The student must be approved by the departmental honors committee chair to participate in the departmental honors program. To be approved, the following criteria must be satisfied:
The student must have a 3.0 GPA or greater to start the program
The student must identify an MAE faculty member who is willing to advise a research project that will result in the publication of an honors thesis
The student must submit a thesis proposal including a title and abstract. The faculty advisor must approve of the proposal.
If the above criteria are satisfied, the departmental honors committee chair will grant permission for the student to enroll in MAE 4995 – Undergraduate Honors Research in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The committee chair will notify the student, faculty advisor, and the academic advisor of this approval.
The student enrolls in at least 3 credit hours of MAE 4995 and conducts research that results in the writing of an undergraduate honors thesis. The thesis must be submitted to the departmental honors committee chair for approval. To be approved the following criteria must be satisfied:
The format of the thesis must comply with the expected format for a MS thesis in the department.
The thesis must demonstrate sufficient rigor and quality to satisfy the faculty advisor and at least one other faculty member in the MAE department. These faculty members are called “readers” and must give their signature approval on the thesis cover page.
If the above criteria are satisfied, the departmental honors committee chair will notify the student, faculty advisor, and academic advisor that the thesis component for departmental honors has been satisfied.
The academic advisor will check to see if the student still has a 3.0 GPA or greater. If the GPA is satisfactory, and the honors thesis has been approved, the academic advisor will process the request for the departmental honors designation to be added to the student’s transcript.
Benefits of Departmental Honors
Participation in the program will introduce the student to the research process in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and will help to explore the student’s interest in pursuing graduate study.
If the student pursues a M.S. degree, and if the advising faculty member agrees, the honors thesis may be used as a basis for developing a full master’s thesis to fulfill the requirements for the M.S. degree.
Participation in the honors program will serve as a talking point with employment recruiters and for graduate student applications.
Participation in the departmental honors program will enhance the student’s chance for receiving student awards in the department and college
Completion of the departmental honors program in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will be noted on the student transcript
The student will receive a special honors cord to wear during graduation ceremonies