Important Dates for Spring Graduates
| Summer - Early Fall | Information sessions on Graduation with Distinction process; write your proposal if not yet submitted |
| The first week of classes | Submit Fall independent study proposals if needed |
| End of September | Submit an advisor-approved application |
| The first week of October | Proposal review, feedback, approval |
| October - November | Thesis writers’ meetings/workshops |
| In the first week of December | Progress reporting process begins |
| Last day of Fall finals | Advisor-approved Progress report to DUS |
| The first week of Spring classes | Submit Spring independent study proposals if needed |
| Jan – Feb - March | Thesis writers’ meetings/workshops |
| End of January | Inform DUS of full committee membership |
| End of February | Thesis event scheduled and plans coordinated with your committee and Undergraduate Coordinator |
| End of Spring Break | Coordinate invitations and publicity with the department |
| Two weeks before your scheduled presentation | Submit the thesis to your advisor and full committee |
| First two weeks of April | Thesis presentation to department and public |
| Within one week after your defense date | Submit your advisor-approved, final thesis to the department within one week after the presentation, but no later than Friday before LDOC |
| Last Day of Classes | With advisor approval, submit your final thesis to DukeSpace honors thesis archives |
Note: Students planning to complete a thesis in Summer or Fall should meet with the Undergraduate Coordinator for alternative schedule planning.
Graduation with Distinction in Statistical Science
To be eligible for Graduation with Distinction, a student must follow the steps outlined above and complete a research paper (thesis) demonstrating significant independent work in statistical science, written under the supervision of a regular-rank faculty member of the Department of Statistical Science. There are a variety of thesis project types that can count for this purpose. Some students will write about work they are contributing to a lab, team, or other research group on or off campus, while others will write about a project of their own interest. Please see the Trinity College Academic Requirements for graduation with double honors with a single thesis, for distinction with an Interdepartmental Major, or for distinction outside the major.
Begin thinking about your topic no later than your Junior year. Talk with your departmental advisor, other faculty in the Department, the DUS, and the Undergraduate Coordinator to find a thesis advisor. Start attending GWD workshops offered by the department. A Flunch is a great way to start an informal discussion about a thesis topic. No later than early in your senior year, finalize your plans and start drafting a proposal. For advice on finding your thesis advisor, set up an appointment with the Undergraduate Coordinator.
The thesis may be written as part of independent study credit, which must be approved by the DUS by the end of drop/add period of a given semester. Some students use an independent study in the fall or spring to hold space in their academic schedule for thesis research. With DUS approval, you may use one such independent study course as an elective in the major. You cannot get independent study credit for this work if you are being paid for it as a research assistant, etc.
Procedure for Selection
The department will advertise information sessions about the Graduation with Distinction process in the summer and early fall.
To be eligible for graduation with distinction you must:
- Have an overall GPA of at least 3.3 and a Statistical Science GPA of at least 3.5; maintain these until graduation.
- Plan your thesis committee and timeline in consultation with your thesis advisor, a faculty member having expertise in the area of your research.
- In consultation with your thesis advisor, write a short (2-4 pages) research proposal for your thesis, including its tentative title and a brief plan of implementation. Your proposal should succinctly address motivation/research questions, background, methodology, data access and technology needs, ethical implications, a timeline, proposed target conference or publication, and a brief bibliography. Name the proposal file in this pattern: lastname_firstname_proposal, and save the file in .pdf format.
- Submit that thesis proposal here no later than the last week of September. Our application will route your proposal to the DUS via your advisor.
- Most students who conduct research for Graduation with Distinction plan to finish in the spring of their senior year; if you plan to finish at a different time, please contact the Undergraduate Coordinator right away to discuss an alternative timeline.
The Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Chair of the Department determine whether you will be admitted to candidacy for distinction. The application will be considered in the context of your interest, academic record, faculty advisor support, and professional goals.
- The DUS will begin responding with feedback to the applicant and their advisor during the first week of October.
- Thesis meetings will be held with all thesis writers during October and November.
An advisor-approved progress report is due to the DUS no later than the last day of Fall finals. It should report your thesis progress and any adjustments or updates (including timeline) from what was on the thesis application. Here is the progress report form.
- Inform the DUS of your full committee no later than the end of January.
- Coordinate the presentation date and time with your committee members and the Undergraduate Coordinator no later than the end of February. Possible presentation dates are typically weekdays during the first two weeks of April.
- Coordinate invitations and publicity with the Undergraduate Coordinator by the end of Spring Recess.
- A draft is due to your committee no later than two weeks prior to the defense date.
- Present the research paper (thesis) orally in a seminar open to the public.
- Your final thesis, incorporating any required changes, must be submitted to the department within one week after the defense date, no later than the Friday before LDOC.
- With advisor approval, submit your final thesis to the DukeSpace honors thesis archives no later than LDOC.
Evaluation Procedure
By the end of January, the student and research advisor will name a three-person committee to evaluate the paper and oral presentation. The committee will evaluate the candidate's paper and oral presentation for quality of intellectual content, quality of writing/speaking, and originality. Along with completing a rubric assessing aspects of the project, the thesis committee will make a recommendation on awarding distinction.
The completed recommendations will be considered by a departmental committee of three faculty members, including the DUS (chair), who will review all the papers and committee recommendations to ensure consistency in the awarding of distinction. The Director of Undergraduate Studies is asked to provide to Trinity College by the Last Day of Class in Spring semester a list of recipients and their distinction.