Guidelines for Senior Thesis: Special Circumstances

Double Majors

A double major may choose to have a thesis advisor in another department but still be part of the Mathematics Senior Thesis Program. Some double majors may also choose to complete a thesis in an external department and petition to substitute it for the math department requirements. In general, this process requires cooperation between the two departments and the student is strongly urged to talk to the Thesis Coordinators in both departments, and to become familiar with the particular requirements of each department.

External Advisor

If your thesis advisor is in an external department, you must identify a second reader in the HMC math department before the beginning of the academic year.

Interdisciplinary Theses

If your thesis is interdisciplinary in nature, it must still contain significant mathematical content to satisfy the requirements of the mathematics major. In particular, your midterm report and final must include at least one separate chapter dedicated to detailing the mathematical aspects of your research. A member of the HMC Mathematics Department (typically the second reader) and the thesis coordinator must approve the mathematical content of both the mid-year report and the final thesis.

Substituting a Senior Thesis from an External Department in the Math Major

If you want the thesis work you do in another department to fulfill the thesis requirements for the mathematics major as well, there are some alternate specific requirements you must fulfill. In particular, you will have had to obtain the approval of the Mathematics Department Curriculum Committee (MDCC) in the spring of your Junior year. Your petition to the MDCC should include an explanation of the anticipated mathematical content of your thesis.

In past years, these students have been required to

  1. Present their research in the Mathematics Thesis Seminar in the fall
  2. Submit a midterm report in the fall and a final thesis in the spring, satisfying the interdisciplinary thesis requirements for mathematical content stated above
  3. Present their research in some public forum in the spring
  4. Present a talk about the research at Presentation Days
  5. Submit both written and electronic (PDF) versions of the final thesis to the Thesis Coordinator containg the Mathematics Thesis coverpage with appropriate signatures

While use of the mathematics department's thesis template is strongly encouraged for the midterm report and final thesis, it is not absolutely necessary.

Please see the Math Thesis Coordinator to learn more about the special requirements for double majors.