COGS Honors Thesis (COGS 86, 87) 

Honors theses are open to students who expect to have and who maintain the necessary cumulative averages (3.50 in Cognitive Science courses and 3.50 overall). In order to be granted permission to enroll in the Honors Thesis (COGS 86, 87) a student must maintain or attain by the end of their Junior year the required averages, and have a thesis proposal approved by the Steering Committee by the deadlines below. 

How to draft a proposal: 

During the junior year, students should consult with faculty members who might serve as advisors in the preparation and submission of a thesis proposal. In some cases in which students are working cross-disciplinarily, it is appropriate to have a main advisor and a secondary advisor in another field. Students are strongly encouraged to complete and to submit their proposals before the proposal due date since the program may ask for modifications before allowing students to proceed with thesis work and writing. All proposals will be approved or denied by the Steering Committee.  Typically, the thesis advisor will be the faculty member with whom the student has been working to produce a proposal. In some cases, however, another supervisor may be appointed, especially if a single faculty member is working with multiple students. 

Proposals should include a description of the main focus of the thesis, as well as a description of the methods that will be used and the proposed timeline for the work to be completed over the course of two terms. Students should also discuss with their primary advisor additional faculty who would be appropriate to serve as readers on the thesis. Each thesis committee will be composed of at least 3 members: typically a primary advisor and two readers, or two co-advisors and an additional reader.

Proposal due date: 

The proposal must be submitted to the Chair of the program with approval of advisor(s) by the following deadlines:

• Fall Term COGS 86: seventh week of the Spring term 
• Winter Term COGS 86: fifth week of the Fall term 

Thesis research and writing:

Students writing a senior thesis are strongly encouraged to be in residence for the entirety of their senior year. Students writing theses are typically enrolled COGS 86 and 87 for the Fall and Winter quarters of their senior year. Thesis students and their supervisors work together to prepare a research and writing plan, and meet regularly throughout the thesis terms. After the first term of work, the advisor writes an evaluation of the student’s progress. Typically, students will receive an ongoing grade (ON) for COGS 86, and then enroll in COGS 87 for the following term to continue working on the thesis as planned. At the conclusion of COGS 87, thesis students will receive two terms of credit with the final grade on their thesis. 

By the end of the Spring Term of the senior year, students will have completed a written thesis document, an oral defense with their committee, and a public presentation of their research project. Following the deadlines below, students will first schedule a defense date with their committee, then submit a draft of their written thesis to their committee at least a week prior to their scheduled defense date. The committee will typically have recommendations for revisions to the thesis draft, which can come at any time after the draft is submitted, including at the time of the defense. Students will then revise their thesis and submit a final version, which will be uploaded to the Digital Commons and will be publicly available on the Cognitive Science Program website. Thesis grades and high honors status will be determined by advisors with input from other committee members. Lastly, during the last week of the term, all honors students will present their findings in the form of a poster session open to the Cognitive Science community.

DEADLINES:  (Spring 2026)

1)  A draft of the thesis must be submitted to the committee by the 7th Monday of the term (Monday, May 11).  Advisor(s) and readers can request changes thereafter. 

2 ) A private oral defense needs to be scheduled with your committee before the end of regular classes (Note: If your defense is scheduled before the draft deadline, be sure to submit a draft to your committee at least a week prior to the defense date.)

3) A final soft copy must be submitted to the chair by the 9th week of the term (Friday, May 29). 

4) Present your research at the poster presentation on Tuesday, June 2 at 12:15 in Moore 110

5) A final copy of your paper must be uploaded to the Digital Commons by June 9th.