honors thesis wmu

Keith Hearit Dean The mission of the Carl and Winifred Lee Honors College is to design and foster curricular and co-curricular programs for the academically talented student. These programs allow students to pursue their major areas of study and to join with other bright students in Honors courses, internships, research projects, community work, and social activities. Faculty who teach through the college are recognized by the University as individuals who are outstanding teacher/scholars and who enjoy working with students. The Lee Honors College strives to create an environment for critical thinking and active learning. Bringing students together in small classes allows for a variety of educational approaches which depart from the traditional lecture/note taking format. Teachers are encouraged to broaden the arenas for learning without compromising educational rigor. A variety of programs and activities are available to members of the Lee Honors College. Independent study, special honors seminars, inter-university enrollment at local colleges, and undergraduate internships in the community may be arranged by Honors College students. The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Award and the Dean’s Summer Thesis Award, administered by the college, provides financial support for a variety of supervised undergraduate projects. Student involvement is an important aspect of honors education. Students become involved with the college not only through courses but through the Honors Student Association and honors housing community. The college sponsors trips, speakers, a newsletter, and other cultural and social activities. Through these activities students enhance their affiliation with the University and prepare themselves for leadership positions in their professional lives.  The Lee Honors College serves as the campus office for the WMU chapter of the national freshman honorary Alpha Lambda Delta and the Honors Student Association, as well as the Phi Kappa Phi honorary for upper classmen. These organizations sponsor academic, social and volunteer opportunities throughout the school year, both across campus and in the larger Kalamazoo community.  The Lee Honors College is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Mid-East Honors Association. It is a founding member of the Michigan Honors Association. Honors students and administrators of the college have held office in these organizations and regularly participate on regional and national Honors committees, making presentations to other Honors colleagues. The Academic Program of Study The Carl and Winifred Lee Honors College admits students as incoming freshmen, transfer students, and current WMU students. Students are admitted to the college based on high school and university grade point averages, American College Test (ACT) scores, co-curricular activities, an essay and academic recommendations. Students may access an application by visiting the Honors College website: www.wmich.edu/honors . The purpose of the Lee Honors College academic program of study is to deepen and enrich a student’s undergraduate experience in a way that coordinates with other University requirements. At the freshman-sophomore level, it consists of courses that earn General Education or major credit and which some but not all are clustered around a theme in order to allow students to explore relationships among various disciplines. In consultation with an Honors College advisor, students enroll in two course clusters consisting of two courses each, a combination of clusters and single courses totaling five courses, or five single courses. At the junior and senior levels, students take two interdisciplinary seminars which examine critical issues in the fields housed in a particular college. A senior capstone project, the Honors College thesis, requires students to prepare and present a paper, project or performance typical of professional work in their major field. Upon successfully completing this academic program of study, students graduate from the Lee Honors College and the major college. They are recognized as graduates of the Lee Honors College at graduation ceremonies. This honor is also noted on the transcript and diploma. For further information on specific aspects of the Lee Honors College, visit the Honors College website at: www.wmich.edu/honors ; write: Office of the Dean, Carl and Winifred Lee Honors College, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5244; telephone: (269) 387-3230; email: [email protected] . Baccalaureate Writing Requirement Students who have been accepted into the Lee Honors College may satisfy the Baccalaureate Writing Requirement by successfully completing HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis.

Lee Honors College Courses (HNRS)

Each semester a variety of honors courses, course clusters, and seminars are offered. Many of these are applicable to General Education requirements and other curriculum requirements. Others are variable topic/variable credit courses, enabling the Lee Honors College to offer a wide range of additional seminar and experiential learning opportunities.  All courses are described in the Lee Honors College course book, which is printed each semester. Honors courses are so indicated on the transcript.

Lee Honors College

Thesis declaration form, thesis declaration.

Please be sure that you have confirmed that the faculty member you list as your thesis chair has formally agreed to fulfill this role.

Ideally, this form should be submitted at least three semesters before you intend to graduate. Fill in your proposed thesis topic, attach a one-page general description of the work to be done, and have your thesis chair respond to the follow up email confirming they are committed to serving as your thesis mentor. If you decide to change topic, thesis mentor, or date of graduation, you can simply complete a new form. Your thesis declaration form will be either approved or recommended for amendment by the honors college dean or associate dean; this decision will be communicated to you and your thesis chair via WMU email.

For detailed information about completing your thesis project, please read the thesis handbook carefully, or contact your honors college academic advisor.

Please contact Jennifer Townsend with any questions or supplemental forms or documents.

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Dissertations and Theses

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WMU Dissertations

Searching for dissertations and theses.

Indexes virtually all doctoral dissertations and many masters theses produced in the U.S. since 1861. Dissertations from other countries date back to 1637. Abstracts available from 1980. Full-text for dissertations are being added continually. Most since 1997 are full-text, though some authors choose not to make their work available. Print and microfilm copies are offered for a fee, but request the item via Interlibrary Loan before paying for a copy. New search functionality includes metadata from Clarivate's Citation Connection. To ensure your search results take advantage of this new functionality, please add “AND ref(1)“ to your search terms.

To search only dissertations and theses completed at Western Michigan University, please use the Dissertations & Theses @ Western Michigan University database. To view digital theses and dissertations hosted in the WMU Libraries repository, please visit ScholarWorks@WMU .

The catalog at the Center for Research Libraries includes over 800,000 records for dissertations from 90 different countries.

WMU Full Text Dissertations and Theses

Dissertations and theses produced at WMU can be found in Scholarworks .  You can browse by department, or use the search box on the left to search by author, advisor, etc. Most dissertations produced since 1968 can be found here.

Locating WMU Dissertations and Theses in print in the Libraries

Dissertations produced prior to about 2013 may also be available in print through the Libraries.  Normally these are bound paper copies and can be checked out like regular books. Use LibrarySearch to find the location and the call number of the title you need. Dissertations in print are housed in the Zhang storage facility. Use the storage request form to request theses or dissertations which are shelved there.

There are several different ways to access dissertations and theses produced by WMU students:

If you do an  advanced search in the LibrarySearch system , you may also find print copies of both WMU master's and doctoral dissertations that are available for checkout. 

To search for dissertations produced by a particular WMU academic department try the following search:

1st box type      [department name], i.e. sociology, history, physics, etc. 2nd box type     western michigan university 3rd box type      [thesis or dissertation]

European Theses and Dissertations

• DART-Europe E-theses Portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses

Borrowing Materials from Other Libraries

If the dissertation or thesis you need is not available in any full text source you may request a paper or microform copy through the interlibrary loan service.

Before using WMU's interlibrary loan service, you must first register and set up an account.  Click here and select Interlibrary Loan to begin the process.  You will be asked to login with your BroncoNetID and password.  If you have never used the service before, follow the prompts for First Time Users .   You only have to register once during your tenure at WMU.

There are several issues to be aware of when requesting dissertations through interlibrary loan:

• Many institutions do not lend their dissertations and theses through interlibrary loan. Because dissertations are unique some institutions choose not to send them off campus.
• Some institutions that do lend their dissertations specify that they are "in library use only". This means that you will not be allowed to take the material out of the library.
• The copy of the dissertation you get through interlibrary loan may be in microfilm or microfiche format. You will have to locate a microfilm reader in the library to use the material.
• Interlibrary loan takes time. It can take two to three weeks for the lending library to process the request and send it out. Please plan ahead.

Scholarly Communications Librarian

• Last Updated: Nov 29, 2023 10:59 AM
• URL: https://libguides.wmich.edu/dissertations

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