BA Thesis

The thesis—typically in the form of a collection of short stories, poems, essays, or a novel excerpt—is a significant, polished, original creative work; the culmination of your study at the University of Chicago; and an opportunity to deepen your understanding of writing craft. Over the course of four quarters, in consultation with a faculty advisor and a preceptor, students produce work informed by aesthetic, literary, and critical influences, as well as engage in coursework, sustained readings, and research. It is mandatory all Creative Writing Intensive Majors complete a thesis. Creative Writing Legacy Majors also have the option of completing the thesis. 

Students work on their BA theses/projects throughout their fourth year. In Spring Quarter of the third year, students will begin working with Creative Writing preceptors. Students, in conversation with their preceptors, will complete a preliminary project proposal during the Spring Quarter of their third year. The preliminary proposal will then be submitted to the Student Affairs Administrator.

During the following Summer Quarter, students will craft a reading journal centered on a list of readings. In Autumn Quarter of their fourth year, students will work with their preceptors to complete an annotated bibliography and to continue drafting and revising their thesis. 

In Winter Quarter, students will continue meeting with their preceptor and must also enroll in the appropriate Thesis/Major Projects Workshop in their primary genre (CRWR 29200 Thesis Workshop: Fiction, CRWR 29300 Thesis Workshop: Poetry, CRWR 29400 Thesis Workshop: Literary Nonfiction, or CRWR 29500 Thesis Workshop: Prose). The Thesis Workshop is mandatory for all Creative Writing Intensive Majors and optional for all Creative Writing Legacy Majors.

The instructor for the Thesis Workshop will also serve as the faculty advisor for the BA thesis. Students should be aware that because of very high demand, students will not necessarily get their first choice of faculty advisor. It is recommended that students pre-registering for Fiction Thesis Workshops rank two workshops. 

Students will work closely with their faculty advisor and peers in their Thesis Workshop and will receive course credit, as well as a final grade for the course. In consultation with their faculty advisor and preceptor, students will revise and submit a semi-final draft of the BA thesis by the end of the Winter Quarter. Students will submit the final version of their BA thesis to their preceptor, faculty advisor, Student Affairs Administrator, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies by the beginning of the third week of Spring Quarter. 

SPRING 2026 

Goals: 

• Declare your intent to complete a thesis. 
• Develop and submit your thesis proposal. 
• Build a summer reading list and prepare for summer research and drafting.  

Key Deadlines: 

• Monday, 4/6: If you plan to graduate in Autumn or Winter, confirm with the Student Affairs Administrator as soon as possible. 
• Monday, 4/13 and Thursday, 4/16: Information Sessions to discuss the preliminary BA proposal and strategies for drawing up a summer reading list. 
• Friday, 5/8: Thesis proposals due to the Student Affairs Administrator. 
• By 6/30: You will be contacted by the Program in Creative Writing regarding compiling a reading list for summer research. 

SUMMER 2026 

Goals: 

• Complete your summer reading list. 
• Draft a rough outline of your thesis project. 
• Begin drafting or revising your thesis project.  

AUTUMN 2026 

Goals: 

• Meet with your preceptor twice for a check-in. 
• Continue drafting your thesis project in consultation with your preceptor. 
• Submit annotated bibliography to your preceptor. 

Key Deadlines: 

• By Friday, 10/9 (the end of Week 2): Check-in meeting with your preceptor. 
• Friday, 10/30 (Week 5): Submit about 25% of a thesis draft to your preceptor.  
• 11/2-11/13 (Weeks 6 & 7): Receive written feedback on your draft and meet with your preceptor to discuss revision process.   
• Monday, 11/16 (Week 8): Pre-register for the Winter Quarter Thesis Workshop.  
• Monday, 11/30 (Week 9): Submit completed annotated bibliography to your preceptor.  

WINTER 2027 

Goals: 

• Continue drafting and workshopping your thesis. 
• Meet at least once with your preceptor. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Monday, 1/4 (start of Winter Quarter): Have at least 50% of a draft of your thesis project completed.  
• By the end of Winter Quarter (exact date provided by your thesis advisor): Submit a complete semi-final draft of your thesis to your faculty advisor and preceptor. 

SPRING 2027 

Goals: 

• Revise toward a polished final draft. 
• Meet with your thesis advisor to discuss feedback. 
• Celebrate at the Thesis Reading & Reception. 

Key Deadlines: 

• By Monday, 3/22 (the start of Spring Quarter): Receive feedback from preceptors on the semi-final draft. 
• 3/22 – 3/26 (Week 1): Meet with thesis advisor to discuss the semi-final draft and check in on revision process. 
• Monday, 4/5 (Week 3): Submit the final draft of the thesis via email to your thesis advisor, preceptor, and Student Affairs Administrator, Matthew Hawkins.  
• TBA: Creative Writing BA Thesis Reading & Reception. 
• Before the end of the quarter: Notified about Honors decisions. 

College Catalog on Program Honors: The faculty in the program will award program honors based on their assessment of BA theses and the assessment of preceptors. Students must complete all assignments set by preceptors to be considered for honors. To be eligible, students must have a major GPA of at least 3.6 and an overall GPA of at least 3.25. Honors will be awarded only to exceptional projects from a given cohort. 

Program Honors Criteria

1. GPA: writer must have at least 3.6 major GPA & 3.25 cumulative GPA

2. Conception: the BA project has emotional and intellectual resonance, and fulfills many of its artistic goals 

3. Execution: the BA project demonstrates strong technical knowledge, from its formal decisions to its execution of the fundamental mechanics of the genre:

            -BA project is developed through active writerly commitment

4. Revision: writer is diligent throughout the revision process

5. Program Citizenship/Engagement: the writer put in strong effort throughout the entirety of the BA writing and research process and worked well with both their faculty advisor and preceptors:

-Submitted all BA assignments by their deadlines to preceptors

-Checked in with preceptors per pre-determined schedule

-Conscientious colleague in and out of the Thesis Workshop

6. Risk and ambition: the BA project shows an impressive level of risk and ambition, whether through formal innovation or content