The thesis process: varied and growing

As the number of Graduation with Distinction students has increased, so has the variety of GWD programs across majors.

The number of students who graduate with distinction has doubled in both the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering over the past decade after a department-led initiative to increase interest in the program. The increase in the quantity of students pursuing GWD has driven up the quality of final theses, said Lee Baker, dean of academic affairs for Trinity.

“The students who choose to write undergrad theses are some of our best researchers,” Dean of Trinity Laurie Patton wrote in an email. “They've discovered their intellectual passion and are willing to give up a lot of other options to pursue that passion. We like seeing the number of students working in this manner grow."

With more students than ever participating across a range of departments—each with their own model and requirements for GWD—some have called for standardization of the process. Although a set program model is not a part of the GWD program’s immediate future, a trend towards seminar-based courses has emerged across Trinity and Pratt. Departments in Trinity have gravitated towards GWD seminars, allowing students the opportunity to collaborate with peers. While Pratt has also added GWD seminar courses, engineering deans have focused more on increasing the types of distinction available to engineering students.

Changes in participation

Although the GWD program has existed in some form for at least a century, student interest in the program has increased over the past decade—doubling from 12 to 25 percent of Trinity students and from 10 to 20 percent of Pratt students. Baker attributed the surge to departments’ efforts to reach out to students and encourage pursuing GWD.

“We have invested time and made [GWD] a priority, enabling funding resources to be distributed to departments who focus on thesis promotion,” he said.

Associate Dean of Trinity Norman Keul noted that the numbers in Trinity have plateaued over the past several years, but added that the slowed growth is to be expected—only a certain percentage of each class has a natural interest in pursuing a thesis.

“There is probably so much buy-in to the GWD programs because the departments can make it their own,” Baker said.

He noted that biology, cultural anthropology, economics, history, international comparative studies, sociology and public policy are among the departments that have demonstrated the most significant improvement in GWD participation and structure.

Trinity administrators are harnessing the departments’ GWD strengths with a thesis workshop for department heads this December as a forum to discuss best practices. Several Trinity departments have gravitated towards seminar-based thesis courses, where students enroll in a two-semester class and collaborate with their peers as they research and write their own topic. However, Keul emphasized that a standard program would not fit across all majors.

“We are not attempting to convert people to this one model,” he added. “It would be hard to standardize a GWD program because departments conduct research differently. For example, humanities students tend to do more solo work, while social sciences tend to have a more collaborative approach, and then sciences are lab-based.”

Although the Trinity and Pratt programs remain separate now, GWD programs within the two colleges may connect and collaborate in the future.

“The connection [between Trinity and Pratt] is not there, and it should be,” said Linda Franzoni, Pratt associate dean for undergraduate education.

With only four majors, Pratt GWD has less department diversity than Trinity and instead offers a variety of distinctive recognition opportunities. As participation in GWD has increased, Pratt administrators have also focused on expanding the paths to distinction available, adding the Grand Challenge Scholar program, endorsed by the National Academy of Engineering, and the Pratt Research Fellows Program, a school-wide competitive research program. Dean of Pratt Thomas Katsouleas noted that many Pratt students complete extensive research outside of the GWD based on the nature of their studies.

“Graduation with Distinction is just one of many honorary paths in Pratt, but it originates back into liberal arts culture—we’ve added different ways to become distinctive,” he said. “The underlying experience is one of deep scholarly inquiry with a faculty advisor, and that seems to be more important than any details of the requirement.”

Franzoni created a course three years ago for mechanical engineers pursuing GWD so that they could collaborate and share their research, mirroring several seminar-based GWD programs in Trinity.

“It made the students feel like they were in it together, and they were able to ask each other good questions and ensure that they weren’t too steeped in the jargon of their own project,” she said.

Biomedical engineering majors must complete an independent study and present the findings during an oral poster presentation session as opposed to writing a technical paper. All Pratt GWD programs share fundamental components, including a GPA cutoff and research with a faculty member.

Franzoni noted that the percentage of GWD students each year appears correlated to the job market and number of employment opportunities.

“Engineering is a very marketable degree, so if the jobs are there, [Pratt students] are going to be given attractive offers,” she said. “Students do research when the economy is not doing well as a strategy to become more educated so that when the economy does recover, they are at a higher level.”

If students are interested in graduate school, pursuing GWD allows engineering students to test their future plans and gain valuable research experience.

