A Guide for Thesis Advisors

The following guidelines are provided for faculty who have been asked to serve as thesis advisors for candidates for the Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) degree. This degree is conferred jointly by the University Honors College (UHC) and the home school of the candidate (e.g., the School of Arts and Sciences, the College of General Studies, the School of Engineering, the College of Business Administration).

All candidates for the BPhil must satisfy the general degree requirements (curricular requirements) and the special degree requirements (independent scholarship).

General degree requirements

These requirements oblige the students to complete the degree requirements of their home school and to complete a program of study (course work) formulated with the consultation and approval of the UHC advising staff. An approved program of study will demonstrate that the student has not only met but also exceeded the requirements for a standard undergraduate departmental degree.

In general, it is expected that the student’s curriculum will reflect significant breadth, depth, or focus around a coherent intellectual theme.

Special degree requirements

These requirements are to be met by the completion of a thesis. The students must present and defend their thesis before a faculty examining committee selected in conjunction with their thesis advisor and UHC. The thesis advisor’s responsibilities vary during the period of the student’s work.

The UHC divides the progress of a thesis into the following three rough stages:

  1. Development of the project;
  2. Research and writing of the thesis; and
  3. Presentation and examination of the completed thesis.

Development of the project

During this stage the thesis advisor should work closely with the student in developing a research topic and a plan for investigating it. Since the thesis will in many cases be the first substantial piece of independent scholarship the student has produced, the thesis advisor may need to provide the student with general assistance in research methods and strategies; in particular, the advisor should help the student to frame a question of reasonable scope. The advisor will moreover be invaluable in assuring that the work the student seeks to undertake is truly independent in its field.

The advisor and student should develop a reasonable chronology, setting a number of short- and long-term deadlines for the completion of various stages of the project. This is an especially important role for the advisor since novice researchers may lack reliable intuitions as to the length of time that any particular part of the project is likely to require.

The advisor should take time to review the courses the student has yet to complete and to recommend other courses (within or outside the advisor’s department) that could profit the student as he or she is at work on the thesis. The advisor should also recommend other faculty with whom the student might consult as the details of the project become clearer.

Research and writing of the thesis

First and foremost, the advisor should be available to meet regularly with the student to evaluate the progress of his or her research, to discuss the problems that inevitably arise, and to provide whatever encouragement, chastisement, or direction proves necessary. These meetings should naturally evolve into regular meetings to review the student’s progress in writing the thesis. At this stage, too, the advisor may suggest that the student pursue additional formal course work in areas where further thought or expertise would be helpful.

It is the advisor’s responsibility to approve the student’s thesis as complete prior to review by the examining committee.

Presentation and examination of the completed thesis

Once the student has nearly completed the thesis, the student and advisor should begin to choose an examining committee. The thesis advisor has final authority over the composition of the examining committee. The committee will consist of four faculty members with relevant expertise: the thesis advisor, two University of Pittsburgh examiners, and an additional examiner from another institution. The thesis advisor assumes the role of the chair and is responsible for arranging the logistics of the examination.

UHC provides for the travel expenses and lodging of the outside examiner and provides an honorarium. The outside examiner, as a distinguished visitor to the University, should be available to present a lecture to the appropriate department. The thesis advisor and student should therefore choose an outside examiner carefully, keeping in mind that he or she will be expected to provide not only an expert judgment of the student’s work but also a service to the intellectual community of the University. The final selection of the outside examiner and the overall disposition of his or her time on campus is the prerogative of the thesis advisor.

The format for the presentation and examination is similar to that of a master’s or doctoral thesis. The student presents an overview of his or her work in a speech open to the public in addition to the examining committee. Following a brief period during which the public may ask questions, the committee examines the candidate privately. The chair of the committee is responsible for dismissing the public and for convening and ending the examination. The chair also has charge of the examination forms and must secure the signatures of the committee.

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