tcu honors thesis

Learn Enthusiastically

Our curriculum challenges you in high-impact, discussion-based seminars to broaden your mind and create connections in and out of the classroom.

Lower-Division Honors

In your first two years, you will focus on fulfilling five Lower-Division requirements with a combination of Honors Electives and Cultural Visions that can help fulfill your TCU Core.

Upper-Division Honors

In your third and fourth year, you can pursue Departmental Honors (undergrad research), University Honors (discussion-based seminars) or both!

Honors Laureate Ceremony

Upon graduation, Honors Laureates and Andrews Scholars will sign the roll of graduates in The Great Book and dedicate themselves to lifelong learning in the John V. Roach Honors College.

Plan Your Path

Our advisors work one-on-one with you to help navigate curriculum requirements, achieve your goals and make the most of your Honors College experience.

Prepare for the Future

Through Departmental Honors, it’s prepared me for the rigors of developing an individual research project. I understand how to design and create a study, run analyses and implement a research project. I truly don’t believe I would have gotten into a Ph.D. program straight out of undergrad without my Honors experiences.

Roxy Odiorne Class of 2023

Scholarship & Financial Aid

Learn more about scholarships and financial aid—specifically for Honors students.

Honors Project Style Guide: APA

• Introduction
• Other Citation Styles
• Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
• Citation Tools
• Who Uses It?
• Basic Citation Information
• Basic Formatting Information

These disciplines tend to use APA Citation and Formatting Style:

• Communication Studies
• Communication Sciences & Disorders
• Criminal Justice
• Political Science

Basic APA Citation Formats

The following guidelines are recommended in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Please check with your supervising professor to see whether strict APA formatting should be observed for your project. All references on the references page should be double-spaced and use a hanging indent. 

Note:  If you are direct quoting a specific part of a source, include a page number, table, paragraph, section, time stamp, etc. in your in-text citation. If you are citing ideas from a whole work, no section identifier is needed. Please consult the APA Manual 7th edition to see how to include these section identifiers.

Books with a single author

Reference page:.

Oliver, P. (2014).  Writing your thesis  (3rd ed.). Sage.

In-text Citation:

(Oliver, 2014).

Narrative In-text Citation:

According to Oliver (2014)...

Oliver (2014) states...

Books With More Than Two Authors

Werner-Burke, N., Knaus, K., & Helt DeCamp, A. (2014).  Rebuilding research writing: Strategies for sparking informational inquiry . Routledge.

(Werner-Burke et al., 2014).

Werner-Burke et al. (2014) argue... 

Articles in online scholarly journals (plus example of how to cite two authors)

Martinez, C. T., Kock, N., & Cass, J. (2011). Pain and pleasure in short essay writing: Factors predicting university students' writing anxiety and writing self-efficacy.  Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54 (5), 351- 360.   https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.54.5.5

(Martinez, Kock & Cass, 2011).

Martinez, Kock, and Cass (2011) recommend...

Documents in a Website

Clay, R.A. (2007).  Writing well . http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2007/03/writing.aspx

With Organization as Author:

American Library Association. (2015, February 9). Framework for information literacy for higher education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

In-text Citations:

(Clay, 2007).

(American Library Association, 2015).

Narrative In-text Citations:

According to Clay (2007)... 

The American Library Association (2015) claims...

The following guidelines are recommended in accordance with the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . Please check with your supervising professor to see whether strict APA formatting should be observed for your project. 

Formatting Your Main Content

• Double-space the text of your paper.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of paragraphs.
• Number all pages, including the title page and abstract, with arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) on the top right hand corner about an inch from the top of the page.
• Use section headings to designate the different sections of your paper. Center, bold, and capitalize all words in your section headings. If you use subsections, consult the APA Manual 7th edition for additional guidance.

Formatting the Title Page of Your Paper For Student Papers

Note: If you are submitting your paper for a professional publication, there are different requirements for the title page. Consult the APA Manual 7th edition to see how to format title pages for professional papers. Additionally, title page requirements for honors projects may differ from department to department. Please consult your advisor for how to format your title page.

• In the top right corner, insert a page number.
• About one third down the page and centered, include the full title of your paper. Capitalize all words four letters or longer in your title.
• Underneath the title, include your name.
• Underneath your name, include the name of the department to which you are submitting the paper followed by a comma, and then Texas Christian University (Ex: Honors College,  Texas Christian University).
• Underneath the department name and institution, include the course number and name (Ex: HNRS 20633: Video Games and Representation).
• Underneath the course name, include the name of your professor. 
• Underneath your professor's name, include the date the project is due, including the month (spelled out), day, and year.

Formatting Your References Page

• Include page numbers in the top right corner.
• Center the word "References" at the top of the references page.
• Alphabetize all references by authors' last names. Each in-text citation should have a corresponding reference listed on the references page.
• Use a hanging indent for each reference.
• Double-space the entire page
• Purdue OWL: APA Sample Paper Formatting guidance for both student and professional papers.

Helpful Manuals

Helpful Links

• Purdue OWL: APA 7 Online Writing Lab from Purdue University. Contains further information about how to format papers and references in APA style.
• No Plagiarism @ TCU
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• Last Updated: Jun 16, 2023 11:20 AM
• URL: https://libguides.tcu.edu/honorsguide

• Senior Honors Thesis Project

Volume 25, no. 2

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Theses Archived in Digital Repository

The library has been storing theses and dissertations for graduate students in this manner for several years. Doing so makes it easy for students to submit their work and for library and academic staff to process and approve these submissions. More importantly, archiving scholarly work in digital repositories creates visibility for authors, provides better access to the university's intellectual output and may allow students to develop multimedia digital theses.

