Global Health Horizons Honors Thesis Resources
Effective Fall 2020: Global Health students have the opportunity to apply to the two-quarter Horizons Honors seminar and complete a thesis during senior year. This seminar will provide an opportunity to expand, deepen, and share the insights of your Global Health Field Experience or a topic of interest in the field of global health, with members of your cohort. The honors thesis in the field of global health marks an important academic accomplishment in a student's undergraduate career and serves as a credential for postgraduate training and employment.
***Students must complete their Global Health Field Experience Requirement before enrollment.
- Winter Quarter: GLBH 150A. Global Health Horizons Honors Seminar I will consist of intensive reading and discussion in fields related to each student’s primary interest and building on your field experience.
- Spring Quarter: GLBH 150B. Global Health Horizons Honors Seminar II will be a workshop with critical input from all participants focused on preparing a senior thesis that will provide an important credential for students in the next stage of their careers and as they prepare applications for graduate academic or professional training.
The 2025 Honors Thesis Seminar application is closed.
Thesis Resources
Eligibility Requirements for Honors Thesis Seminar (Effective Fall 2020)
Eligibility for Honors Thesis Seminar:
- Students must be a global health major (BA or BS) completing their junior year and graduating the next academic year.
- Students must have a 3.5 overall GPA.
- Students must have completed GLBH 148 and GLBH 181 with a "B" or better by Spring quarter of their junior year.
- Students must complete their Global Health Field Experience requirement prior to enrollment in the senior capstone and should be in progress at the time that they submit their application.
- Accepted students will enroll in the following courses:
- GLBH 150A. Global Health Honors Capstone Seminar I - Additional Upper Division Elective (B.A. only) or Medical Social Science Elective
- GLBH 150B. Global Health Honors Capstone Seminar II - Upper Division Significant Writing Course (B.A. only) or Medical Humanities Elective
*Students completing the honors thesis program can apply the coursework towards one medical social science elective and one medical humanities elective.
More information on application details and deadlines will be announced at a later date.
Thesis Requirements
- The thesis consists of a scholarly examination of an approved topic in global health.
- 9,000-10,000 Words of text, not including bibliographic references or tables, on an approved global health research question.
- Students must have at least 30 peer reviewed, scholarly resources and use the Chicago Manual of Style for citations.
- Additionally, students will complete a research poster and participate in the Horizons of Global Health Research Symposium in Spring quarter.
Library & Writing Resources
Writing Hub
The Writing Hub supports all writers on campus – every writer, any project – and promotes writing as a tool for learning.
They offer:
- One-on-one writing tutoring by appointment, 6 days/week
- Supportive, in-depth conversations about writing, the writing process, and writing skills
- Help with every stage in the writing process
- Walk-in tutoring (Monday-Thursday 5pm-7pm, and same-day appointments by availability)
- Questions? Contact the Writing Hub (writinghub@ucsd.edu)
Writing an Abstract
An abstract is a summary of field experience, paper, and/or research project. It should be single-spaced, one paragraph, and approximately 250-300 words. It should highlight your main points, explain the value of your research, describe how you researched your problem, and offer your conclusions.
Specialized terms should be either defined or avoided. It does not include any charts, tables, figures, footnotes, references, or other supporting information.
It should be clear and concise, without any grammatical mistakes or typographical errors. You should have it reviewed by the Writing Hub, a writing instructor or tutor, or another writing specialist. Contact the UCSD Writing Center for additional assistance.
A successful abstract addresses the following points:
- Problem: What is the central problem or question you investigated?
- Purpose: Why is your study important? How it is different from other similar investigations? Why should we care about your project?
- Methods: What are the important methods you used to perform your research?
- Results: What are the major results of the research project? (You do not have to go into all of the results, only the major ones.)
- Interpretation: How do your results relate to your central problem?
- Implications: Why are your results important? What can we learn from them?
Research Poster Resources
Creating a Research Poster
Resources:
Logos for poster:
Poster Grading Criteria
Oral Presentation
• Accompanies poster throughout duration of scheduled poster presentation time.
• Informs others of your work and research by engaging them in conversation about your poster.
• If asked, student’s response is insightful, depicts obvious knowledge of topic, and contributes to the overall understanding of the research.
Visual Presentation
• Poster layout is in a logical pattern so that visitors can readily follow your presentation.
• Poster is visually attractive, readable from a distance of 3 feet away and includes many graphics and/charts.
• The information presented on the poster reflects the quality of your work.
Research
• Includes research components such as: Title, authors and institutional affiliations; Abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions; acknowledgements and references.
• Poster communicates significance, relevance of results and is academically sound.
• Poster requires us to think beyond the results and to desire to explore the issue/s further.
Relevance to Global Health Issues
• Issue is current, appropriate and pertinent.
• Research and findings closely parallel or complement student’s field experience or area of study.
Horizons of Global Health Research Symposium Details
- Business casual attire recommended.
- If you're unable to be there to set up, please leave your poster with a classmate or drop your poster off at the venue prior.
- During the poster session, stand by your poster. Be prepared to provide a short elevator pitch or answer questions.
- Posters should remain hanging during the keynote speaker presentation.
- Please take a seat in a chair once the presentation begins.
- Everyone should take their posters with them at the conclusion of the event. If you have to leave early, please make arrangements with a friend to take your poster.
