Junior Year Timeline

Serious consideration and planning for the thesis/capstone experince begins in the winter semester of the junior year. Early in winter term, all neuroscience juniors will be invited to an informal meeting in which the Neuro Program faculty will describe your thesis/capstone options. Those who are studying abroad will be able to join remotely or view a recording of the event asynchronously.  Each junior will then complete an in-depth survey to consider the different options for capstone/thesis, which the Neuro faculty and staff will use to match you to the experience that will best serve your personal and professional goals. We strongly take into account your preferences, but we also need to make sure that the thesis supervision load per faculty member is manageable. We cannot guarantee that you will have your first choice in a match to a thesis/capstone experience or adviser, but we make every effort to do so. The Chair will notify you of your thesis/capstone assignment in mid to late March.

Note about Study Abroad: The deadline to submit the thesis pre-proposal form is firm and extends even to students who are away from Bates in their junior winter term to study abroad. For students residing off-campus during this term, you are responsible for maintaining contact with the Chair so that you do not miss important thesis-related information. If you will not have regular access to your Bates email during this time, you must alert the Chair of this prior to your trip. It is ultimately the responsibility of the student to comply with all deadlines.

Senior Year Timeline

The senior year timeline will differ somewhat among the different thesis/capstone options. Students in the Capstone Seminar will complete their thesis according to the course syllabus provided by their instructor.  Students performing empirical work (including the Summer + Fall option) or working on a Community Engaged Thesis will submit a formal, written thesis proposal by the third Friday of September (or January, for one-semester thesis in the winter term). More information about the formal proposal is found here. After submission, the neuroscience faculty then review the proposals and offer suggestions to help you with the research process. Intensive work on data collection and analysis is expected to be ongoing during the remaining weeks, leaving yourself enough time before the final deadline to produce a finished, written product. Students completing a fall-semester thesis must submit the finalized thesis document to their thesis adviser by the end of the final exam period in December. Students completing a winter-semester or year-long thesis must submit the finalized thesis document to their thesis adviser by the end of the final exam period in April. It is also part of the thesis process that all students relay their results to the broader community by participating in the annual Mt. David Summit, held on the last Friday of March. All seniors completing any thesis/capstone experience, whether you have done a Fall, Winter, or year-long thesis, are expected to present a poster or give an oral presentation at the Summit.

Summary of Important Dates

The dates below apply to all neuroscience majors. Students who are eligible for Honors will have additional deadlines.

1. EARLY IN THE WINTER SEMESTER: Junior neuroscience majors will submit a completed thesis options survey at the invitation of the Chair.

2a. THIRD FRIDAY OF SEPTEMBER: Senior neuroscience majors completing a Summer + Fall, or a one-semester (fall) or two-semester empirical or CEL thesis will submit a formal thesis proposal to the Chair.

2b. THIRD FRIDAY OF JANUARY: Senior neuroscience majors completing a one-semester (winter) thesis will submit a formal thesis proposal to the Chair.

3a. END OF FINALS PERIOD IN DECEMBER: Seniors completing a Summer + Fall or a one-semester (fall) empirical or CEL thesis will submit to their thesis adviser the completed written thesis.

3b. END OF FINALS PERIOD IN APRIL: Seniors completing a one-semester (winter) or two-semester empirical or CEL thesis will submit to their thesis adviser the completed written thesis. Exception: In compliance with guidelines established by the campus Honors Committee, Honors thesis students have an earlier deadline by which to submit the completed year-long written thesis.

4. LAST FRIDAY OF MARCH: All seniors present their work at the annual Mt. David Summit.