Thirteen submissions were received and processed for December 2012 graduates, and their documents are currently being catalogued by library staff. Approximately 90 submissions are expected towards the end of the Spring 2013 semester.

AddRan College of Liberal Arts

Department of english, distinction program, thesis program for undergraduates.

The English department’s Distinction Program is designed for high-achieving English and writing majors.

Upon completion of the Distinction Program, students will have authored a thesis on a topic of their choice, which is excellent preparation for graduate and professional school, as well as future work in multiple industries. They may list the distinction program and thesis on their resumes. Through this program, students will find a community of other ambitious and motivated English and writing majors.

Requirements

Students in the Distinction Program must:

• Enroll in a two-semester thesis writing course sequence
• Attend at least two Distinction Program gatherings per semester
• Attend their choice of three or more English department extracurricular events per semester

Eligibility and Applications

To apply for the program, students must meet at least one of two criteria:

• A GPA of 3.6 or higher in all English and writing courses taken, with no grade lower than a B in any of those courses (two or more must be at the 30000 or 40000 level)
• An overall GPA of 3.5 or higher, with no grade lower than a B in any English or writing course

Students may apply conditionally, based on anticipated end-of-semester GPA eligibility.

Students should apply during the second semester of their junior year, enrolling in the course, Distinction Program: Thesis I, the first semester of their senior year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Though the Distinction Program is especially for students who wish to write a thesis but do not meet the GPA requirement for the John V. Roach Honors College, those in the Honors College pursuing Departmental Honors are also welcome to join.

No, students pursuing both Distinction and Departmental Honors will write one thesis that they can apply to both.

Students will work with a committee of three faculty members to craft their chosen topic into a developed and exciting thesis.

Students will complete the two thesis writing courses during the fall and spring semesters of their senior year.

Apply to the Honors College

Apply to the John V. Roach Honors College

Any student wishing to join the honors college must complete the supplemental honors application after submitting their application to TCU. The supplement includes two essays, one required and one of your choice. 

Question #1: Common Question

Please respond to this essay prompt using no more than 500 words. 

In The New Education, Dr. Cathy Davidson writes “The new education must prepare our students to thrive in a world of flux, to be ready no matter what comes next. It must empower them to be leaders of innovation and to be able not only to adapt to a changing world but also to change the world” (255).

In the midst of a complex time shaped by complicated problems and issues, you made the decision to pursue a university education, to engage a course of study, and to apply to the John V. Roach Honors College. Underpinning these decisions are two questions. First, explain what pressing societal concern—international, national, or local—interests or impacts you most? Why do you care about this issue? Second, how do you imagine addressing or engaging that concern as an innovative interdisciplinary student in the John V. Roach Honors College at TCU? Be as specific as space allows and do not include your name in the response.

Question #2: Candidate Choice

Please respond to one of the following three essay prompts using no more than 500 words.

John V. Roach Honors College students are expected to live in Milton Daniel Hall during their first year. There you will meet and become friends with an array of students who bring backgrounds, identities, interests, or talents that are essential to knowing and understanding them. If you have an essential quality or experience that new friends or professors would need to know, then please share your story and explain how that quality or experience defines you. If you choose this question, please note that it must not repeat information shared in the common question. Be as specific as space allows and do not include your name in the response.

The lobby of the John V. Roach Honors College features a wall of virtues. Listed on the wall are the following actions:

• Research Responsibly  
• Inspire Wonder  
• Synthesize Ideas  
• Listen Thoughtfully  
• Build Resilience  
• Explore the World  
• Encourage Connections  
• Think Critically  
• Practice Empathy  
• Respect Dialogue   
• Commit Wholeheartedly   
• Teach Creatively  
• Learn Enthusiastically 
• Cultivate Curiosity    These virtues inspire faculty, staff, and students. They shape the courses you will take and how you will approach learning as an Honors student. Please think about these virtues, your past experiences, and your passion for engaged inquiry. Then, choose one virtue from the list. Please explain that virtue’s significance to you and provide an example of how it illustrates your love for learning. Be as specific as space allows and do not include your name in the responses.
• The John V. Roach Honors College has hosted guest speakers such as NBA legend and civil rights activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, education innovator Cathy Davidson, Bill Nye the Science Guy, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Serial podcast hosts Julie Snyder and Sarah Koenig. This fall we are hosting Lebanese British barrister Amal Clooney and US Poet Laureate Ada Limón. Honors students converse with these guests and learn from their experiences and perspectives. What person or persons, past or present, would you invite to speak at TCU? Why? What questions would you ask? What impact would you want your guest speaker(s) to have on an audience of Honors students? Be as specific as space allows and do not include your name in the response.

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Students distinguished as kathryne mcdorman honors scholars, honors students celebrate the completion of the first part of their honors journey.

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Last Updated: Dec 14, 2022     Views: 1779

There are two ways to do this:

Through the catalog:

• From the TCU Catalog go to the Advanced Search option.
• On the "Format" pull-down menu in the center of the page choose "TCU Theses & Dissertations."
• Enter search terms and click the Search button.

Through the repository:

• Go to the repository .
• Choose "Scholarly Works."
• Choose either "Doctoral Dissertations" or "Masters Theses."
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