All students must complete the Senior Thesis Topic Form by the last day to add classes, and we will register you in your thesis course. If you are writing a thesis in science, you must also register for thesis through Keck Science. If you are writing a thesis in an off-campus major field, follow the instructions for the off-campus school’s thesis requirements if a thesis is required for that major; if not, follow CMC’s guidelines and turn your topic form in to us.
1-semester, 1-unit of credit (1.0 credit) either fall or spring of senior year
2-semester, 2-units of credit (1.0 credit fall + 1.0 credit spring) fall and spring of senior year
2-semester, 1-unit of credit (0.5 credit fall + 0.5 credit spring) fall and spring of senior year
Please remember there is a 2-unit maximum (including Econ 180), 1-unit minimum, per thesis project.
Your reader must meet all of the criteria listed below.
- Must teach in your major
- Must know something about your topic
- Must be a CMC faculty member (may have a 2nd reader from off-campus)
If you need additional assistance in selecting a reader you can contact the department chair for your major.
Yes, you may have 1 or 2 readers. You must have at least one CMC faculty member listed as your reader. If you believe you need an exception to this policy please contact Deborah Flynn to inquire about having a non-CMC faculty member as the sole reader on your thesis.
Off campus majors may complete a thesis at the sponsoring college. You may have a single reader from the sponsoring college. Please submit the Senior Thesis Topic Form and indicate on the form that you are completing an off-campus major. If you are writing a thesis in an off-campus major field, follow the instructions for the off-campus school’s thesis requirements if a thesis is required for that major; if not, follow CMC’s guidelines and turn your Senior Thesis Topic Form in to us. If no thesis is offered at the sponsoring college, you must complete a CMC thesis.
Yes! Treat the thesis with the same respect you’d give any other course. It is recommended that you meet with your faculty thesis reader weekly for at least an hour, or every two weeks for at least two hours.
Follow the title page example in the guide for formatting (Senior Thesis Webpage). You can also talk to your thesis advisor about their preferred citation style. You can find examples of citation styles here.
All theses (CMC, KS, and off-campus) must be submitted electronically through Scholarship@Claremont. Instructions for submitting to Scholarship can be found here. If you are participating in the Team Master’s Project you will upload an abstract of your project.
If your thesis involves proprietary material, on-going faculty research, or sensitive content, you should discuss your upload requirement with your faculty reader to determine the best course of action. Here are some things you should know as you make your decision:
- Open or Restricted Access: When you upload your thesis to Scholarship@Claremont, you may choose whether to provide open access to your thesis or to limit access to the Claremont Colleges’ IP range. Access restrictions can be changed from IP-restricted to open access, but not from open access to IP-restricted.
- Embargo: If your thesis is pending publication or includes pending patents, it may be appropriate to delay access to your uploaded thesis for up to 2 years by means of an embargo.
- Exemption: Students who wish to exclude their theses from the Scholarship site will still upload to Scholarship@Claremont to facilitate collection. Students may then submit a completed exemption form. We will remove your thesis from the Scholarship repository upon receipt of your exemption request.
Thesis deadline are on the Academic Calendar.
Late theses will be penalized 1 grade point for every 24 hours late, illustrated as follows:
| Submission | Penalty | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 24 hours late | One (.33) grade point by 3:00pm Tuesday | From A to A- |
| 24 to 48 hours late | Two (.67) grade points by 3:00pm Wednesday | From A to B+ |
| 48-72 hours late | Three (1) grade points by 3:00pm Thursday | From A to B |
| 72-96 hours late | Four (1.33) grade points by 3:00pm Friday | From A to B- |
Theses may not be submitted more than 96 hours late without an approved Incomplete Grade Petition.