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Senior Thesis (RCAH 491)

The process outlined below is meant to mentor students in designing an RCAH capstone experience most appropriate for their RCAH degree and goals. 

Students interested in completing a semester-long research project as their RCAH capstone experience may apply for permission to enroll in RCAH 491 (Senior Thesis) and complete a senior thesis. Permission will be granted to a limited number of students based on applications that propose well-conceived, carefully thought-through projects founded on the student’s classwork and experiences in RCAH. 

Students may not use the Senior Thesis as an Honors College experience.

 

Instructions

Students wishing to be considered as a candidate for completing a senior thesis should complete the following steps in the spring semester of their third (junior) year: 

  1. Enroll in a senior seminar (RCAH 492). 

  2. Submit an RCAH Senior Thesis Application to the Dean’s Office. Please email the typed, completed application form to rcahseniorthesis@gmail.com by April 4, 2025.

  3. Wait to be notified about their eligibility to submit a senior thesis proposal. Students will be notified of their eligibility to submit a full proposal by April 10, 2025. 

  4. Students notified as being eligible to submit a full proposal must then: 

    1. Attend the Senior Thesis Proposal Workshop on April 11, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. If you are submitting a senior thesis application, please adjust your schedule so that you can attend this workshop. Location TBA.  

    2. Submit a full senior thesis proposal to the Dean’s Office no later than May 10, 2025. The full senior thesis proposal should include:

      1. A 750-word Proposal. Proposals should follow the conventions of a research proposal that demonstrates how the project is grounded in research-based discussions taken up by other scholars, artists, or community organizers. The best proposals will make an argument for the project’s need by outlining how the project contributes to these larger research-informed discussions.

        A strong proposal will also include a coherent research question, a discussion of why it is significant or of interest, and a clear description of how you will approach answering it. For creative works, a strong proposal will include a framed creative problem, why it is significant or of interest, the means you will use to engage it, and why these means are suitable or what they contribute to your endeavor.

      2. A Working Bibliography with a minimum of ten references.

      3. A 250-word "professional narrative" or "bio-sketch" that explains how this project, as a capstone project, relates to and builds on previous work you have completed in RCAH and at MSU.

  5. Students whose full proposals are approved will be notified and permitted to enroll in RCAH 491 (Senior Thesis) no later than the end of May 2025. Students should also review the “Completion of RCAH 491 (Senior Thesis)” outlined below.


 Completion of RCAH 491 (Senior Thesis) requires the following:

  1. A public presentation of the completed work, for example: through UURAF, a local/regional conference, a community partner venue, or an RCAH event (e.g., a presentation, exhibition, or screening). 

  2. Permanent documentation of the project submitted to RCAH (submit to Corrine Williams). If the thesis is a written document, submission of that document is sufficient. If the project includes an exhibition or performance, then the student and faculty advisor will agree on an appropriate format for submission.

  3. Assignment of a passing grade by the faculty advisor.

  4. Students may not use the Senior Thesis as an Honors College experience.

 

Application for Spring 2025: RCAH Senior Thesis Application

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