Honors College > Honors Student Resources > Undergraduate Research and Honors Thesis

Undergraduate Research and Honors Thesis

The Honors College, as the university-wide center for excellence in undergraduate education, plays a crucial role with undergraduate research at Georgia Southern University. Since the beginning of the College up until the spring 2024 graduating class, students have been required to complete Honors Theses or Capstone Projects. These faculty mentored projects have spanned traditional research models, applied research, and creative activities in all academic colleges and majors.

Students now have the opportunity to choose from one of three upper division pathways: the thesis, a capstone course, or graduate courses. All of these pathways will help students develop their research skills. Students should consult the Honors College Handbook for more information on the pathways.

Click through the links below to see honors theses submitted in recent years or to view past Honors Research Symposia. Current students will want to click on the resources section to read about support the College can give them.

Honors Thesis

What is the Honors Thesis?

Many students choose the Honors Thesis for their upper division pathway. In the thesis process, students develop a unique research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor in their major discipline. This work gives students the opportunity to become an expert on a topic in their field, and the completed thesis a great accomplishment to share with potential employers, graduate schools, or professional schools.

Students engage in all sorts of projects that fit under the term Honors Thesis including creative, practical, and applied approaches in addition to traditional lab, field, and archival research.

Since 2014, Honors College theses have been uploaded to Georgia Southern Commons. Click on the link to see the list of majors and click on a major to see specific theses within that field.

What are the steps students need to take for the Honors Thesis?

Students and their thesis mentors should also refer to the Honors College Handbook for details on the Honors Thesis process. Please keep in mind that Honors Upper Division Pathway Proposal Form must be submitted one year prior to graduation.

Honors College Symposium

Each fall and spring, graduating seniors in the Honors College present their thesis research to the greater Honors College and Georgia Southern community. In the fall, students will present at the Honors Symposium, and in the spring students will present at the Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium.

Click here to view the Spring 2024 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium Program

Below is a list of past symposia programs. The 2020, Fall 2020, and 2021 program links lead to video recordings for most of the presentations.

Undergraduate Research Fund, Poster Printing, PowerPoint Template

Honors College Undergraduate Research Fund

Need funding for your project or to travel to a conference? Students seeking support for their research projects may apply to the Honors Undergraduate Research Fund. Monies may be spent on research supplies (ultimately owned by Georgia Southern) or for registration and travel to present research at conferences. Full details are found on the Honors Undergraduate Research Fund Application.

Printing Research Posters for Honors College Students

Presenting a poster at a conference or at the Honors College Symposium or Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium? We’ll print it for free!

Honors College students can submit posters to be printed on the Honors College poster plotter under the following conditions:

The poster is to be used for a presentation of research or creative activity of the honors student in an honors course or as part of an on-campus or off-campus conference or symposium.
Poster sizes are typically either 24×36 or 36×48. (Posters of other sizes will need to be trimmed by student.)
The poster must include the nameplate of the Honors College.
Georgia Southern University and the name of the student’s department and mentor should also be listed.
Avoid overly dark backgrounds that require a lot of ink and drying time.
File should be saved and submitted as either PDF or PowerPoint slide.
File should be submitted at least five business days before poster is needed. Posters needed in less than five days might not be printed.
Send files to Dr. Francis Desiderio at francisdesiderio@georgiasouthern.edu

Poster Template: Below is a suggested template in a Google Slides file. This template contains the nameplate, title section, and headers. Feel free to use this format; however, you should develop different header titles.

Keep in mind that you may design your poster however you wish, but you should strive for a clear and readable presentation.

Honors Poster Template

PowerPoint Template and Honors College Nameplate

The Honors College nameplate should be used on posters. The nameplate also includes the University logo. Please find the Honors College nameplate in this folder:

PowerPoint Template and Honors College Nameplate

Last updated: 8/8/2024