MSCS Honors Procedures

The MSCS Department encourages juniors interested in undertaking a large project related to the major to consult with faculty members about applying for the senior Honors program. To earn Honors in Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, or Computer Science, a student must complete a substantial independent research project. The topic should be chosen to demonstrate a broad and deep understanding of the chosen subject area.

Compared to a Capstone Project, an Honors Project has significantly elevated standards and expectations. In particular, an Honors Project:

Requires permission to undertake. The department and honors advisor will assess the student’s preparedness to complete an honors project before approving the student. This ensures that the student is prepared for the project.
Requires more depth. Honors projects typically exceed the scope of any single MSCS course project, and require a written research paper/thesis.
Must demonstrate a broader understanding of the field.
Must show significant originality, which may include original synthesis, integration, or understanding beyond the scope of simple revision or comprehension of existing knowledge.

Students frequently earn credits for independent work in the department in pursuit of the research for the Honors Project. Students should discuss with their honors advisor about expectations for independent work credits.

Timeline and Institutional Procedures

The departmental and institutional deadlines below facilitate progress toward a successful Honors paper. The official college honors program guidelines and deadlines are found here: Macalester College Honors Program. In all cases, college deadlines supersede the ones below, and are firm. December graduates must arrange suitable deadlines one semester earlier on an individual basis.

Application to the department: April 30 (Junior year)
This is a hard deadline. The department reviews all project proposals before the May department meeting (first Tuesday in May).
Demonstration of meaningful writing progress: November 30
By the last day of November students must submit to their faculty advisor and MSCS honors coordinators evidence of meaningful writing progress. This must include a detailed outline and a draft of at least one section of the paper, determined with the advisor. The faculty advisor might share additional expectations (including an earlier deadline) in advance, as relevant to a student’s unique project.
Presentation of project progress in Department Seminar: Late November/early December
During a Department Seminar, all honors students present a 5-minute talk on their progress. Presenting is a mandatory part of progressing with the honors project.
Evaluation of student progress by the department: Late January (see official college deadline)
As part of ongoing regular meetings between honors students and their faculty advisors, faculty advisors and students will decide together if the project is at a satisfactory stage for continuation.
Selection of honors committee: Mid-January (suggested deadline)
In Fall, students and their faculty advisor should discuss the potential composition of the honors committee. (See section below “Selection of Honors Committee” for details on committee composition.) If there is a clear vision for committee members, it may make sense to reach out to them early–especially if the student is seeking specific project advice from these committee members. Otherwise, students should identify and reach out to committee members by mid-January so that these members can plan accordingly.
Rough draft due: March 1
By March 1, students must submit to their faculty advisor and MSCS honors coordinators evidence of meaningful progress on their paper. At minimum, this must include a finalized, detailed outline and rough drafts of all sections of the paper. The faculty advisor might share additional expectations (including an earlier deadline) in advance, as relevant to a student’s unique project. Submitting a rough draft is a mandatory part of progressing with the honors project.
Schedule final oral examination (defense): early March
In early March, students should begin planning for their defense by consulting with their advisor and coordinating schedules with committee members.
Final abstract due: Early April (see official college deadline)
Final draft due to honors committee: At least 2 weeks before your oral examination (defense)
In order to give the committee enough time to read the paper and prepare for the defense, students must send a final draft to committee members at least 2 weeks before their defense. (This likely won’t be the final paper because there may be some suggestions on improving the paper at the defense.) Submitting a final draft is a mandatory part of progressing with the honors project.
Final oral examination (defense): Mid-April (see official college deadline)
More details are provided at the bottom of this page.
Final PDF of paper due: Late April (see official college deadline)
By the college’s deadline, students must submit a PDF of their final paper to both their faculty advisor and Academic Programs & Advising. Check the college’s current procedures for submission and printing.

Application to Department

Entry standards: To be accepted into the Honors Program in the Mathematics major, Statistics major, Data Science major, or Computer Science major, a student must have demonstrated the discipline, skills, and the depth of understanding necessary for successful completion of an Honors project, and must have the support of a faculty member willing to serve as the Honors advisor. Evidence of preparedness might include, but is not limited to:

GPA or success in courses for the major
Successful course projects, research or internship experience
Demonstrated growth throughout the major

Timing: All juniors, including those who are studying away in the spring term, must indicate their interest in pursuing a senior Honors project by filing a project proposal with the proposed faculty advisor by April 30. We highly recommend that students studying away during spring of the junior year draft their proposal in consultation with their proposed Honors advisor before leaving campus.