Student Spotlights: Current Graduation with Distinction Candidates

Chris Podracky, Chemistry

Senior Chris Podracky works in the McCafferty Lab, studying the chemical biology of chlamydia. For his GWD research, he is examining chlamydia enzymes in search of the most virulent enzyme, or combination of enzymes, that could then be blocked by small molecule inhibitors and kill the bacteria. Podracky noted that the Chemistry GWD path begins early since students must complete extensive lab training before beginning the two semesters of an independent study and an additional half-credit course, in addition to 20-hour weeks in the lab and writing the final paper. He noted that his GWD path began as early as freshman year.

“As a freshman, I had never done research before, so it was helpful when my chemistry seminar professor matched me with a second-year graduate student in the McCafferty Lab,” he said. “There are times when I thought I should try another lab, but I really like the people and the work.”

In order to graduate with distinction, Podracky will complete a paper outlining his research—what he did, what he learned, what worked and what did not work—paired with a final poster presentation. The chemistry GWD program has allowed him to explore future career paths and opportunities.

“When I came to Duke, I wanted to do pre-med, but then whenever I was volunteering at the hospital, I was always wishing that I was in the lab,” he said. “This is one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Duke, because you have these opportunities to work with people doing really interesting things. It changed the course I thought I would be on.”

Rebecca Holmes, Dance

Senior Rebecca Holmes studies West African dance and hip-hop, but she is combining her passion for education, dance, creativity and entrepreneurship in her thesis. It focuses on better understanding how dance education in elementary school classrooms is as integral as other subjects.

“I want to fight for dance’s voice, and show people that dance does matter and should be something taken seriously,” Holmes said.

The dance department requires all student majors to complete a senior project, either a choreographed production or a research paper, in addition to a new research methods course. Holmes noted that students who want to graduate with distinction must take their project one step further to qualify.

Her interdisciplinary research involves observing dance classes in local elementary schools, interviewing teachers and researching neuroscience and policy. For her final product, Holmes plans on creating an interactive video in which the art mimics the content. She noted the dance department’s emphasis on creativity in developing a final product.

“They want us to push boundaries and present something that leaves the audience in awe and with questions,” she said. “I believe in my project, and I am not doing this to check off a box—I want to know why dance does not have the validity that I think it should.”

Mary Hoch, English

Senior Mary Hoch chose to write a short novel for her English thesis as an opportunity to pursue creative writing and to graduate with distinction. Hoch traveled abroad four times at Duke, and these travels color the seven short stories that compose her 60,000-word novel—from Melbourne and Oxford to Nebraska and New York City.

“I can’t just sit at a desk and wait for an idea, I have to do things. That’s why I love to travel,” she said.

Within the English major, students can choose to write an analytical thesis or a creative thesis in order to graduate with distinction. GWD students then enroll in a workshop course and complete their thesis during senior year with help from their peers and academic advisor. Hoch works closely with English professor Christina Askounis and peers from her English workshop course, gleaning feedback and comments as her work evolves.

After graduating in December, Hoch wants to pursue a career in fiction publishing.

“It helps to have written things so that you know your authors and are able to connect with them,” she said. “[My thesis] helps my editing skills and ability to look at a work critically, understand how to fix it and improve the quality.”

Ishan Thakore, Public Policy

Senior Ishan Thakore wanted to develop continuity between his summer experiences in global health fieldwork and his public policy education. His thesis allowed him to conduct more extensive field research and travel back to Kenya after participating in the DukeEngage WISER program the previous summer. Thakore explored the most effective ways to adapt treatments for maternal depression to mobile phone systems in order to more easily access low-income mothers in more rural areas.

“Adapting part of those treatments using voice-based mobile technology can help health workers deliver treatments, because mobile phones are now highly prevalent in low-income countries,” Thakore wrote in an email Friday.

In the Public Policy major, students with a qualifying GPA enroll in a two-semester seminar course, beginning the Spring of their junior year and finishing during the Fall of senior year. GWD students collaborate across their various project topics, submitting a final thesis paper as well as presenting their work with a final poster.

Thakore noted that many of the skills he has learned throughout the thesis process will help him after graduation.

“There is a degree of persistence and determination involved when writing a major paper,” he said. “Sometimes I get frustrated or hit a stumbling block, but then I have to be willing to adjust to get it done, which is a good life skill."

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the Pratt majors. The article had been updated to reflect the correct information. The Chronicle regrets the error.