Bachelor’s Essay Student Workflow

Bachelor’s Essay Workflow for Students

This document is designed to provide you with a workflow process to follow as you plan your senior thesis (the bachelor’s essay).  This is a six-credit project completed over two semesters (the six hours of credit assumes that the student completes approximately 10 hours of engagement in the project per week).  It should be a project that reflects the scholarly and/or creative work of the discipline.

We strongly advise you to approach a faculty advisor at least one semester before your project is scheduled to begin.  You should bring a short (one-page) project description accompanied by a bibliography/list of materials to the meeting.  Ideally, every one of you will register for the project through the departmental 499A/B (e.g., PSYC 499A/B, BIOL 448A/B, 498A/B, 499A/B, POLI 499A/B). However, in cases where a project is interdisciplinary, where the student needs to complete a project outside of the major, or where the home department does not have a BE number, you can register for the BE using the HONS 499A/B courses.

Remember, faculty do not get paid for directing senior theses.  Therefore, it is vital to approach someone with whom you have an existing relationship promptly to demonstrate that you are serious about the project.  Most departments also have guidelines about how many total students faculty members should supervise, as well as policies about how to manage bachelor essay proposals. In all cases, the Honors College supports these departmental standards.

Workflow Process to Formally Enroll in your Bachelor’s Essay

  1. Check with your department to see if there is an official application process for the BE. Some departments (like English and History) require students to write a proposal, while others simply require the approval of the department chair.  Any departmental processes must be completed before you begin the individual enrollment form.
  2. This next step is the most important of all; choosing a faculty member to lead your project. Our advice is to (1) approach someone you already know whose (2) research specialty is related to your project. By approaching an advisor early with a written proposal, you greatly increase the chances that they will say yes.
  3. Complete the DocuSign individual enrollment form for the BE. Students have the right to intitiate this step, but we strongly recommend that your advisor takes the lead to ensure the form is properly completed. The form contains instructions for the supporting information that must be submitted with your application.  You must attach a completed syllabus with specific learning outcomes.
  4. The DocuSign process is new, and some faculty may not have used it before. Below are detailed instructions you can share with your advisor.

If you are using any BE number other than HONS 499A/B, follow these instructions:

    • Complete the DocuSign process using PowerForm Signer
    • The faculty member enters your name and e-mail as the “Student”
    • The faculty member enters their name and e-mail as the “Faculty Supervisor”
    • The faculty member enters the name and e-mail of their Department Chair as “Department Chair/Program Director or Dean of Honors”
    • The faculty member enters the name and e-mail of the departmental Administrator under “Department/Program Admin for Completed Department Copy”
    • The faculty member clicks “begin signing”
    • That will pull up a new screen where the faculty member can enter the specific information for the BE (course number, title, etc.)

If you are using the HONS 499A/B number, your faculty advisor should follow this workflow:

    • Complete the DocuSign process using PowerForm Signer
    • The faculty member enters your name and e-mail as the “Student”
    • The faculty member enters their name and e-mail as the “Faculty Supervisor”
    • The faculty member enters Bryan Ganaway and ganawayb@cofc.edu as “Department Chair/Program Director or Dean of Honors”
    • The faculty member enters Mary Moser and moserm@cofc.edu under “Department/Program Admin for Completed Department Copy”
    • The faculty member clicks “begin signing”
    • That will pull up a new screen where the faculty member can enter the specific information for the BE (course number, title, etc.)

Other Things to Consider

  • The deadline for individual enrollment courses is usually about three weeks into the semester.
  • You and your advisor will need to set up a regular schedule of meetings in order to monitor progress. What this schedule looks like will depend on your discipline and the nature of the project.
  • ADDENDUM: off-campus projects. Many students use research they have done off-campus (at MUSC, for example) as their BE project.  If you are in this situation, the registration process is slightly different.  You may work with a non-CofC faculty member, but you must identify a CofC faculty member in the same field to physically sign you up for the 6 credits of senior thesis.  This requires you to do a bit of triangulation between your two advisors.  The “on-site” advisor is leading your project and doing the grading, but the “CofC” advisor must help you complete the paperwork and enter the grades for you.
  • If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Ganaway at ganawayb@cofc.edu.