Each MSU student who wishes to graduate in the MSU Honors Program must complete a two-credit Honors senior project. This project may involve research, performance, artistic production, or other original work.

A creative project (e.g., art, music, theater, dance, film, computer programming, architectural design), as distinct from a work of traditional scholarship, must be documented by text as well as appropriate evidence of the work submitted (slides, audio and/or video tape, etc.). The text should describe the process involved in the work's production and, as appropriate, offer an analysis of or commentary on that work. This writing is analogous to that of an exhibition catalogue or narrative program.

Honors 499, Individual Study, is the appropriate course number for which a student needs to register when undertaking his or her Honors senior project. A student may enroll for a maximum of two semester credit hours of senior project work. A student needs to register for these credits no later than the end of the "add" period for any traditional course.

To register for Honors senior project credits, a student must:

· be a member in good standing of the MSU Honors Program

· have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25

· have completed at least 70 semester credit hours toward graduation

· have received the approval of the faculty member who will serve as project advisor

Each Honors program member has the right to select the faculty member that he or she deems best suited to advise the student on the Honors senior project. The senior project cannot be the same as a senior project completed in a student’s major field; the Honors senior project can, however, be related to this work. When working with a senior project advisor in a specific department, an Honors student needs to bear in mind that each department may set its own standards for methodology (i.e., empirical, comparative, or descriptive) and implementation of the project. While completing the senior project, an Honors Program member needs to consult with the Honors Director and/or the project advisor in the department through which they register for the project.

A student conducting an Honors senior project must submit to the Honors Program director a two-page (double spaced) typed or word-processed prospectus, along with a completed, signed Honors senior project form no later than the end of the semester before the Honors senior project is to be completed.

The prospectus should include the following information:

· a concise description of the problem, project, or issue to be studied

· the reason(s) for undertaking the senior project

· the relationship of this work to related work and/or concerns

· the material (e.g., literature, research question) to be consulted or examined

· the methods to be used

· the context in which results will be analyzed

· a brief list of primary and secondary material or references (as appropriate to a specific Honors senior project)

NOTE: The prospectus is not meant to be exhaustive. It should, however, help the student articulate her or his goals early in the process.

Successful completion of the Honors senior project is a prerequisite to graduation in good standing from the MSU Honors Program. Completion of the senior project partially fulfills the requirements for the 128 semester credits required for graduation from the university. Other requirements are described in the catalogue governing a student's year of matriculation, requirements in major field(s), cultural diversity course requirement, etc. A student who successfully completes the Honors senior project but who does not fulfill all other requirements for graduation from the university will still receive credit for the Honors senior project.