Trewartha Senior Honors Thesis Research Grant
Overview
The Trewartha Senior Honors Thesis Research Grant enables L&S Honors Program students to undertake more demanding and extensive senior Honors thesis research projects than might otherwise be possible by providing scholarship funding during the academic year. Grants are generously provided through the Trewartha Honors Undergraduate Research Fund, established in 1969 by Professor Glen T. Trewartha and Mrs. Trewartha and supported by additional gifts from friends and family.
Trewartha Research Grant recipients receive $1,500.
On this page
2026-2027 Academic Year
- Application opens: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
- Deadline: Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM
Info sessions are typically offered in September and October for students to learn more about the application process and to ask questions. See upcoming Honors information sessions.
Who Can Apply
- Must be a declared student in the L&S Honors Program pursuing Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major, or the Comprehensive Honors track with an anticipated graduation date during the academic year of your application
- Must be enrolled in a Senior Honors Thesis Directed Study (typically 681 or 682) in your major department at the time of application
- Must have a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA at the time of application
Students may only receive one L&S Honors grant to support their senior Honors thesis project. This includes the Summer Senior Thesis Grant, Trewartha Research Grant, Mensink Research Scholarship, or Popkin Research Grant.
In addition, you may not receive this funding if your thesis has been, or will be, supported by another university undergraduate research grant during the same term (e.g., Fall, Spring, or full Academic Year).
A student may only receive one Honors grant or scholarship per funding term.
The application includes the following components:
- Questions about your academic background and goals.
- Proposal of no more than five single-spaced pages with at least 1-inch margins, and no smaller than 11pt font. This proposal must be submitted as a single PDF document. The proposal will include your project title, abstract, introduction, research methods, a description of the demand(s) of your project, and the potential impact of receiving funding. Click here to download an overview of the project proposal requirements.
- An unofficial UW–Madison transcript. For instructions on how to access your unofficial transcript, go to Request Unofficial Transcript.
- A letter of recommendation from your faculty mentor. Your mentor will submit this letter through the application within WiSH. The letter and application must both be submitted by the deadline for full consideration.
The Trewartha Senior Honors Thesis Research Grant application is available in the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). You can access WiSH through your MyUW or by logging in at wisc.academicworks.com.
A letter of recommendation must be submitted by your faculty mentor. As soon as you begin drafting your application in WiSH, enter your mentor’s name and email address. This action will notify your mentor that a letter of recommendation is required. Begin your application as early as possible to allow your mentor time to write and submit their letter on your behalf.
Applicants typically hear whether they have been awarded a grant by the end of November.
Applications for this grant are reviewed by the Faculty Honors Committee. Applications are evaluated using the following criteria:
- Strength of your proposal and of the Honors Senior Thesis research project to be funded. Reviewers may consider specific aspects of your project, including but not limited to:
- Project significance, originality, and initiative (extent to which the student played a role in developing the project)
- Project rigor (the extent to which it is deemed “demanding and extensive”)
- Feasibility/project design
- Funding impact
- Strength of academic record and preparation for the research project
- Progress towards completing your Honors track(s)
All recipients will need to:
- Present their research at the Senior Honors Thesis Symposium in the spring (mid- to late-April)
- Submit a copy of their completed thesis to the L&S Honors Program. With the student’s permission, the L&S Honors Program will then submit completed theses to MINDS@UW, the University of Wisconsin’s open access institutional repository. Click here to view recent senior Honors theses.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Students are not permitted to accept funds from another university (UW) source for the same research over the period of time covered by this grant, which is funded during the academic year.
A more demanding and extensive thesis typically requires deeper intellectual engagement and a broader scope. This could mean the following, although this list is not exhaustive:
- Stronger Argumentation: Your thesis should present a nuanced, well-supported argument that goes beyond surface-level claims.
- Expanded Research: Your topic needs to draw from a wider range of credible sources, including scholarly literature, primary data, or interdisciplinary perspectives.
- Greater Originality: Aim to contribute fresh insights or challenge existing viewpoints, rather than simply summarizing others’ work.
- Increased Depth: Expect to explore complex ideas, engage with theoretical frameworks, and critically analyze multiple dimensions of your topic.
- Longer and More Structured: The final product may be more substantial in length and require a more sophisticated organizational structure.
In short, it’s about pushing your thinking further and demonstrating a higher level of academic rigor. Your faculty mentor(s) and department advisor(s) will be able to provide a great deal of experience and expertise. Please connect with them as soon as you are able!
The L&S Honors Program has recently partnered with UW Libraries to collect digital copies of senior Honors theses in the institutional repository, MINDS@UW. Please take a moment to review the recent submissions to the L&S Honors collection.
If you are unable to locate any theses in your specific field, we encourage you to connect with your major advisor(s) to learn more.
This grant is currently processed as a scholarship to your Student Account. Students receiving scholarships may have financial aid package adjustments. If you have questions about your financial aid and/or the potential impact of receiving this scholarship, you are encouraged to consult with the Office of Financial Aid. If you have further questions, please contact L&S Honors Program Administrator Kendra Ramthun at honorsprogram@honors.ls.wisc.edu.
Please reach out to Associate Director of Admissions and Engagement, Pete Keys, at pkeys@wisc.edu.
Additional Resources
Learn more about a Senior Honors Thesis.
Attend an upcoming information session to learn more about Trewartha Research Grants and other Honors funding opportunities.