Students can fulfill the WIC requirement in physics by writing a thesis based on an undergraduate project. This option is particularly (but not exclusively) recommended for students who are interested in graduate school or a career in research.

The PH 491-492-493 thesis course sequence runs over three terms from fall to spring and should be completed in a single year, typically the final year of the program. It is paired with a research project done under the guidance of a faculty member. This faculty member may be at OSU, in which case the student takes 3 (or more) credits of PH 401. The research can also be done at another institution, in which case the PH 401 requirement may be waived by the student's advisor. Whatever project is chosen, it should be started before taking PH 491.

Overview of the thesis option

Many physics majors complete a senior thesis. The thesis can be based on experimental work in a laboratory, computational work using workstations or supercomputers, or theoretical work with paper and pencil.

The ability to conduct research and disseminate the results is the hallmark of a scientist. Research results need validation, so they are shared with the community to be examined, verified, and expanded upon. The written form is important because it is a permanent record, and allows other researchers to carefully critique the details of the work. We therefore connect the senior research project and thesis with the University’s WIC requirement. Each year, a WIC Culture of Writing award is made. Students participate in a departmental mini-conference at the end of spring term to give oral presentations of their work. The senior thesis also fulfills the Honors College thesis requirement, and the "Undergraduate Research Fellow" transcript notation.

Timeline

Freshman and sophomore years

Look for research opportunities, talk to faculty, attend senior presentations at the mini-conference in finals week of spring term. Perhaps begin research.

Junior year

Attend informational presentation in junior class in early winter term (watch calendar for details). Attend the WIC research fair mid-winter term. Begin a research project.

Senior year (or final year of program)

Continue research, completing no later than winter term. Enroll in the thesis course sequence for 1 unit in each of fall, winter, and spring terms. As part of the course, complete your thesis and give an oral presentation at the end of spring term.

PH 491 as Beyond OSU II

The physics department uses PH 491 to satisfy the Beyond OSU II requirement. All physics majors will therefore take PH 491. Those doing the non-thesis option may have different requirements for the course.

PH 491/2/3 — Thesis

PH 491-492-493 (Thesis) concerns the writing aspect of the research, and students enroll in 1 unit in each of fall, winter and spring of the senior year. You will need permission from the Physics office to register. These three total credits satisfy the OSU Writing Intensive Course (WIC) requirement. Students meet weekly as a group to write a thesis proposal and to critique and revise their writing. They also discuss and write about issues relating to ethics, types of science writing, and logical presentation of ideas. In winter and spring, activities focus on the thesis itself, including significant time devoted to the writing and revision of the thesis. Steady progress and continual peer and advisor review are expected throughout. A typical thesis is about fifteen to twenty pages, or about 3,000 to 5,000 words. The goal is to have the thesis ready by week 6 of Spring term. This means that research should be substantially complete by the end of winter term of the senior year.

Mini-conference

After the written thesis is complete, class time is devoted to preparing 10-minute oral presentations, the standard at physics conferences. In the final week of spring term there is a mini-conference where students give oral presentations on their projects to the department.

Additional resources

• OSU thesis WIC guidelines
• Reach out to the thesis course instructor
• Reach out to the head advisor

Finding a thesis topic and getting it approved

The requirements for getting a thesis topic approved vary according to where you do your research and who you do it with.

The approval process is summarized in this flowchart, which is also available as a PowerPoint download. An all-text version is available as a Word download. You can direct questions to your advisor or the PH 491/2/3 instructor.

Below that are related links that can help in finding a research project and getting it approved for your thesis.

Links to information on research projects and setting up your thesis: