Occasionally a student may wish to undertake a more extensive thesis, one that is more comprehensive and whose research requires greater depth than is possible under the usual senior-year protocol. Such students may begin the actual thesis work in the spring of their junior year by registering for the three-credit Honors Pro-Seminar (Humanities) or a three-credit Honors Independent Study (Social and Natural Sciences). During the spring semester, they will begin research for the thesis, completing a substantial paper that will, ideally, become one section of the expanded thesis.

This option is recommended for students contemplating graduate school at the Ph.D. level, since it will best enable them to prepare a polished writing sample from the thesis for graduate school applications. Science students who need time to collect data also will benefit from this early start. Students considering this option must consult with the Director of the Program, and receive approval from both the Director and the proposed Advisor.