Honours Thesis

Our students produce a wide variety of interesting work on an eclectic range of salient and timely topics relating to media, communications and the social aspects of technology. One of the key projects of CNM students is the honours thesis where students develop their own research questions, conduct independent fieldwork and analyse their data under close guidance from their supervisors. In other CNM courses, students also undertake other research projects such as product proposals and business plans.

Criteria to Read NM4401 Honours Thesis

NM4401 Honours Thesis (8 Units) is optional. The Honours Thesis/Project is not compulsory for the Honours Degree. Students who do not read the Honours Thesis/Project can read with the Independent Studies Module (ISM) or other level-4000 courses in their respective majors.

Depending on the student's goals, they may opt for either Research-based Honours Thesis (RBHT) or Practice-based Honours Thesis (PBHT). To choose either HT option, students must:

  1. Be on the Honours track and have completed 110 Units, including 44 Units in the major, with a minimum GPA of 3.50 and SJAP of 4.00. Students may seek a waiver of the SJAP pre-requisite from the department if they have a minimum GPA of 4.25 after completing 110 Units;
  2. Read and pass NM4102 (mandatory for RBHT; strongly recommended for PBHT)
    • Can be completed in the first thesis semester.
  3. Not have read NM4660 Independent Study. Students who wish to read NM4660 Independent Study may refer to this page instead.

In addition, students who are embarking on practice-based HT must have read, or be reading, course relevant to their intended project (subject to approval from the department and supervisor).

Thesis Requirements

Choosing a Thesis Advisor

Students may select a topic by examining the research interests of our faculty members.

Alternatively, students may formulate their own projects first, and then identify a suitable with matching interests.

Guidelines and Forms

Please refer to the links below for more information on Honours Thesis:

  1. Honours Thesis Application Proposal
  2. DERC Requirements
  3. Resources on plagiarism
  4. Honours Thesis Format
  5. Frequently Asked Questions

Application Deadlines

Students must submit their thesis latest by Friday of Week 2, at 12pm. Students may submit their forms via email to cnm.undergraduate[at]nus.edu.sg; there is no need to submit any hardcopies.

The relevant forms will be e-mailed to all Year 4 students before the start of the semester. The forms are included in the 'Honours Year Guidebook (linked to above).

Submission

Week 8 (Friday, 12pm) Deadline to inform department of any changes in Honours Thesis title/topic between the original research proposal and the revised final research
Week 12 (Friday, 12pm) Submission of softcopy PDF document to Canvas

If you have any specific query about the Honours Thesis, please write to cnm.undergraduate[at]nus.edu.sg.

A PDF version of the thesis should be submitted to the Canvas submission folder. Each thesis submission will be assessed by two academic staff.

Late submission will be penalised.