Departmental Honors Projects
Anne & Bob De Stefano Undergraduate Research Program
The Anne & Bob De Stefano Undergraduate Research Program makes monetary awards to support undergraduate students doing departmental honors projects. The awards may be used for a variety of purposes, as outlined in the Information Sheet. An Application Form is also provided.
Download Information Sheet
Download Application Form
Download Request for Advance or Reimbursement Form
Guidelines to Completing the Departmental Honors Project
Any questions regarding this process can be sent to Rebecca Sparks, Director of Honors at
rsparks@ric.edu.
I. Preparation for the Project
Ideally, one semester before starting the project, the student should find an advisor of his/her choice and work out a project topic and a plan for completion. Depending on the department, the student may have a more (or less) formal initial approval of the department. The Honors Program offers a course each spring for any student seeking extra guidance in the formulation of his/her project. Any student interested in participating is welcome to register.
II. Working on the Project
A. Register for independent (or directed) study based upon the needs of the student’s project. Most students register for at least 6 credits spread across two semesters. (Typically 3 credits in the Fall, and 3 credits in the Spring.)
B. Please notify Rebecca Sparks of the working title, advisor, and expected completion date. Also include your intended graduation date. (Please use the
online form to notify the director of honors.)
C. Consider applying for
funding from the Anne and Bob De Stefano Undergraduate Research Fund. Information may be found the honors website by following the ‘departmental honors’ link at the left side of the page.
III. During and Near Completion on the Project
A. Important events the student should participate in are itemized below.
1. April poster/presentation session
To complete the departmental honors process, we ask that students display their work to the college community as part of the year-end Convocation of Scholars festivities. This display takes the form of a poster session meant to recognize those students who have successfully completed honors projects in their respective majors and to share their accomplishments with the college community. You are welcome, indeed encouraged, to invite friends and family, as well as your project advisors, to the poster session. We also hope that many faculty members from your respective departments will attend.
2. Honors Dinner during commencement season.
Students who have successfully completed an honors project are invited to bring their faculty mentors and guests to celebrate their accomplishments. Students will also receive honor cords to wear at commencement ceremonies.
B. When the final project is complete and passes departmental approval, the following notifications should be made:
1. Inform the Records Office that the student has completed “Honors in (appropriate department)” and should have that designation on the student transcript.
2. Inform the director of honors (Rebecca Sparks) that the student’s final project has been approved with the associated title.
3. The student should work with the library to have his/her project on archive within the library. Information on how to complete submission may be found on the honors website.
Submit Completed Honors Project to Adams Library
The student is required to submit one original paper copy to the library for Special Collections, with fully-completed approval / signature pages. Additionally, the student can submit a second copy of their thesis / honors project which the library will bind and send to the student's academic department.
Copies must be printed on one side of the paper only. Please see these formatting instructions (Word version or
PDF version) with Model Title and Approval pages for more help.
It is highly recommended that each student submit a digital copy (Word document or PDF) via email to digitalcommons@ric.edu for inclusion in DigitalCommons@RIC, the Institutional Repository of Rhode Island College. In the subject line of your email containing your digital copy, please include your last name and the type of thesis (i.e. Jespersen, Honors or James, MAT).
Students should submit a printed copy of the Deposit and Access Agreement Form (Word Version or PDF Version) with their project.
Printed copies and the Deposit and Access Agreement Form should be turned in to the Technical Services Department, Room 202, Adams Library. Students should contact Deryl Freeman at (401) 456-8165 or email dfreeman1@ric.edu to schedule an appointment.
For additional questions, please contact Deryl Freeman, Head of Cataloging and E-Resources (dfreeman1@ric.edu)
