# Senior Thesis Program ## expand\_more The Senior Thesis Program is the capstone of the History concentration, and its successful completion asks students to combine the skills and interests that they have developed throughout the concentration. In conversation with advisors, students create their own project; and plan, research, write (and rewrite!) it. Its genesis differs from student to student. For some, the thesis provides students with the opportunity to develop a project that they first conceptualized in an earlier history course and explored more deeply in archives during the summer before senior year. For others, the thesis provides the opportunity to explore a long-held passion project. No matter the pathway, the department provides students with the support they need to take pride in their work. Two complementary advising tracks support students throughout senior year. Each thesis writer is paired with an advisor whose own research interests typically overlap with the themes and topics of the project. Faculty and upper-level graduate students can serve as thesis advisors. Thesis writers also enroll in History 99, the Senior Thesis Tutorial, which provides students with: a set of best practices for the thesis; a community of fellow thesis writers; a timeline for the thesis and a timetable of related deadlines; and regular opportunities for additional feedback on their work. Click here for a sample syllabus for History 99 and here for a list of recent thesis titles. Every year approximately half of all history concentrators choose to write a thesis. Rising seniors who wish to write a thesis must meet two prerequisites: they must have a B+ average in the concentration (3.3+ concentration GPA) and by the end of junior they must submit a 20-page seminar research paper (that receives a minimum of a B+). Students who do not meet these standards may petition the ADUS for admission to the program. In order to enter the thesis program, interested students must submit the thesis program application during junior year spring registration. There is also a thesis option for off-cycle students, please contact the ADUS for further information. Undergraduate theses in the History Department are typically between 85 and 120 pages, though there is always some variation to these numbers. The thesis entails considerable primary- and secondary-source research, and the goal is to make an original contribution to historical knowledge. Most thesis writers complete an analytical thesis, though there is an option for creative multimedia theses. For more information about the latter, including successful examples of multimedia theses, please contact the ADUS. Theses are due at 5pm on the Wednesday before spring break. Each thesis is then evaluated by one faculty member and one graduate student. These readers assign an evaluation on the English honors scale (highest honors, highest honors minus, high honors plus, high honors, high honors minus, honors plus, honors, or no distinction) and write a substantive report detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the thesis. If a student whose GPA qualifies them for Highest Honors (3.85) receives one highest-level reading, the Undergraduate Office will automatically assign them a third reader. Additionally, any thesis may be sent to a third reader when the first two evaluations are three or more distinctions apart (e.g., one high honors plus and one honors plus). Joint concentrators will always receive a third reading from their allied field. ### The Awarding of Departmental Honors in History expand\_more A thesis with two honors-range readings qualifies that student for departmental honors, otherwise known as English honors, which appear on their transcript after graduation. A departmental committee—the Board of Examiners (BOE), composed of a subset of history faculty members—meets in the spring to review each student’s file and to determine their recommendations for honors in history, recommendations which are officially approved at the May History Department faculty meeting. In making its preliminary nominations, the BOE first considers two elements: concentration GPA and thesis readings. The BOE then identifies those students who require an oral exam as a third component of their file. All students who are eligible for **highest honors** must sit for an oral examination with two members the Board of Examiners, and performance on this exam will be considered in determining the final honors recommendation. Those students at the border of two different degrees (e.g. Honors vs. High Honors) may also be asked to sit for an oral examination. To be considered eligible for highest honors in history, a student will ordinarily have a grade point average equal to or greater than 3.85 in courses taken for departmental credit and have received at least two **highest**-level thesis readings. In addition, the student must convince the Board of Examiners of their qualifications for the highest recommendation through their performance on the oral examination. Whether any particular candidate receives highest honors in history will be determined in part by the performance on the oral examination. To be considered eligible for high honors in history, a student will ordinarily have a grade point average greater than or equal to 3.7 and will have received two **high**-level readings on the thesis. To be considered eligible for honors in history, a student will ordinarily have a grade point average greater than or equal to 3.3 and will have received two **honors**-level readings on the thesis. After the final faculty vote for approval in May, the Undergraduate Office sends all recommendations for English honors to the Registrar’s Office, which then determines students’ Latin honors based on total GPA. Please visit [the Registrar’s Site](https://registrar.fas.harvard.edu/honors) for more information on how the College awards Latin honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude, no honors) and consult with your