My advisor helped me shift my thesis to a more nuanced puzzle: we have so much neuroscience research that shows young adults are still developing, so why is 18 still the hard-line boundary for criminal responsibility? 

- Sophia Laurenzi, 2017 STS Honors Student and Firestone Medal Award Winner

STS Honors Program

Undergraduate students from all majors are invited to apply for admission to the Honors Program.

Apply to the STS Honors Program

See our honors program requirements below

Each year since the program was launched in 1978, STS Honors students have completed innovative projects culminating in a thesis. In a year-long process of research and writing, Honors students become experts in a specialized field of interest. The Honors designation signifies intellectual independence, analytical rigor, organizational skills, discipline, and perseverance – skills and attributes that serve individuals well after graduation. Students have capitalized on their projects as springboards to graduate studies and to careers in information technology, entrepreneurship, finance, public policy, media, education, law, medicine and the nonprofit sector. Honors students present their research theses at an annual Honors Symposium.

The ideas I uncovered in the STS Honors Program will frame my outlook on the world and help me shape my personal and professional philosophies as I go
- Sawyer Altman, 2017 STS Honors Student
Eligibility & Admission Criteria

Eligibility and Admission Criteria

1. To pursue Honors, both STS and non-STS majors must first complete one or more of the following:

  • Attend at least one of the quarterly STS Honors events offered for prospective honors students during their junior year.
  • Take STS 191W: Introduction to Research in STS (offered in Winter).
  • Take an alternative course on research methods approved by the STS Honors Program Director.
  • Speak with the STS Honors Program Director about alternative avenues of preparation.

1a. In addition to these requirements, non-majors must also complete one or more of the following:

  • Complete STS 1, and two courses approved as Socio-Cultural Concentration Core courses in the Requirements and Approved Courses document.
  • Complete STS 1, and two alternative courses approved by the STS Honors Program Director as relevant to the proposed honors research in STS.
  • Complete three courses approved by the STS Honors Program Director as relevant to the proposed honors research in STS.

2. Submit a research statement (250-1000 words) – or a fully developed proposal (2,000-2,500 words) if you have conducted preliminary research (e.g., in STS 191W or other methods courses) – and an application form. See Steps to Apply for Honors (below) for fuller details.

3. Find an Honors faculty advisor and develop research questions, methodology and a plan. This should be done by the end of Spring quarter of the junior year, or at the latest by the end of Autumn quarter of the senior year.

Requirements

To graduate with Honors, seniors in the Honors Program must do the following:

 

  • Attend required monthly meetings of the STS Honors Program, organized by the STS Honors Program Director.
  • Develop and complete an original thesis in consultation with your Honors faculty advisor.
  • Enroll in a minimum of 10 units (total over the year) of STS 299, Advanced Individual Work, in the section with your Honors faculty advisor, to receive credit for your research and thesis writing. Deliverables and deadlines should be negotiated directly with your Honors faculty advisor. You may enroll in up to 5 units per quarter of STS 299. Units should reflect the expected workload (1 unit = 3 hours/week of work, including meetings with the advisor.)
  • Submit a first draft of your thesis to your Honors advisor no later than April 10.
  • Submit the revised thesis to your Honors advisor by May 15; have it approved and signed off by May 22.
  • Submit the final thesis to the Stanford Digital Repository by June 2 at 5PM.
  • Have an overall Stanford GPA of 3.4 at the end of Winter Quarter, senior year, or demonstrated academic competence.
Key Dates & Timeline

Key Dates for 2023-2024

  • OCTOBER  -  COMPLETE APPLICATION AND SUBMIT RESEARCH STATEMENT/PROPOSAL
  • MONDAY, APRIL 8, 5PM (PDT) - FIRST FULL DRAFT DUE TO YOUR ADVISOR
  • MONDAY, MAY 13, 5PM (PDT) - REVISED/FINAL THESIS DUE
  • WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 5PM (PDT) - ADVISOR TO SIGN OFF
  • MONDAY, JUNE 3, 5PM (PDT) -  MANUSCRIPT DUE AT DIGITAL REPOSITORY

Honors Timeline

Autumn, Junior Year

  • Come talk to our peer advisors and STS SSO to find out more about the Honors Program. Then drop by during the office hours of the STS Honors Program Director to discuss your ideas.

Winter, Junior Year

Both STS and non-STS majors must complete one or more of the following:

  • Attend at least one of the quarterly STS Honors events offered for prospective honors students during their junior year.
  • Take STS 191W: Introduction to Research in STS (offered in Winter).
  • Take an alternative course on research methods approved by the STS Honors Program Director.
  • Speak with the STS Honors Program Director about alternative avenues of preparation.

