Senior Thesis
By conducting research and writing the thesis under the supervision of  faculty mentors, scholars strengthen faculty relationships, deepen their understanding of a topic, and contribute to expanding the frontiers of knowledge in their fields. The process also enables scholars to enhance their research and communication skills, which are critical to succeed in graduate studies and future careers.
A Millennium Scholar’s thesis must be based on STEM-related research in which the student has participated, as guided by a faculty supervisor in a department of one of the five colleges affiliated with the Millennium Scholars Program.
 The thesis should follow the format of a scientific paper in the Scholar’s discipline, with an introduction, followed by methods, results and discussion sections, and appropriate acknowledgments and references.
Thesis Deadline
Scholars are encouraged to start their thesis research as early as possible, optimally during their first year of study. The following deadlines reflect the latest time that each of the milestones should be completed.
Identification of Thesis Supervisor
April 1 of scholar’s sophomore year
Begin working with Thesis Supervisor
Fall semester of scholar’s junior year
Submission of thesis proposal
March 1 of scholar’s junior year
Submit Updated Thesis Proposal and Title
December 1 of scholar’s senior year
Submit Thesis Draft for Format Review
February 1 of scholar’s senior year
Submit Thesis Draft to Advisor for Review
March 1 of scholar’s senior year
Submit Thesis Draft to Second Reader
March 15 of scholar’s senior year
Receive Comments from Second Reader
March 30 of scholar’s senior year
Submit Final Draft of Thesis to Program including signature pages
April 10 of scholar’s senior year
Faculty Approvals
 April 16, 2021
In addition to these program deadlines, scholars (as guided by their thesis supervisors) are encouraged to set monthly deadlines for completion of specific tasks. For example, a scholar and her supervisor may want to set deadlines for completing background reading and data collection and for submitting thesis drafts for review. Scholars are also encouraged to schedule regular meetings with their supervisors to monitor and discuss their progress.
Thesis Submission Requirements
The completion of the thesis submission process culminates in the electronic submission of the thesis to the Millennium Scholars Thesis Website. The official copy of thesis will be on file with the University Libraries.
All submissions should be made in PDF format. In order to ensure graduation as a Millennium Scholar students need to meet all submission deadlines.
All Millennium Scholars need to submit a thesis to the Millennium Scholars Website. If you are a member of the Schreyer Honors College you will submit your thesis to both websites.
Format Review (submission deadline February 1 of senior year)
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Submit a single PDF of the draft of your thesis. This draft will be reviewed to ensure scholars are following formatting guidelines. The thesis does not have to be complete for this submission but the draft should contain all of the sections that will appear in the final thesis.
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The name of the file should be LastName_FirstName_ThesisTitle.pdf (i.e. Green_Joy_DevCElegans.pdf).
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Submit your draft for format review at the Millennium Scholars Thesis website.
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Final Submission (submission deadline April ~10 of senior year)
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Carefully proofread the thesis including the title and signatory pages.
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Add your academic vita at the end of your thesis.
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Save the final thesis in PDF format.
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Complete the signatory page. The signatory page is not submitted electronically. Collect the signatures and submit the signatory page to the Millennium Scholars Program office. Make sure the names and titles on the signatory page are exactly the same as those on the title page of your thesis. Students who are also in the Schreyer Honors College may submit a copy of the signatory page.
Go to the Millennium Scholars Thesis website and upload your final thesis.
Final Approval
The author and thesis supervisor will be notified when the final thesis is approved. Your thesis will be publicly available within a month after graduation unless you have requested restricted access.
Thesis Templates
Please use the formatting guidelines and thesis templates provided in the links to the right. Members of the Schreyer Honors College should use the template and guidelines provided here. If your department has a specific template or formatting guidelines please use the template and guidelines provided by your department. Keep in mind that your thesis should follow the formatting and style of professional writing in your discipline. Consult with your thesis supervisor to ensure that your style and formatting is appropriate for your discipline.
Fonts and Color
Font Type: Times New Roman font.
Font Size: Font should be no smaller than 11-point and no larger than 12-point. It is permitted to use smaller font in tables, figures and appendices.
Font Color: The text of the thesis should be in black font. Color is permitted in figures, tables, charts, etc.
Organization and Page Numbers
Organization: Each section of thesis should begin on a new page, this includes elements of the front matter (abstract, acknowledgments, etc), the reference sections and appendices.
Do not type a heading near the bottom of a page unless there is room for at least two lines text after the heading.
Page Numbers: All pages in the thesis should be numbered except the title and signatory pages. Pages with figures and tables should be numbered. Lower case Roman numerals are used for the front matter and Arabic numbers for the text. Please refer to the template regarding page numbers.
