The crowning achievement of the ERHS Honors candidate at VMI is the completion of a senior honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

The cadet presents the thesis in a public forum, open to members of the faculty and other cadets as well as interested members of the community, before submitting the final written copy for review by the ERHS honors committee and the department head. A copy of the approved thesis is bound and shelved in the Daniels Library.

Eligibility

In order to be awarded honors, cadets must have a final GPA in the major of at least 3.5. Honors candidates must prepare and present a thesis on a significant topic related to their studies as English majors. A faculty member will serve as the thesis advisor for this two-semester project: ERH 495 Honors Thesis I and ERH 496 Honors Thesis II. The proposal and the final thesis must be submitted to the departmental honors committee and the department head for approval. The project may not go ahead if this approval is not given.

Thesis Requirements

A thesis must be predominantly original work produced during the thesis year. With the advisor’s consent, the cadet may include work produced earlier (e.g., studies completed during the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute, independent study, or an ERHS course), but the greater part of the project should be new. If a thesis is related to another project, the proposal must include a statement describing that relationship. Typically, an honors thesis falls within the range of 20-25 pages. In the case of mixed media and/or creative projects, the honors advisor, the honors committee, and the department head would agree upon an equivalent scope.