Political Science Thesis Deadlines/Guidelines

Registrar's Thesis Guidelines

Requirements for Format and Deposit of Theses for Honors

Thesis Requirements/Deadlines
 

For handing in final thesis to the department please submit an electronic PDF copy of your thesis via email to your advisor, second reader, third reader, and the Academic Department Coordinator, Theresa Laizer at talaizer@amherst.edu..  Please list your advisor, second reader, and third reader names on your title page.

• Bold indicates fixed departmental deadlines
• The target page length of a thesis: 75 pages.
• For E-Graduate deadlines - see E-Graduate Section.

March 1 of your Junior Year:  An application and proposal must be submitted electronically.  Your application and proposal must be submitted NO LATER THAN March 1st. Your application and proposal should lay out your problem and/or the questions you will address, explain the methods you will use, and provide a short bibliography of background literature for your thesis. You should also indicate your preferred advisor. Acceptance into the program will depend on student academic qualifications and the availability of faculty in the department.  Register for a minimum of two senior thesis courses.

Mid-September: First meeting with advisor: negotiate frequency of meetings and work plan for the entire semester. Begin thesis work: Some advisors will suggest that you should be reading 600-700 pp. a week. Others will encourage you to begin writing early. Remember, you are taking two advanced seminars. Arrange a meeting with Social Sciences Librarian who works with the Political Science Department.

Mid-October: The thesis topic by this point should be more well-defined. For example, you may submit an outline of the thesis (with estimated page lengths of different sections) or perhaps a bibliography (already read and to read)

November: Before TG: Substantial progress in writing is expected. For example, submit one chapter draft, preferably the chapter outlining the argument or literature review.

December: Before finals: More progress in writing and reading is expected (in order to get feedback from your advisor before the end of the semester). For example, submit a second chapter draft and maybe a revised draft of the November chapter.

Winter break: What break? You should be writing, writing, writing.

January: (Holiday Exception: Deadline January 2, 2024) First Monday in January submit the first draft of your entire thesis by midnight. This is a very strict deadline because your faculty readers need time to review drafts before the semester begins in late January. Please submit an electronic PDF copy of your thesis via email to your advisor, second reader, and the Academic Department Coordinator, Theresa Laizer at talaizer@amherst.edu.  Please list your advisor and second reader names on your title page. Before the final submission deadline, you will be assigned a third reader by the Department.

Add/drop period for Spring Semester: Meet with your Second Reader and main advisor. Please contact your second reader the first day of the semester to schedule an appointment to receive comments on your draft. Your thesis advisor will inform you of the decision about whether you will be able to continue with the thesis project (in which case, you will register for one senior thesis course), otherwise, you will need to submit your work for a “special topics course” to be graded by your thesis advisor. 

February: Devise a plan for revisions in consultation with your advisor. During the spring semester, you may find yourself doing multiple tasks (e.g., reading new materials, re-reading old materials, revising chapters, and writing new sections).

April: First Monday in April submit final thesis by midnight. A thesis defense with your First and Third Reader will be scheduled in April (typically 20-30 minutes). Please submit an electronic PDF copy of your thesis via email to your advisor, second reader, third reader, and the Academic Department Coordinator, Theresa Laizer at talaizer@amherst.edu. Please list your advisor, second reader, and third reader names on your title page.

Thesis Advisors: All thesis students will be assigned a primary advisor (at the start of the program) and two additional readers (later in the fall semester). In assigning primary advisors, the governing considerations are subject matter expertise/interest of the faculty, equitable distribution of the workload, student preference. Five College Professors who regularly teach in our department may serve as primary advisors or as second and third readers. In assigning second and third readers, the principal advisor shall play a primary role. Colleagues from other departments at Amherst or in the Five Colleges may serve as second and third readers. Only one member of a thesis committee may be from another department at Amherst or from the Five Colleges.

Grades: In assigning letter grades for thesis courses the department follows the following practice. For cum laude: B-, B, B+; for magna: B+, A-; for summa: A-, A, A+. The principal advisor is free to assign the final grade within these ranges.

E-Graduate Thesis Requirements/Deadlines:

October 1st of your Junior Year:  An application and proposal must be submitted electronically at https://www.amherst.edu/mm/211499.  Your application and proposal must be submitted NO LATER THAN October 1. Your application and proposal should lay out your problem and/or the questions you will address, explain the methods you will use, and provide a short bibliography of background literature for your thesis. You should also indicate your preferred advisor. Acceptance into the program will depend on student academic qualifications and the availability of faculty in the department.  Register for a minimum of two senior thesis courses.

Mid-April: First meeting with advisor: negotiate frequency of meetings and work plan for the entire semester. Begin thesis work: Some advisors will suggest that you should be reading 600-700 pp. a week. Others will encourage you to begin writing early. Remember, you are taking two advanced seminars. Arrange a meeting with a Social Sciences Librarian who works with the Political Science Department.

Mid-May: The thesis topic by this point should be more well-defined. For example, you may submit an outline of the thesis (with estimated page lengths of different sections) or perhaps a bibliography (already read and to read)

Mid-June:  Substantial progress in writing is expected. For example, submit one chapter draft, preferably the chapter outlining the argument or literature review.

Mid-July: Before the Fall semester starts: More progress in writing and reading is expected (in order to get feedback from your advisor before the start of the semester). For example, submit a second chapter draft and maybe a revised draft of the June chapter.

August: Monday, 2 weeks before the start of the Fall semester, submit the first draft of your entire thesis by midnight. This is a very strict deadline because your faculty readers need time to review drafts before the fall semester begins. Please submit an electronic PDF copy of your thesis via email to your advisor, second reader, and the Academic Department Coordinator, Theresa Laizer at talaizer@amherst.edu..  Please list your advisor and second reader names on your title page. Before the final submission deadline, you will be assigned a third reader by the Department.

Add/drop period for Fall Semester: Meet with your Second Reader and main advisor. Please contact your second reader the first day of the semester to schedule an appointment to receive comments on your draft. Your thesis advisor will inform you of the decision about whether you will be able to continue with the thesis project (in which case, you will register for one senior thesis course), otherwise, you will need to submit your work for a “special topics course” to be graded by your thesis advisor.

End of September: Devise a plan for revisions in consultation with your advisor. During the fall semester, you may find yourself doing multiple tasks (e.g., reading new materials, re-reading old materials, revising chapters, and writing new sections).

November: First Monday in November, submit final thesis by midnight. A thesis defense with your First and Third Reader will be scheduled in November (typically 20-30 minutes). Please submit an electronic PDF copy of your thesis via email to your advisor, second reader, third reader, and the Academic Department Coordinator, Theresa Laizer at talaizer@amherst.edu..  Please list your advisor, second reader, and third reader names on your title page.

Thesis Advisors: All thesis students will be assigned a primary advisor (at the start of the program) and two additional readers (later in the fall semester). In assigning primary advisors, the governing considerations are subject matter expertise/interest of the faculty, equitable distribution of the workload, student preference. Five College Professors who regularly teach in our department may serve as primary advisors or as second and third readers. In assigning second and third readers, the principal advisor shall play a primary role. Colleagues from other departments at Amherst or in the Five Colleges may serve as second and third readers. Only one member of a thesis committee may be from another department at Amherst or from the Five Colleges.

Grades: In assigning letter grades for thesis courses the department follows the following practice. For cum laude: B-, B, B+; for magna: B+, A-; for summa: A-, A, A+. The principal advisor is free to assign the final grade within these ranges.