In addition to these requirements, non-majors must also complete one or more of the following:

  • Complete STS 1, and two courses approved as Socio-Cultural Concentration Core courses in the Requirements and Approved Courses document.
  • Complete STS 1, and two alternative courses approved by the STS Honors Program Director as relevant to the proposed honors research in STS.
  • Complete three courses approved by the STS Honors Program Director as relevant to the proposed honors research in STS.

Spring, Junior Year

  • Submit a research statement or a fully developed proposal.
  • Complete honors program application.
  • Find an honors faculty advisor.
  • Apply for a grant.

Autumn, Senior Year

  • Submit a research statement or a fully developed proposal.*
  • Complete honors program application.*
  • Find an honors faculty advisor.*
  • Enroll in STS 298, a 1-unit required monthly meeting of the STS Honors Program, organized by the STS Honors Program Director.
  • Enroll in STS 299, Advanced Individual Work.
  • Develop an original and complete thesis in consultation with honors faculty advisor to receive credit for your research and thesis writing.
  • Apply for a grant.

* Must be submitted by add/drop deadline of Autumn quarter.

Winter, Senior Year

  • Enroll in STS 298, a 1-unit required monthly meeting of the STS Honors Program, organized by the STS Honors Program Director.
  • Enroll in STS 299, Advanced Individual Work.
  • Develop an original and complete thesis in consultation with honors faculty advisor to receive credit for your research and thesis writing.
  • Apply for a grant.

Spring, Senior Year

  • Enroll in STS 298, a 1-unit required monthly meeting of the STS Honors Program, organized by the STS Honors Program Director.
  • Enroll in STS 299, Advanced Individual Work.
  • Continue developing an original and complete thesis in consultation with honors faculty advisor to receive credit for your research and thesis writing.
  • Present in the annual STS Honors Symposium.  Students have an opportunity to showcase their work at our annual symposium. They invite their friends and family to celebrate their hard work and knowledge they've created at this joyous occasion. 

Submission Dates, Spring, Senior Year

  • Submit a first draft of your thesis to honors advisor no later than April 8 by 5PM.
  • Submit the revised thesis to honors advisor by May 13 and have it approved and signed off by May 22 by 5PM.
  • Submit the final thesis to the Stanford Digital Repository by June 3 by 5PM.
  • Complete a thesis judged worthy of an honors program by the faculty advisor.

Steps to the Honors Program

1. Talk to Us

Come talk to our peer advisors and STS Student Services Officer r to find out more about the Honors Program. Then drop by during the office hours of  the STS Honors Program Director to discuss your ideas. You do not have to have refined research questions or any ideas about research design – your interest in a phenomenon, puzzle, policy challenge or any social issue is enough to start the exploration. We will help you turn your general interest into a productive STS research project, by brainstorming with you and directing you to various intellectual and institutional resources.

2. Meet Honors Eligibility and Admission Criteria

See the Eligibility and Admission Criteria both for STS Majors and for Majors in Other Departments and Programs (above). If you are concerned about your qualifications and preparations, please meet with the STS Honors Program Director as soon as possible to discuss your options and strategies.

3. Write a Research Statement or a Full Proposal

You can choose to write a short research statement (250-100 words), or a fully developed proposal (2,000-2,500 words) if you have had an opportunity to conduct initial secondary research (e.g., in STS 191W or other methods courses). You are encouraged to speak with the STS Honors Program Director, as well as any relevant faculty members or teaching assistants, for this step. A fully developed proposal would have all of the elements described below, while a shorter version can be either a short proposal with all the elements, or a statement with tentative research questions and plans for literature to engage with and methods to use:

 

  • Research Objectives and Questions. What are your primary research questions and objectives? Why are they important?
  • Literature Review. How have others addressed your research question(s) or similar ones? Whose work are you building on, and why will your research be different? (Be sure to cite specific scholarly sources. These should be listed at the end of the proposal in the References.)
  • Methods. How will you do research that addresses your question? Be as specific as you can. You will likely need to address a small slice of your major question, for instance, by doing a case study or comparing a few case studies. Try to identify a specific research focus or site (e.g., a specific scientific finding or technology, a particular geographic or political context, a company, an Internet forum, media coverage, a set of primary documents). Explain what methods you will use – for example, interviews, content analysis, archival research, experiments, ethnography, or something else entirely.
  • Conclusion. Restate the research contribution you hope to make. What sorts of things will we know after you have written your thesis that we didn't know before?
  • References. Full bibliographic information for all works cited in your proposal.
4. Submit Honors Application

Submit the application form together with the research statement/proposal. Students are encouraged to apply to the honors program during the Spring quarter of their junior year by June 15th. Late application is considered up to the add/drop deadline of Autumn quarter of their senior year. (If you are expected to graduate off calendar, please speak with the STS Honors Program Director about your specific deadline).

