Overview

The Honors Defense is the formal presentation and evaluation process in which the student presents their completed Honors project to the Honors Committee for review and discussion. All defenses must occur with at least two weeks remaining in the semester, to allow time for any requested revisions to be completed.

The defense process exists to evaluate both the completed project and the student’s ability to discuss, contextualize, and reflect on their work in an academic setting. It also reinforces the understanding that Honors projects are not only creative endeavors, but formal university thesis projects requiring critical analysis, preparation, and scholarly engagement.

Defense announcement

Within the first four weeks of the defense semester, students must schedule the day, time, and location of their defense and get it approved by the full supervisory committee.

All committee members and the student must attend the entire defense in real time. While defenses can be held remotely under extenuating circumstances, the Honors Program strongly prefers that the defense be held in person. If an in-person defense is not possible or prudent, students may work with their Faculty Director and committee members to schedule a virtual defense in real time. Students do not need permission from the Honors Program to complete a virtual defense if one is deemed necessary.

Once the defense is scheduled, complete The Defense Announcement Form  and submit it via the Honors in the Major Portal no later than 4pm the day of the posted deadline. The form requires signatures from all of the faculty committee members, so plan ahead.

The project

There are two options for an Honors in the Major project, the Research Project and the Creative Project. Both require some written paper and should have a title page and signature page in the traditional format for an Honors project. All HITM students are encouraged to utilize built-in headings and alt text captions to make their project accessible to screen readers.

The defense

Defenses usually take place in the Faculty Conference Room on the first floor, but may take place in other venues. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the location is reserved and available during the time of the defense.

The defense will typically be structured in the following manner, although the Faculty Director may choose another structure, if deemed appropriate:

1. The student introduces their committee members;
2. The student is asked to leave the room, so that the faculty committee may discuss the work amongst themselves for a few minutes;
3. The student is invited back into the room and makes an oral presentation of 15-20 minutes;
4. The faculty committee ask the student questions for 30-40 minutes;
5. The student is asked to leave the room again, so that the faculty committee may decide an outcome;
6. The student is invited back into the room and the Faculty Director either:
   1. Congratulates the student for passing the defense and the committee signs the defense certificate; or,
   2. Describes revisions that the faculty committee is requiring in order for the student to pass.

Paperwork and archiving

Upon successful completion of the defense, students must submit the Defense Certificate (signed by all the members of the faculty committee) to the Honors Program Office.

All undergraduate projects published at FSU are housed in the DigiNole archive. Students must submit their final, signed project to the archive, either as a .pdf, .doc, or .docx file by the final day of classes in order to officially earn Honors in the Major.