topic, make suggestions for the student to revise and resubmit the proposal by a later date (to be determined by the committee), or, in occasional cases, reject the proposal.

Once the Thesis Topic is Approved

In consultation with their advisor, students should plan some research during the summer between their junior and senior years. (They should bear in mind, though, that professors undertake their own research during the summers, and will not be available for advising meetings.)  Summer is a good time to travel for research, and thesis writers are encouraged to apply for summer and fall research funding from the Colin A. Leroy Fund.

The thesis committee may award one or more Chatfield Fellowships to thesis writers whose proposals show particularly careful preparation, historiographical awareness, and promise. This honor comes with funds that the fellow can use to pursue research over the summer and during the academic year, with approval of their thesis advisor and the Chair.

Changed your mind? The deadline to withdraw from HIST-498 is September 10, 2025. Students wishing to do so must submit requests and rationale by this deadline to the chair via email, after consultation with their thesis advisor. This is also the deadline for any required revisions to be accepted by the thesis committee (or the chair on its behalf).