At times during the thesis experience, you may feel lost, overwhelmed and confused by the process. To address this issue, the University of Houston Writing Center and the Honors College have partnered together to offer you a learning environment in which you have the opportunity to actively dialogue and collaborate on your research and writing with your peers in a close-knit setting. 

Studios consist of small groups of thesis students engaged in the research and writing process. In a studio, you become a member of a community made up of fellow researchers and writers who assist one another in exploring ideas and engaging in research, responding to and evaluating the text and working with each member to determine the ideal form for their thesis. Group members determine the tone and pace of the thesis studio. A studio facilitator participates to help guide the discussions, but the sessions revolve around the needs of the members. Facilitators are typically graduates who conducted theses as undergraduates. 

Time Commitment/Responsibilities

Studios meet 5 times during the semester. Each session is one hour. 

Participants are expected to complete the portion of the writing they plan to discuss with the group prior to the studio time and are expected to respond to the work of others.

Role of Studio Facilitator

The studio facilitator acts as another voice in the group, responding as a studio member to the work of each participant. The facilitator guides the conversation in a studio session and makes sure it remains focused on the students’ writing and writing processes. The facilitator is there to help you figure out how to navigate the thesis process and assist you in staying on track. Please keep in mind that although facilitators are trained in the studio process, they are not the experts in your field.

Why the Thesis Studio Program?

By committing to the studio process, you will find that you deepen and advance your own thesis experience. In addition to having an accountability group that will assist you in staying on track to finish within two semesters, you also have a supportive forum for testing your ideas and writing (thus improving your writing and practicing for your defense), access to others’ processes and revisions which may inform your own and a group of peers who are experiencing the same joys and pain that you are.

Join the Studio Program

The studio is not a course you enroll in, but rather a seminar you sign-up for through Blackboard Learn. All first semester thesis students will receive instructions on how to enroll in the Thesis Studio Program at the MANDATORY thesis orientation at the start of your first semester in the thesis program. 

Students who successfully complete the studio program by attending all sessions both semesters will receive a voucher to cover up to $150 in thesis binding expenses. You must be in good standing with the studio program both semesters to receive the $150 thesis binding voucher. Some colleges cover the cost of binding – please check with your college thesis liaison. 

Good standing entails:

• Attending all thesis studio meetings
• Presenting excerpts from thesis at each meeting
• Responding to the works of others

Contact Dr. Rikki Bettinger in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards with questions about the Writing Studios or binding vouchers.