The Senior Thesis
Students interested in the honors thesis pathway may consult with up to three Art Studio faculty members about the possibility of serving as their thesis advisor. Typically, faculty expect students to have demonstrated exceptional work in a second-level course within a specific medium (such as Photo II or Painting II) before agreeing to advise an honors applicant. The student and their major advisor will collaboratively design a program of study. Admission to the honors pathway requires a review by the entire Art Studio faculty, along with a minimum academic average of a B and a departmental average of B+.
In their final year of study, students in the honors pathway will develop a focused body of work and present a solo exhibition. This exhibition serves as the culmination of a two-semester thesis tutorial, developed through close critical dialogue with their faculty advisor. The senior thesis exhibition offers students a unique opportunity to engage in a rigorous and self-directed creative investigation and participate in a public conversation about their work.
Exhibitions are critiqued by the faculty advisor and a second critic and are subsequently reviewed by the faculty of the Art Studio program, who vote to determine high honors, honors, pass, or fail, on the criteria of originality, mastery of medium, depth and range of investigation, and coherence of the exhibition.
Students in the honors thesis pathway must document their theses and upload edited images to a shared Art Studio drive as part of their graduation requirements. These images will be kept in Wesleyan's Digital Collections.