Title and Signatory Pages
Title Page: Use the template provided. Please make sure you list the correct professional titles of your thesis supervisor and reviewer. Check with your thesis supervisor or their department for the correct information. Do not include titles such as Dr. or PhD.
Examples: Penny Stater, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thesis Supervisor;Â Millie Scholar, Professor of Biochemistry and Moleculary Biology, Reviewer
Signatory Page: The signatures on the signatory page indicate that your thesis supervisor and reviewer have approved your final thesis. Each thesis requires a minimum of two signatures, your thesis supervisor and a reviewer. If your deparment does not provide a reviewer for your thesis the Millennium Scholars Program will identify a reveiwer for you.
The signatory page should not be included with your electronic submission. Please submit a hard copy to the Millennium Scholars Program office. If you are a member of the Schreyer Honors College you may submit a copy of your signatory page to the MSP office.
Abstract
The abstract is a brief summary of the content of your thesis. The abstract should be at least one paragraph but usually no longer than one page. The abstract should motivate the reader to examine the entire thesis. Consider including the following sections in your abstract:
Motivation: Why did you examine this topic?
Problem Statement: What question or questions are you addressing? What problem are you trying to solve?
Methods: What methods did you use to address the question(s)?
Results: What were your findings?
Conclusions: What are the implications of your research? What might be next steps with regards to this topic or question?
Table of Contents
The table of contents lists the topics of the thesis. You should build your table of contents using the headings in your thesis. The headings in your text should match exactly the headings in the table of contents. The title of each appendix should be included in the table of contents.
Thesis Template, MSP Signatory Page, & Submission Site
Thesis Formatting
Thesis formats should follow specific department and college guidelines as appropriate. Scholars that are also in the Schreyer Honors College (SHC) may use one STEM research-based thesis to meet the thesis requirements of both programs, and should follow the SHC thesis guidelines. Links to guidelines provided by the STEM colleges and the SHC are provided in the “Additional Resources” section on this page.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements are optional. However if you would like to thank individuals for providing assistance or support you may add an ackowledgements section to your thesis. If you received a grant to support your research you should recognize the grant provider in the acknowledgements. You are strongly encouraged to include an acknowledgements section to thank the people who supported you this great effort.
Tables and Figures
When using tables and figures be sure to insert and not copy and paste your tables and figures. Right click to label your table or figure appropriately. Using this method when you return to the list of tables or figures in the template and update your tables or figures will be linked to the list.
Captions and numbering
Be sure to number and caption each figure and table. Number them consecutively beginning with 1 or by chapter using a decimal system (i.e. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)
Placement
Ideally tables and figures are placed immediately after their first mention. You may also elect to group your tables and figures at the end of each chapter. You may use appendices to include tables and figures that are not as central to the thesis. Always refer to the table or figure by its number, do not use a phrase like ‘the following table shows’ to reference a table or figure.
Citations, Footnotes, Works Cited and Reference Pages
Please use the appropriate style as dictated by your discipline to cite works that you reference in the thesis. Consult with your thesis supervisor regarding the most appropriate style guide for your work. The librarians at Penn State Libraries can also provide assistance regarding proper citation format. You may consider purchasing the the appropriate style guide manual. Once the style you will use has been determined follow the rules closely and consistently. In addition to citing works used within the paper, your thesis must include a bibliography. Again use the format that is appropriate for your discipline and consistent with the format you used for citing works within the paper.
Appendices
You may have other material that is relevant but not directly referenced in the text of the thesis or is too lengthy or detailed to include in the body of the thesis (raw data, procedural explanations, etc.). This material may be placed in an appendix. Appendices should be designated A, B, C (not 1, 2, 3 or I, II, III). If there is only one appendix, call it simply Appendix, not Appendix A. Titles of appendices must be listed in the table of contents. Appendix pages must be numbered consecutively with the text of the thesis (do not number the pages A-1, A-2, etc.).
Academic Vita
The academic vita is required and must be the last page of the document. Do not give the vita a page number and do not list it in the Table of Contents. The title – Academic Vita – and the author’s name should appear at the top. A standard outline style or a prose form may be used. This should be set up similar to a résumé. Do not include your GPA.
Additional Resources
The Millennium Scholars Program staff provides support to student participants in many areas. Scholars are also expected to take advantage of many resources available through Penn State.
Academic Support and Studying Skills
Career Services
Personal Support
Safety
Campus Police – (814) 863-1111
Behavioral Threat Management Team – (855) 863-BTMT (2868)
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