Apply for the STS Honors Program

5. Find Honors Faculty Advisor

You will need to find an honors faculty advisor who is a member of the Stanford Academic Council (e.g., Assistant, Associate or Full Professor).

Faculty affiliations and ranks can be found in the StanfordWho directory. Your advisor does not need to be directly affiliated with STS but they should have expertise related to your project. Ideally, you will find an advisor during your junior year and work with the person in writing your research statement/proposal, but we will also work with you in your search for an advisor during Autumn quarter of the senior year. Here are some tips:

  • You should begin to identify an honors advisor as early as possible in your junior year. This person is ideally someone you have taken a class with in the past or for whom you served as a research assistant.
  • If you are struggling to identify an appropriate advisor, look in Explore Courses for courses that relate to your area(s) of interest. Talk to your STS faculty advisor, who may know of other faculty who are well suited to advise your planned honors project. Take time to learn about both the research methods and mentoring style of your potential advisors.
  • The typical faculty member is exceptionally busy teaching, conducting research, writing articles and grant applications and advising students. You should do research to find out when the faculty member(s) you are hoping to work with have office hours, whether they require an advance appointment and arrange a meeting accordingly.
  • When you meet with a faculty member for the first time, initiate a conversation with specific questions and use the meeting not only to gain direction in your research but also to get a sense of an advisor’s mentoring style. How often is he or she willing to meet with you? Does she or he offer a good mix of constructive criticism and guidance?
  • It is better to take these steps at the beginning of your project than to struggle with less-than-satisfactory advising arrangements for the duration of your thesis writing. In managing an advisor relationship, aim for a balance: take the initiative in your research and writing, but do not hesitate to ask for help, from both advisors and peers.
6. Attend STS 298 - Monthly STS Honors Meetings, Enroll in STS 299 - Honors Work, and Stay On Track with Research and Writing

Attend required monthly meetings of the STS Honors Program, organized by the STS Honors Program Director, from September to April. Complete the tasks assigned before the meeting each month. Additionally, stay on track with research and writing by meeting a series of checkpoints provided by the program throughout the year and also by adhering to a timeline you set with your advisor.

Make sure you enroll in a minimum of 10 units total of STS 299, Advanced Individual Work, in the section with your honors faculty advisor, to receive credit for your research and thesis writing. (You may enroll in up to 5 units per quarter of STS 299.)

7. Write and Complete STS Honors Thesis By Deadlines

Write and complete an original thesis (50-100 page, double-spaced) on the topic you proposed in your research statement/proposal, under the guidance of your advisor. 

The specific Spring quarter deadlines are as follows:

  • April 8 – Submit a first full draft of your thesis due to your advisor.
  • May 13– Submit the revised full draft of your thesis due to your advisor.
  • May 22 – Honors faculty advisor must approve and sign off of your final thesis and provide evaluation and grade to the STS office. You need to earn at least "B " grade on final thesis to graduate with honors.
  • June 3 –  Submit the final thesis: one copy to your honors faculty advisor, one PDF copy emailed to the STS Student Services Officer, one submitted online at the Stanford Digital Repository, one hard-bound copy turned in to the STS Office (optional).
Additional Resources

Students are strongly advised to learn about the following opportunities and research requirements:

 

  • HWC Honors Writing Program. The Hume Writing Center (HWC) provides writing support during the entire thesis process, including brainstorming, researching, organizing, and drafting an honors thesis or other advanced writing project.
  • Working with faculty. Tips for choosing faculty advisors and establishing positive working agreements.
  • Grants for undergraduate research. If you need to travel or pay other research-related expenses, consider applying for an Undergraduate Research Student Grant. Please note that grants require a fully developed research proposal. The application for Major Grants, which can provide a 10-week stipend in support of full-time immersive Summer project commitments, is due in early March. Small Grant application deadlines are quarterly. You should plan to apply for funding at least one quarter in advance of your project's start date.  You can find more information about Undergraduate Research Student Grants here.
  • Human subjects research. If your research will involve people (interviews, questionnaires, experimental situations), you will need to comply with University Policies on Research and may need to obtain approval of your research protocol from an Institutional Review Board.
  • You can find and review previous honors theses using Stanford's SearchWorks.
Elle Billman receiving the Firestone Award

Credit: Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Innovative Research

Many of our STS Honors Program students have written award winning theses that address the intersection of science, technology and society.

Honors Symposium

Our annual STS Honors Symposium was created as a way to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our honors students. At this event, students have the opportunity to showcase their research and share this joyous occasion with peers, family, and friends. A good time is had by all!