Undergraduate Thesis in Chemistry
Undergraduate Research Symposium
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MIT UROP Office
HHMI-MIT Summer Research Fellowship in Chemical Biology

Chemistry majors are invited to prepare an Undergraduate Thesis describing the results of original research they have conducted under the supervision of a member of the MIT Chemistry Department faculty. The undergraduate thesis is not a requirement for the S.B. degree in Chemistry, but students intending to pursue graduate work in chemistry are strongly encouraged to obtain experience doing original research as part of their preparation for graduate school.

Students preparing a thesis should enroll in course 5.THU in the semester they intend to submit their thesis (generally the spring of the senior year). At least two semesters of research (summer UROP is considered to be the equivalent of a semester of research) in addition to the "5.THU semester" usually constitutes the minimum research experience that can provide the basis for a satisfactory thesis. Research toward a thesis carried out prior to 5.THU can be conducted for credit under 5.UR, 5.URG, or as "UROP for Pay." Students enrolled in 5.THU may not simultaneously enroll in 5.UR or 5.URG that semester and may not receive financial support that semester through the UROP program, although they may be directly employed by faculty members as research assistants.

STYLE AND LENGTH

Your advisor will provide you with guidance concerning the specific style and organization appropriate for your thesis. In general, the style should follow that style appropriate for a full journal article in your particular area of chemistry. In most cases the thesis will include sections entitled "Introduction and Background", "Results", and "Discussion", and an Experimental Section. Literature citations should follow the format required by typical journals in your area.

The thesis should be double-spaced and typically will be 25 to 50 pages in length, under no circumstances exceeding 100 pages in length. The thesis should begin with a Title Page followed by a one-page Abstract, both conforming to the format described in the publication "Specifications for Thesis Preparation" prepared by the MIT Libraries Archives Department (14N-118) [this publication is available at the website: http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/thesis-specs/. A Table of Contents should also be included in the thesis.

SUBMISSION OF THE THESIS

Students enrolled in 5.THU in the Fall must submit their thesis no later than December 1. Students enrolled in 5.THU in the Spring semester must submit their thesis no later than Friday, April 28. One copy of the thesis should be submitted to the Research Supervisor, and 2 printed copies and a pdf file for the Chemistry Department should be submitted to the office of the Associate Department Head (Professor Ceyer, 6-217).

EVALUATION OF THE THESIS AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

The Research Supervisor will read the thesis and determine the letter grade the student will receive for course 5.THU. In general, students should enroll in 5.THU for 6 to 21 units. Each spring, faculty supervisors will recommend particularly outstanding theses to a faculty committee that will select one or more students to receive special Departmental Research Awards. An Undergraduate Research Symposium is held each spring and all students completing theses are encouraged to make an oral presentation at the symposium. Information concerning the Undergraduate Research Symposium will be posted on the Chemistry Department website by Professor Cummins, the Symposium Coordinator.