Students wishing to receive a BA in Cognitive Science with honors must carry out an independent research project that culminates in an honors thesis.

Application for Honors

To be eligible for consideration of honors status, students must

• • submit a research proposal (no more than three pages) by the end of the fifth week of the third quarter before the student graduates (canonically Autumn Quarter of the fourth year)
  • submit the Honors Thesis Advisor Agreement Form, with signatures from the student and advisor(s)
  • have an overall GPA of 3.25 or above by the time of proposal submission
  • have a GPA of 3.5 or above in courses counting towards the Cognitive Science major by the time of proposal submission

Research proposals should explain the project and its significance and document the student’s preparation for the work. Proposals should be approved by the student’s thesis advisor(s), and students are required to submit completed Honors Thesis Advisor Agreement Forms as part of their honors applications. Students are strongly encouraged to identify co-advisors from distinct disciplines.

Honors with a second major

This program may accept an honors thesis or project used to satisfy the same requirement in another major with the consent of both program directors. Students should consult with the relevant program directors by the earliest BA proposal deadline, or by the end of their third year if neither program publishes a deadline. The Petition to use a Single Bachelor’s Paper for Two Majors form, to be signed by both program directors, must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student’s year of graduation.

Final Thesis submission

The final thesis must be submitted by the fifth week of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate (typically Spring Quarter of the student’s fourth year). Theses should be emailed as PDFs to the Program Coordinator, Prof. Melinh Lai (melinh@uchicago.edu), and to the Faculty Director, Prof. Chris Kennedy (ck@uchicago.edu).