Registration for Thesis/ Grading Thesis Course

Registration: To register for thesis/creative project work, you must be enrolled in Barrett and in good standing. You must also have the approval of the faculty member who serves as your thesis director. ALL Barrett students must enroll in a thesis course. To register for thesis/creative project hours, you must obtain the correct line number from the department of your director and sign up for the correct number of thesis hours. You will need to sign up for your thesis/creative project credits (XXX493) during the semester(s) you actually write your thesis. A thesis of up to six credit hours normally requires a minimum of one semester of research and up to two semesters of writing. To earn credits while conducting your research, speak with your director about signing up for XXX492 credits. She or he may advise against this.

You may write your thesis or produce your creative project in a discipline that is not your major. While most students choose to pursue a thesis in their field of study, Barrett allows students to earn thesis credit through the disciplinary college and department of their choice. Each department may set its own standards for methodology (i.e., empirical, comparative, or descriptive), thesis length, and so on. Consult with your Barrett honors advisor and thesis director if you have questions pertaining to the thesis registration process.

Grading the Thesis/Creative Project: When the thesis/creative project is approved, the director will decide upon a grade. He or she may consult with the second and third readers concerning the grade, which uses the same scale as standard course grades (A, B, C,). For projects that extend over more than one semester, a grade of Z will be awarded. The assignment of a Z grade indicates that a project is in progress. The Z grade delays placement of any final grade on the transcript until the thesis/creative project is completed and successfully defended. After the successful defense, the thesis/creative project director and department submit a change of grade form for each semester of thesis enrollment (requires Academic Record Change for Prior Semester form). The assigned grade will then appear on the transcript. Make sure you and your thesis director both understand the grading process.