Resident Dean or the Registrar’s Office if you have further questions about College Honors. Candidates who do not receive the A.B. degree with honors in History will be considered by the FAS for the degree of cum laude, which is determined based on overall GPA. ### Grants expand\_more This section provides information about the myriad grants available at Harvard to support undergraduate summer and term-time research for senior thesis. Please also check the [Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF)](https://uraf.harvard.edu/) for information about research opportunities and research funding. To apply online for Harvard grants, please visit Harvard's [Centralized Application for Research and Travel (CARAT)](https://carat.fas.harvard.edu/) See the History Dept's [guidelines on requesting letters of recommendation](https://history.fas.harvard.edu/guidelines-requesting-letters-recommendation?admin_panel=1). #### **American History** [**Center for American Political Studies**](https://caps.gov.harvard.edu/) For research on any aspect of contemporary American politics. **Deadline:** **Friday, Feb. 13, 2026** [**Charles Warren Center**](https://warrencenter.fas.harvard.edu/) For research on any topic in American History. **Deadline:** [**Carol K. Pforzheimer Student Fellowships**](https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/opportunities-for-students/pforzheimer-student-fellowships) To provide funding to Harvard undergraduates to conduct research in the Schlesinger Library’s collections. **Deadline: February 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET** [**Weatherhead Center for International Affairs**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/) For thesis research on international affairs. **Deadline: February 13, 2026** #### **East Asian History** [**Asia Center Grants**](https://asiacenter.harvard.edu/funding-affiliation-opportunities/student-funding-resources) Visit the Asia Center's website for info. about their undergraduate summer research and travel grants and other funding resources. [**Fairbank Center Undergraduate Student Grants**](https://fairbank.fas.harvard.edu/grants/) The Fairbank Center, in cooperation with the other Asia related area centers at Harvard, offers a number of grants and fellowships to students and student groups interested in China and Taiwan. [**The Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies**](https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate/research) Awards summer research travel grants for Harvard undergraduates in the humanities or social sciences for research and/or fieldwork in Japan, relating directly to a senior honors thesis in an area of Japanese studies. [**Korea Institute Summer Research Travel Grant**](https://korea.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate-student-opportunities) Korea Institute Undergraduate Summer Travel Grants are awarded to Harvard undergraduates in the humanities or social sciences to use in Korea for research and/or field work relating to a senior honors thesis in an area of Korean studies. Typically, the amount of the award is limited to the cost of travel in the research project. Undergraduate applicants must have at least two years of Korean language training or equivalent proficiency in the language. #### **Modern European History** [**Patterson Traveling Fellowship**](https://uraf.harvard.edu/patterson-traveling-fellowship) For summer research, study, travel or work in Italy. **Deadline: March 5, 2025 - 11:59pm** [**Center for European Studies**](https://ces.fas.harvard.edu/opportunities/undergraduates/grants/senior-thesis-grant) CES offers summer research travel grants for senior thesis writers to explore topics on political, historical, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual trends in modern or contemporary Europe. **Deadline: January 19, 2026** [**Goldman Undergraduate Research Travel Grant (Davis Center for Russian Studies**](https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate-studies/grants) Goldman Undergraduate Research Travel Grants of up to $6,000 are available to offset travel and living expenses for students carrying out independent research on topics in Russian and Eurasian studies. **Deadline:** **Feb. 10, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST** [**Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute**](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/funding-harvard-students) For support to conduct research projects in Ukraine. Deadline: TBA [**Harvard-Cambridge Summer Fellowship**](https://uraf.harvard.edu/harvard-cambridge-summer-fellowship) The Harvard-Cambridge Scholarship Committee offers summer scholarships to undergraduates for supervised research or study at Cambridge University. The specific research of study proposed by the applicant must be conducted under the supervision of an advisor who is an instructor, fellow or researcher associated with Cambridge University or one of its colleges, or a research facility associated with the University. **Deadline: January 22, 2026** #### **Medieval History** [**Angeliki E. Laiou Undergraduate Research Fund**](https://history.fas.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum4421/files/2025-04/Laiou%20Fund%20-%20Application%20Form.pdf) This fund was established in honor of Angeliki Laiou (1941-2008), Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine History and an internationally celebrated scholar, colleague, statesman, mentor, and friend. During the nearly four decades that she spent at Harvard, her passionate, charismatic teaching instilled in countless students the importance of studying the past. Reflecting her staunch commitment to undergraduate teaching and research, the fund supports undergraduates at Harvard College who are conducting research on topics relating to Byzantine, medieval European, and medieval Mediterranean history. The grants may be up to $1,000 and may be used to cover a variety of research-related expenses, including travel, securing digital scans from libraries and archives, and translations. Senior thesis writers are especially encouraged to apply, but grants can be made for non-thesis research as well. Students planning to conduct summer thesis research are encouraged to apply before March 1, but applications may be submitted at any point during the academic year. To apply, submit a completed [copy of the form](https://history.fas.