All About The Honours Project
What is an Honours Project?
A student registered in a 4th year honours program may be required to undertake an independent research project during his/her last year under the direction of a faculty member. The goal of the research project is to develop research and analysis skills within the student's area of expertise. The student is responsible for selecting a supervisor to become part of his/her lab. Students are required to find a professor in the fall term of their third year to work in his/her lab for the following year.
How does an Honours Project work?
Honours research projects count toward your degree as 1.0 credit (0.5 credits in the fall term and 0.5 credits in the winter term). Students must register for both fall and winter term sections. The student is evaluated based on three components: lab work, thesis paper and presentation.
How do I choose a Research Topic?
- Find a topic that is relevant to your supervisor's research that interests you. You will be spending one year conducting research on this project, so it is in your best interest to find a topic that interests you enough to come to the lab and conduct the necessary experiment for the next year.
- Propose questions that you would like to explore to further the area of your field of study.
- Think about how your research could help advance your field of study.
- Set up an appointment to talk with your supervisor about potential projects. Faculty members will help you start narrowing down potential projects for your honours thesis.
How do I find a Supervisor?
- To find a supervisor that is accepting students to be part of their lab, student should visit the professor websites (faculty of science) and read up on various professor's research to determine the type of research that suits his/her interests.
- Email the professor to ask if there is a position available within his/her lab to conduct your honours thesis project along side of the professor's on-going research.
- Set up an appointment with a professor at his/her availability to discuss possible topics for your research.
Tip: Read one or two of professors most current published papers prior to the actual meeting. This will give you a better idea about possible research topics in the professor's field.