Senior Thesis

History Capstone:

The History Department's "capstone" for History majors and General Education majors specializing in History is the HIST 4990 course.  In this course, you will design an individual research project in consultation with the professor; share ideas and feedback with peers during the research and writing process; and write/revise a full-length (usually 25-30 pages) historical argument integrating analysis of original/primary evidence with secondary and historiographical sources.  Your Senior Thesis final draft will be assessed according to the criteria of core competencies expected of all History students. 

Benefits of Senior Thesis:

Engaging in a semester-long research and writing project allows you to develop and refine your abilities in writing, project management, analysis of primary and secondary texts, understanding of historiographical context, dialogue and collaboration with other scholars, and the sharing of your work with others.  Many Senior Thesis students present their research at conferences, like CSURF (Colorado Springs Undergraduate Research Symposium), and the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference, or submit their finished Senior Theses for publication in the UCCS Undergraduate Research Journal.

Pre-requisites for Senior Thesis: 

HIST 4990 is open to students of junior or senior standing who have taken nine (9) hours of upper-division History courses as a UCCS student. It is highly recommended that students complete HIST 3001: The Historian’s Craft prior to taking HIST 4990.

Choosing a Senior Thesis topic:

 Each semester, 2-3 faculty members lead separate Senior Thesis sections focused on particular time periods/regions/topics (see below).  Choose a section of HIST 4990 whose historical subjects align with your research interests, and contact the faculty member teaching that section to discuss your research idea.  Your research topic must be approved by the faculty member in whose section of HIST 4990 you enroll.