Global Management and International Trade

About this opportunity

Thunderbird School of Global Management’s undergraduate degree programs position you for success as a global professional, ready to adapt and thrive in a dynamic world. Our hands-on courses are taught by Thunderbird’s renowned faculty. Thunderbird undergraduate students are provided an interactive curricular experience based in practice and discussion that deepens their understanding of global management and international political economy in addition to instilling Thunderbird’s global digital mindset. Nowhere else prepares you for a global careers in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors like Thunderbird. Our alumni are entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and innovators across industries and sectors across the globe.

Thesis

Barrett Honors College students enrolled in the Thunderbird School of Global Management undergraduate program, conduct their thesis on a variety of topics. Thesis projects are selected by each student based on their interests and under the guidance of a student's thesis director, as well as a second committee member. Past projects have covered topics such as global supply-chain analysis, smart cities assessments, electric vehicle adoption, and women's leadership in business, among many. Projects may be done using survey-based, interview-based, case-based, or another format decided during the thesis development process.

Academic Preparation

Working with their academic advisors, students will plan their Thunderbird undergraduate program of study, which includes Barrett Honors curriculum. Students should plan to start work on honors credits, internships and research opportunities early in their academic career to get to know faculty and explore thesis topic ideas. 

Recommended Timeline

The following is an example of a thesis timeline. Remember that all thesis projects are different, thus timelines and deadline will vary.

Thesis Timeline Example:

Meetings:
I will be meeting with my Thesis Director starting in September once a month. However, changes can be made based on the milestone of the project. We will meet every other week during the spring semester via zoom. The primary aim of these meetings is to focus on research and interviews conducted, as well as assess the project stages. I will create a schedule based on the previous sessions and set goals to achieve before the subsequent meeting. These meetings will also assist me by providing thesis structure for my thesis through the advice from my director. I will also be meeting with my second committee member, at least once a month from September to April via zoom. The goal of my meeting with my second committee member is to ensure I am heading in the right direction as well as to seek the professor’s insights. 

First Semester 

Date: Task:

• August:  Work on the timeline and steps of the process of data gathering with due dates for each draft.
• September: Working on questions for the interview and submitting to IRB
• October: Interviews begin.
• November: Have all transcribing from interviews completed. 
• December: Analysis interviews into the thesis.

Second semester

Date: Task:

• January: Beginning of month, have the start of the thesis paper completed. 
• End of month, have the first full draft done.
• February:  End of month, have a second draft done.
• March: Mid-month, review thesis paper with director and second committee member. 
• End of month, discuss the location of preference for my defense with both my Thesis director and second committee member. 
• Arrange summit room reservations. Confirm thesis defense date.
• April: Beginning of month hold thesis defense.
• Final review, submitting for funding, completed Barrett's Online Defense Reporting form and submitting final thesis.
• Attend Barrett Convocation. 

Other Honors Opportunities

Honors enrichment contracts are created on a case-by-case basis. Recent examples of successful contracts are: (1) Barrett Honors student conducted an individual research project that addressed issues such as the history of internet, global internet usage, inhibitors and facilitators of online learning, internet addiction, etc. (2) Barrett Honors student assisted with instructor research on gender influences in leadership; specifically, addressing inhibitors and facilitators of women in leadership, as well as barriers and means of access to institutional leadership pathways for women leaders, in business.