Senior Thesis

Senior Thesis

The Senior Thesis is your final general education requirement and the capstone of your undergraduate career. It is a serious exercise in the organization and presentation of written material related to your major. You select a topic for your thesis in consultation with your faculty reader(s). If you are pursuing honors in your major, consult the appropriate department chair for any special requirements or guidelines related to honors.

 

Getting Started on your Thesis Project

To learn about all of the administrative requirements for registration, production, submission, and upload of your thesis, along with information about resources to assist with each step of the process. Please review the Senior Thesis FAQ.

* Science majors in the Classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 (including transfer students) must complete a science thesis (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Analysis, Neuroscience, or Physics 188L and 190L; or Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Analysis, Neuroscience, or Physics 191). All two-semester science theses include labs and lab fees. Science majors make all thesis arrangements through the Keck Science Department and must register for the appropriate course.

 


Writing and Formatting Guidelines

Formatting and style expectations depend on the discipline in which you’re writing. Check with your reader to settle on a style guide and stick with it throughout your entire project. Be sure to visit The Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD) for help with everything from developing your thesis topic to final formatting.

Students wishing to view previously submitted theses for formatting ideas and examples can visit the online repository at Scholarship@Claremont and browse or search for any CMC thesis. Searching for “Best Senior Thesis” (including the quotation marks) will pull up the highest quality theses.

 


Submitting your Completed Thesis

Submit to Scholarship@Claremont.

 


Submitting your Thesis to Scholarship@Claremont

CMC maintains its senior thesis collection in the Claremont Colleges Library’s online scholarly repository, Scholarship@Claremont. Students will submit electronic versions of their Senior Theses to Scholarship@Claremont. The upload is a mandatory part of the senior thesis process for all CMC students, including science majors and students with off-campus majors. Students requesting an exemption will have their thesis removed from the Library's repository. CMC will retain a copy of the thesis in the student's records.