Dropping an Honors Thesis or Senior Honors Project in Fine Arts
Background & Introduction
🔹Thesis courses (4990–5001) are year-long
The Newcomb-Tulane College Honors Thesis (4990–5000) and Senior Honors Project in Fine Arts (4991–5001) are year-long courses. See also: https://catalog.tulane.edu/newcomb-tulane/#academicpoliciestext
🔹Drop without record (no CAR petition required)
In accordance with NTC policy, these courses may be dropped without record at any time prior to completion or graduation with approval of the thesis or project director (instructor of record). A Committee on Academic Requirements (CAR) petition is not required.
NTC Policy (effective 2025-2026 Catalog):
At the request of the thesis writer or the thesis director, an Honors Thesis may be discontinued and the credits converted to an Independent Study at any time prior to graduation. In such cases, the Honors Thesis credits will be dropped without record and replaced by equivalent Independent Study credits with the same prefix. The student and the independent study supervisor must establish a written plan outlining the expectations for evaluating the newly created independent study.
🔹Second semester drop requires both terms
Students dropping in the second semester must drop both the second semester course (5000/5001) and the corresponding first semester course (4990/4991).
🔹Independent study option (add before drop)
With thesis/project director approval, some students may be eligible to add independent study coursework in place of the thesis. If independent study will be added, it must be added before dropping the thesis to avoid unintended impacts to enrollment status or financial aid.
🔹Academic and enrollment impact review
Before proceeding, students should consult with their academic advisor to understand the impact on:
Degree progress
Full-time enrollment status (12 credit hours)
Financial aid related to enrollment status
Tier II writing proficiency requirements (including SLA requirements, if applicable)
🔹Cross-unit coordination required
This process requires careful coordination across the student’s academic advisor, thesis/project department, and Registrar.
🔹Policy reference
https://catalog.tulane.edu/newcomb-tulane/#academicpoliciestext
Dropping Honors Thesis (no Independent Study)
All steps in this section are coordinated by the academic advisor.
Action | Key Details | Handoff |
|---|---|---|
1️⃣Confirm academic impact | Review degree progress with student Check:
| Advisor confirms student understanding of academic, enrollment, and financial aid impacts before proceeding |
2️⃣Prepare form(s) for drop | One add/drop form per course Example: dropping 4990 + 5000 = 2 forms Write: “Drop without record” Required signatures:
If the student is enrolled in 5000/5001 (second semester) the first semester (4990/4991) must also be dropped | Advisor coordinates collection of all required signatures and verifies forms are complete before moving to submission |
6️⃣Prepare Change of Grade form(s) (if applicable) | Submit Change of Grade form Only required if first semester already completed
| |
4️⃣ Submit to Registrar |
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Dropping Thesis and adding Independent Study
When adding independent study: ADD independent study FIRST; THEN drop thesis.
Failure to do this may drop the student below full-time, impact financial aid and/or affect enrollment status.
The following steps should be completed in order listed.
Action | Responsible Role(s) | Key Details | Handoff |
|---|---|---|---|
1️⃣Determine eligibility | Thesis/Project director (with student) | Confirm:
| Thesis/Project director communicates eligibility and credit determination and writing designation to academic advisor |
2️⃣Confirm writing requirement impact | Thesis/Project director (with student) | Determine if independent study will fulfill:
| |
3️⃣Add Independent Study | Thesis/Project department | Create and register independent study course(s) ⚠️ Must be completed before dropping thesis/project course(s) | Thesis/Project department confirms independent study is successfully added and the student is registered to academic advisor |
4️⃣Prepare drop form(s) | Student, thesis/project director, academic advisor (coordinated by advisor) | One add/drop form per course Example: dropping 4990 + 5000 = 2 forms Write: “Drop without record” Required signatures:
If the student is enrolled in 5000/5001 (second semester) the first semester (4990/4991) must also be dropped | Advisor coordinates collection of all required signatures and verifies forms are complete |
5️⃣Prepare Change of Grade form(s) (if applicable) | Academic advisor | Submit Change of Grade form Only required if first semester already completed
| |
6️⃣Submit to Registrar | Academic advisor | Submit via Registrar Support Form |
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7️⃣Submit degree audit petition (if applicable) | Academic advisor | If appropriate, submit a petition to allow the independent study to fulfill:
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