L&S Honors Summer Senior Thesis Grant

Description: The Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant enables students to undertake more demanding and extensive senior thesis research projects than might otherwise be possible. Applicants to the Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant will also be considered for the Mark Mensink Honors Research Grant and the Barry L. Popkin Senior Honors Thesis Research Award. All students who receive one of these grants will be asked to submit a copy of their completed thesis to the L&S Honors Program.

Award: Besides recognition of an excellent thesis proposal, Honors Senior Thesis Summer Research Grant recipients are provided a stipend of $3,000. Please review the Honors Program site for more information about awards for the Popkin and/or Mensink Grants as award amounts for those two specific awards will vary.

Eligibility Criteria
  • Currently enrolled L&S Honors students (Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major or Comprehensive Honors) who plan on graduating with the Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major or the Comprehensive Honors degree in May (or August) of 2026 or earlier
  • You will complete a two-semester Senior Honors Thesis sequence by May of the following academic year, or earlier. 
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA)

Selection Criteria

  • Strength of academic record
  • Progress toward the completion of the Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major, OR the Comprehensive Honors degree(s)
  • Strength, rigor, and clarity of the proposal and of the senior thesis research project to be funded
  • Strength of personal statement

Restrictions: Students may not receive an Honors Senior Thesis Summer Research Grant for their research if the same research has been or will be supported by another university undergraduate research grant (e.g. the Hilldale Undergraduate Fellowship, Hughes Grant, Trewartha Grant, etc.) during the same period (e.g. summer 2024). Award winners may not register for summer courses that do not directly relate to their thesis research during the summer session without permission of the Director of the L&S Honors Program, as the intent of these awards is to enable students to focus on their honors senior thesis research over the summer.


Visit the Honors Program site for more information

Award
$3,000
Organizations
L&S Honors Program
Deadline
02/12/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. I understand that incomplete applications will not be considered and that all supporting materials and the application must be submitted by the deadline.
  2. Please select the semester you expect to graduate from UW-Madison.
  3. If you answered "Other" to the question above, please clarify.
  4. If the proposed study involves human subjects research, do you have an approved IRB protocol that will cover the study?
  5. If you responded "No" to the previous question, please explain (e.g., you’re planning to submit a protocol for the study but have not yet done so, etc.).
  6. (LHS) Have you applied for or received any other funding for your summer research (from any UW source, including other grants, scholarships, or institutional funding)?
  7. (LHS) If you answered "Yes" or "Other" to the previous question, please provide more details.
  8. Please enter the proposed title of your thesis.
  9. (LSH) Please enter the name of the major (or department) for which you are completing your thesis (e.g. Neurobiology, Computer Sciences, etc).
  10. Please enter your faculty mentor's First and Last Name.
  11. Enter your faculty mentor's department.
  12. Enter your faculty mentor's email address.
  13. If you will have additional mentors beyond your faculty mentor (e.g. graduate students, postdoc students, other faculty), please submit a single PDF with their name(s) and email address(es). Please note that this list will be used to provide mentorship training opportunities to those listed and will not impact your application.
  14. REQUEST REFERENCE: To request the letter of reference from your project advisor click on "Add a New Reference" below, enter their name and UW-Madison email address and save. The WiSH system will send an email to your project advisor with a link to upload their letter. You are responsible for ensuring your project advisor completes this reference request.
  15. (LSH) Please submit a project proposal containing the following:

    1. Project title

    2. An abstract (250 words or less, single-spaced)

    3. An introduction, detailing the originality and significance of the proposed project (this may include a literature review)

    4. A methods section describing what procedure(s) or approach(es) you will use (methodology, experimental design, etc.) and/or what variables you plan to evaluate

    5. Your proposed timeline for completion of your thesis project

    6. References (may be single-spaced)

    Note: Remember that the Faculty Honors Committee members reviewing your application may be from outside your academic field and therefore unfamiliar with the specialized terminology of your discipline.

  16. (LSH) Please provide a personal statement detailing your experiences related to the topic and/or research methods of your thesis proposal and the extent to which the project may be more demanding and extensive than other senior Honors theses.
  17. Upload a current transcript (official or unofficial is acceptable). See https://registrar.wisc.edu/transcript/ for instructions on retrieving a transcript.
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