Finding a faculty advisor: Students should discuss possible project topics with MSCS faculty members who they would like to work with; students must gain the approval and agreement of the faculty advisor before submitting a proposal. Faculty can decline to advise an Honors project for any reason.

Student research proposals: Students must submit an MSCS Honors Application form that includes some background information as well as the following:

A project description and title
The name of a faculty sponsor in the department
A timeline describing when and how the research and writing will take place
A personal statement that explains why the student feels well-prepared to undertake an Honors project

Faculty endorsement: Each student proposal must be accompanied by an endorsement from a faculty member describing:

The qualifications of the student and evidence of student preparedness for undertaking an Honors project. Evidence might include, but is not limited to, GPA or success in courses, successful course projects, research or internship experience, demonstrated growth throughout the major.
The feasibility of the project, and the likelihood of successful completion
Whether the student has adequate course work for the proposed project
The sponsor’s willingness to supervise the project

Evaluation of proposals: The Department will evaluate proposals based on: (1) the intellectual clarity and promise of the project; (2) the amount of prior preparation for the project; and (3) an assessment of the student’s capacity to successfully carry out the project.

The Department will determine one of the following.

A proposal may be approved.
A proposal may be rejected as unsuitable.
A proposal may be provisionally approved and require revision and resubmission in the fall. In this case, a proposal adhering to the above guidelines must be submitted to the department early in the fall semester, the exact date of which will be communicated in advance. This proposal may be approved or rejected as unsuitable.

Project Presentation in Department Seminar (December progress update)

Honors students will give a short (5 minute) overview of their project and their progress thus far during a Department Seminar in late November or early December. This presentation will be aimed at both faculty and students. Although students may not have research results at this time, they are expected to 1) describe the research problem they are addressing, 2) describe why the research problem is important, and 3) outline their next steps in the research process.

Selection of Honors Committee

Successful completion of the Honors project requires the approval of the student’s Honors Committee. The Honors Committee consists of the faculty advisor, a second faculty member from the same discipline, and a third faculty reviewer. The third committee member may be (1) a non-MSCS person with expertise in the topic of the project, or (2) another MSCS faculty member. In the second case, it is preferred, though not required, that the MSCS faculty member be from a different discipline from the other committee members. All committee members must sign the Project Completion Form for the project to be approved.

January Evaluation

Evaluation: During January, the faculty advisor will update the MSCS department about the student’s progress. The department will then determine whether the project should be continued as an Honors project.

Honors projects that do not continue: Projects that the department determines should not continue as Honors projects may continue as Capstone projects.

Final Evaluation

An Honors project culminates in the following artifacts:

An Honors paper and abstract. These are due to the Honors Committee on the Monday following spring break. Recall that an honors project will:
1. exceed the scope of any single MSCS course project, and
2. demonstrate significant originality, which may include original synthesis, integration, or understanding beyond the scope of simple revision or comprehension of existing knowledge.
An oral presentation and examination on the substance of the honors project. The oral examination will take place prior to the college deadline, usually around mid-April. More details on this are detailed in the section below.

The student’s Honors Committee will reach consensus on one of the following evaluations of the project:

To accept the project, although some changes may be required. The committee will specify one of three options for this revision. The committee may
1. delegate final approval to the advisor
2. require final committee approval
To recommend that the project be rejected as unacceptable.

Oral Presentation and Examination

In mid to late March, after the honors student and advisor have confirmed the composition of the Honors Committee (see section above for details on committee composition), the honors student will schedule a 1-1.5 hour time block where the whole committee is available. (Usually a 1 hour time block is ideal.) The structure of this time is as follows:

Public presentation: The honors student will give a 25-30 minute presentation on their project. The Honors Committee will be in attendance, and anyone else is invited to intend (including Macalester community members, family members, friends). Note that the MSCS department will advertise honors talks to the department and many MSCS students often attend. The talk should balance being accessible to a general audience but also convey technical detail that is more at the level of your Honors Committee. Generally, you should aim for the context and motivation for your work to be accessible to a general audience. Details of methodology and results may only be fully accessible to your Honors Committee.
Public Q&A: The honors advisor and/or student will facilitate about 10 minutes of Q&A with questions from the general audience.
Private Q&A: The honors advisor will dismiss everyone but the Honors Committee so that the Honors Committee members can ask more questions.
Wrap-up: The honors student will leave the room briefly so that the Committee can discuss the student’s work. The student will be invited back again to discuss results.

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