Course 1: 4XX Elective Course

Any undergraduate or graduate technical elective course

Course 2: 4XX Elective Course

Any undergraduate or graduate technical elective course

Course 3: XXX-494 Undergraduate Thesis I

 Prerequisites:

No prerequisites

This course is an independent research course for students undertaking the CX in undergraduate research. An undergraduate thesis is a substantive piece of research-oriented creative work demonstrating mastery over the discourse of one semester in professional field. A thesis requires students to formulate the main hypothesis and research questions, maintain research integrity and be aware of research misconducts, and acquire skills of identifying research gaps in literature. Students will develop their scientific writing skills to report their preliminary research findings in a research proposal. Such proposal must be planned and completed under the supervision of a faculty (advisor) and, at the advisor’s discretion and department approval, may be reviewed by an additional co-advisor. Student will have to present to a committee his/her research plan and hypothesis in the thesis proposal.

Course 4: XXX-496 Undergraduate Thesis II

 Prerequisites:

Undergraduate Thesis I

This is an independent research course focused on making research contributions and presenting the results in a thesis for students undertaking the CX in undergraduate research. In this course, students will refine their thesis proposal in previous thesis course and work closely with the advisor to demonstrate their research findings over one semester in a professional field. This requires students to ensure the novelty and originality of the idea, conduct extensive research to validate the main hypothesis and research questions, and have the skills needed to write the thesis and prepare the research results for the proper venue for possible publication. Students will learn to develop their professional communication skills to defend their thesis in front of an independent scientific committee and possible to deliver speech in a research symposia.

CONCENTRATION STRUCTURE

 Level:

Junior level and above students (requires department approval)

 Number of Credits:

12 credits (total of 4 courses)

 Time Commitment:

4 semesters (min), 2 courses are research thesis

 Assessment:

Letter Graded appears in the Academic Transcript

 Project Type:

Thesis

 Outcomes:

Thesis + Journal paper in the Journal of Undergraduate Research or International

 Mentor:

Faculty and committee