Senior Thesis Program

The Senior Honors Research program (now called the Longwood Senior Thesis program) was established in 1930 and was the first such program in a Virginia college or university. The program is intended to encourage students to conduct independent research and inquiry at a level well beyond the ordinary demands of a classroom course. The results of a student's successful completion of the program are increased learning in a subject area of special interest, improvements in the student's abilities to conduct academic research and to write about the work, the presentation of a substantial paper on that research, the addition of that paper to the Library's permanent collection, and an enhancement of his or her application to graduate school or for immediate post-graduation employment. Students who successfully complete the program are publicly recognized at graduation for their exceptional academic achievement.

The Senior Thesis program is formally a two semester, six-credit-hour, student-initiated, non-classroom research and inquiry project. The Senior Thesis program is usually done during the student's senior year but can begin during the second semester of a student's junior year if necessary.

 To be eligible to register for the Senior Thesis program, a student must have:

• a strong interest in doing independent research and inquiry
• a 3.0 overall grade point average on work taken at Longwood
• a 3.0 average in courses taken at Longwood for the major
• agreement of a faculty member to serve as sponsor
• permission of the LST Committee