Starting Your Thesis

Thesis Services offers students meetings during the course of your thesis program. These meetings are designed to help you become knowledgeable about procedures and the processes within the thesis program.

The first meeting you should attend and the first step to getting started on your thesis is the "Getting Started Meeting*". You should attend this meeting the academic term prior to submitting a proposed thesis assignment (PTA), for A-Section (JRII Work term), for B-Section (SRI Work term). The meeting is focused on providing direction in submitting the initial documents to start your thesis project, working with Co-op Navigator and a process overview.

The second step is the Topic Selection Process. The student's thesis topic should be one that is negotiated and agreed upon between the student and the employer. Topic selection is most widely accomplished when:

  • The employer provides the student several topic ideas and allows the student to select one or
  • The student is given the responsibility to derive the topic and obtain approval for it from the employer.

Many times, the topics are initiated by managers in the work area where the student is likely to begin their professional career. In some cases, projects have served as a lead-in to the student's initial work assignment following graduation.

It is highly important that the project be accepted and endorsed by both the student and the employer regardless of who selects the problem on which the Senior Thesis Project is based.

Please note:  Kettering University does not identify or select Senior Thesis Project Topics.  Kettering University evaluates and approves proposed topics using the criteria below, but the projects are selected by the student and employer.

Thesis Topic Criteria

  • Is the project of value to your co-op employer?
  • Is it important enough to be made a significant part of your workload during two work terms; Thesis I & Thesis II?
  • Will the project provide an opportunity to demonstrate competence in your field of study?
  • Is the problem clearly stated as a present or potential problem, not a goal?
  • Is the project manageable within your senior thesis year time frame?

The third step is to fill out the proposed thesis assignment form (PTA) and submit it to Kettering University Thesis Services. Please refer to the "Step by Step Process" under the "Student" icon for further instructions.

*(meeting times are listed indepently of this page)