STEPS FOR FINALIZING AND SUBMITTING AN HONOURS THESIS

1. Student ensures the final draft is complete and properly formatted, as per the Honours Thesis Regulations (see Honours Thesis Regulations).

2. Thesis Supervisor and 2nd Reader review the draft Thesis for content and formatting.

3. Student makes the agreed changes/edits, which are then checked and approved by the Supervisor.

4. Student uploads the signed checklist and the unsigned FINAL Thesis to the Library, using their Acadia student email account.

Go to https://library.acadiau.ca/using-the-library/services/thesis-submission.html

5. Student electronically shares the same final version of the Thesis with their Supervisor, and with the home Department or School, if requested. A hardcopy of the Thesis will be printed by Library staff. Acadia theses are located in Special Collections on level B1. Theses are non-circulating, but can be viewed in the Kirkconnell Room.

6. The Chair of Honour’s Committee is TBA. This name is to be entered on page iii.

7. The thesis due dates are listed below for 2025/26. If the deadline can not be met, the student can complete and submit an Extension Form to Research, Innovation & Graduate Studies. The form must be submitted no later than two (2) days before the deadline date listed below and the final thesis and checklist form must be uploaded to the Library no later than one week prior to the "Last day to receive grades for graduands" deadline as listed in the Calendar Dates on the Registrar’s Office website.

Any questions regarding regulations, deadlines, extensions, etc. should be directed to the Research, Innovation & Graduate Studies Office at researchoffice@acadiau.ca

Templates

Please note that templates may be provided by your Department/School, however it is the responsibility of each student to ensure that their thesis conforms to the formatting required by the Research, Innovation, and Graduate Studies office as outlined in the Honours Thesis Regulations. 

Dates:

September 25, 2025 – Deadline for approved honours theses for Fall graduands
April 13, 2026 – Deadline for approved honours theses for Spring graduands

Documents and links:

• Honours Thesis Regulations
• Title and signature Page Example
• Thesis Checklist Form
• Second Reader's Assessment of Honours Thesis
• Extension of Honours Thesis Submission
• Thesis Publication Withhold Request Form
• Request for Co-Authorship of Honours Thesis

Honours Summer Research Awards (HSRA)

Deadline: Thursday, February 27, 2025

Acadia HSRA funding (up to $5200 per awardee) supports both salary and mandatory employer related costs for up to 10 weeks at ~30 hours per week.

2025 Application

A copy of the student’s unofficial Acadia transcript is also required. Students can obtain this through their Colleague Self-Service portal.

At the time of application, eligible applicants must:
• Have completed two or three years of full-time university study;
• Be registered in an Honours program at Acadia with graduation planned for 2026 or planning to undertake Honours summer research and related courses following Spring 2025 graduation from their current program of studies at Acadia (e.g., seeking a second degree or Honours conversion); and
• Have a competitive GPA within their Faculty and discipline.

In support of Acadia’s commitment to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion, several of the HSRA awards will be allocated to under-represented or under-served groups, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and other equity-deserving groups. All applicants will be contacted soon after the application submission due date with a link to a form to voluntarily and confidentially self-ID.

The application form contains sections for both the student and supervisor to complete. The student’s supervisor must submit the completed HSRA application to Research, Innovation & Graduate Studies (theresa.starratt@acadiau.ca) by Thursday, 27 February 2025.

Evaluation of the applications will be based on student academic performance and research potential, clearly articulated proposed research, and the plan for student supervision and advising. Results of the HSRA competition will be communicated in March.

Evaluation Criteria:
1. Academic Record (Part 1; 40%), based on awards, accomplishments and relevant experience; transcripts and Cumulative GPA
2. Quality of the proposed research and proposed student activities (Part 1; 20%)
3. Student's research potential, independence and initiative, and suitability for the research project (Part 2; 20%)
4. Research supervision and work environment, planned advising and/or training (Part 3; 20%)

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)

Deadline: Thursday, February 27, 2025

To learn more about the USRA program, please visit our new USRA page

Webster Undergraduate Research Awards

The Webster Undergraduate Research Awards have been made possible through the generous support of the R. Howard Webster Foundation. The Foundation makes grants to outstanding Canadian charitable organizations offering unique and inspiring programs or projects for the benefit, improvement, and development of Canadian society.

The Webster Undergraduate Research Awards are designed to support the engagement of Acadia’s most promising undergraduate Honours students in unique research work of their design. The Fund provides a total of $18,000 to support three awards ($6,000 each) to Honours students in their 3rd year of study at Acadia University.  Recipients are chosen from the applications for the Honours Summer Research Awards. One student from each Faculty is selected by the HSRA adjudication committee based on their academic record and the quality of their research grant application.