SENIOR HONORS THESIS and GRADUATION WITH HONORS
Students wishing to graduate with departmental honors in Art History or Urban Design and Architecture Studies must complete a Senior Honors Thesis. The process of writing a thesis requires students to engage with a body of existing scholarship, to conduct in-depth, original research, and to write a substantial text (approximately 10,000 words, or 40 pages) presenting an original analysis of a topic. The thesis should present new information and ideas of interest to specialists, written in clear language accessible to non-specialists. It is a challenging yet richly rewarding process, serving as a capstone to students’ undergraduate studies and as a first independent project of the rigor required in graduate or professional school.
Admission to the Senior Honors Thesis program requires a minimum GPA of 3.65 or higher in Art History/Urban Design courses and also a minimum cumulative CAS grade point average of 3.65. Students must also have completed a minimum of five (5) courses in their major by the end of their antepenultimate semester (usually the spring semester of Junior year), or they must request a waiver of this requirement from the DUS during the application process.
The application materials and submission link are listed below. Applicants must meet with potential advisers while preparing applications. We understand that thesis ideas and arguments will change over the course of this work; research is a dynamic process which thesis writers navigate across the year. The application forms a basis from which to work with the adviser, with whom thesis students will meet regularly during both semesters.
The Spring 2024 deadline for proposals is March 29, 2024. Applicants should submit all materials at this link.
Applications must include the following materials:
Unofficial NYU transcript from Albert, highlighting relevant coursework
One page proposal, including a title; research questions, scope, and goals; and possible methods and approaches.
Preliminary bibliography, including possible archives, source materials, objects, and/or sites to investigate, and 5-10 promising books and/or articles related to the topic.
Writing sample demonstrating the ability to write clearly, to sustain an argument, and to document sources of research.
Confirmation of meeting with proposed adviser
Minimum course completion confirmation
The Directors of Undergraduate Studies will review all applications in their majors, consulting with proposed advisers, the department chair, and the full faculty to admit applicants to the honors program. Applications will be approved if the adviser and the faculty believe the student has proposed a significant topic and that they are capable of completing the thesis with distinction.
Students accepted into the Senior Honors Thesis program will register for two-4 credit Independent Studies in successive semesters with their adviser. Students will receive letter grades for each Independent Study, and these 8 credits will count toward the total 36 credits required for the major.
The awarding of honors is separate from the grading process. Students must submit their completed thesis to their adviser at least three weeks before the last day of classes in their final semester. The adviser will invite two other faculty members to read and comment on the thesis. Students will then meet with all three readers to conduct a Review, or Thesis Defense. This should be scheduled, in consultation with the faculty adviser, to take place before the last day of spring classes. It is only at the conclusion of the Review that the committee will decide what honors, if any, to award. The committee may award High Honors, Honors, or no honors, in which case the student receives credit and grades earned in the independent study courses. To graduate with honors, students must maintain a GPA of 3.65 through the end of their undergraduate career.