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum4421/files/2025-04/Laiou%20Fund%20-%20Application%20Form.pdf) to the History Undergraduate Office, along with a 300-500 word description of your project and a tentative budget. For more information, contact Professor Daniel Smail (). #### **Other Fields** [**Center for African Studies**](https://africa.harvard.edu/undergraduate-student-funding) The Center for African Studies offers funding to Harvard undergraduate students traveling to Africa for thesis research, internships, volunteer work or study abroad. Grants require a minimum stay of eight weeks in Africa. Our grant awards are limited and intended to cover round-trip travel and a modest stipend. **Deadline:** [**Undergraduate Research Scholarships in Australian Studies**](https://harvaus.fas.harvard.edu/student-funding)**:** To support research and/or field work related to an area of Australian studies. [**The Canada Program Undergraduate Thesis Research Grants**](https://canada.wcfia.harvard.edu/student-funding/thesis) The Center will award undergraduate thesis research grants of up to $5,000 each for summer field research in Canada. Recipients of the grants will be named Undergraduate Associates of the Weatherhead Center and are expected to present their thesis research at a conference in the spring semester before their theses are due. **Deadline:** **February 23, 2026** [**Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights (EMR)**](https://emr.fas.harvard.edu/opportunities/grants/) The Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights (EMR) awards summer grants to assist Harvard juniors with research for a senior honors thesis. The department(s) in which the thesis will be written is open so long as research addresses one or more areas of ethnicity, race, im/migration, Indigeneity, and human rights. **Deadline:** [**The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability**](https://salatainstitute.harvard.edu/travel-grants/) Summer Research Fund provides financial support for student research projects related to the environment. **Deadline:** [**Center for Jewish Studies**](https://cjs.fas.harvard.edu/fellowships-prizes/harvard-students/#summer-funding) To support qualified Harvard undergraduates with summer research or study in Jewish studies. For more info., click [here](http://cjs.fas.harvard.edu/fellowships-and-prizes/#). **Deadline:** [**Center for Middle Eastern Studies**](https://cmes.fas.harvard.edu/funding) The Center for Middle Eastern Studies offers fellowships and travel grants to Harvard undergraduates during wintersession and summer for Arabic language study, and research/fieldwork in Israel. **Deadline: March 1, 2026 - 11:59pm** [**Center for the Study of World Religions**](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/opportunities/undergraduate-summer-research-grants) The Harvard Divinity School awards an undergraduate award for summer senior thesis-related research. For theses that significantly address an interreligious, cross-cultural, or comparative theme. The research may be ethnographic or archival, and a portion of the award may be used for the purchase of books. **Deadline: April 1, 2026** [**David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies** ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/student-opportunities#Grants%20&%20Funding) Supports undergraduate students conducting thesis research related to Latin America and the Caribbean. Research proposals are accepted from all disciplines, but must be directly related to the region. **Deadline: February 9, 2026** [**Department of Romance Languages Dressler Family Traveling Grant**](https://rll.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate/prizes) For travel and study in the Romance language countries (e.g. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Latin America). Students must have completed at least one course in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard. Financial need is a requirement for application. **Deadline:** [**Harvard College Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF)**](https://uraf.harvard.edu/) The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships administers more than 30 fellowship competitions annually, for both prestigious national fellowships and scholarships as well as Harvard fellowships, which are open to Harvard College undergraduates. [**Yun Family Research Fellows Fund for Revolutionary Thinking**](https://uraf.harvard.edu/yun-family-fund) The Yun Family Research Fellows Fund for Revolutionary Thinking is designed to support undergraduate scholars of talent and promise who want to explore the theory and practice of tackling the world’s problems through bold, innovative, and novel research projects of their own design. The award promotes creative and unconventional approaches that display a high degree of originality and intellectual depth. All disciplines are eligible for consideration, and projects may encompass inter- and multi-disciplinary permutations. Projects also may serve as the foundation for undergraduate thesis submission, as approved by academic departments. **DEADLINE:** **DECEMBER 2, 2025, 11:59PM ET** #### **All-Purpose and Other Grants** [**The Robert P. Ulin Fund for Excellence in History**](https://hu-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/r/personal/lmjohns_fas_harvard_edu/Documents/Ulin_Fund%20description%202025-26.pdf?csf=1&web=1&e=jA6aE7) For summer thesis research or language study. Apply on [CARAT](https://carat.fas.harvard.edu/applicant/browse?type=U) **Deadline**: **Monday, March 23, 2026**