Honors Thesis Pathways

Founders Lab is a 2-semester (6 credit) thesis pathway, hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship & New Business Design at the W. P. Carey School of Business, designed to empower Barrett students to gain entrepreneurial confidence as they develop critical thinking, business writing, and communication skills by pursuing the launch of a new venture. This untraditional academic experience focuses on empowering students to engage with a specific opportunity, identify a distinct audience, and provide something of real value (that your target audience will exchange value to obtain).

Students can register in this intensive program in either the Fall - Spring, or Spring - Fall pathways; and it is available to all majors. However, due to the intensity of the program, we ask that all students think seriously about the requirements of this program before committing.

Program Logistics

• Approximately 100 students, in teams ranging from 1-5 participants, will design and launch a new user-centric venture, culminating in a semester 2 defense.
• Students who complete the required work will earn 3 credits (WPC 492) for semester one, and 3 credits (WPC 493) in semester two.
• Second committee members will be provided, and students will submit their prospectus during their first semester in this thesis pathway.
• Full commitment and participation is expected for both 'Fall - Spring', or 'Spring - Fall' pathways.

To apply for participation, complete this application form. Participants will be accepted on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Director of the W. P. Carey Center for Entrepreneurship, Jared Byrne.

Join one of Barrett's most sought-after thesis programs! The Women's Power & Influence Index team at The Difference Engine is accepting applications for our fourth cohort in this two-year pathway.

Year 1: Join as a junior researcher helping expand the nation's most comprehensive measure of workplace fairness. Year 2: Step into a leadership role while completing your honors thesis with built-in mentorship.

What You'll Experience:

• Work directly with corporate executives
• Present at national conferences
• Travel to Los Angeles for special events
• Join a community of 20+ Barrett's alumni who've graduated from this program

Open to juniors from all majors who want to make workplace equality more transparent and measurable. WPI graduates have gone on to present at ASU DataCon, work with executives from American Express and Intel, and help transform how companies approach equality.

Spots are highly competitive! Apply to join the Fall 2025 cohort.

MGT 493 Honors Management Consulting (3 credits)

This course is for Barrett students majoring in Management or Entrepreneurship to to leverage their skills through a hands-on, applied project that aligns with their degree and career goals. Successful completion of this course will fulfill the honors thesis requirement while gaining real-world consulting experience.

What to expect in MGT 493 Spring 2025:

• Propose and execute a management consulting project that tackles meaningful, real-world challenges relevant to you.
• Gain insights into the world of management consulting.
• Present your findings with a professional report and presentation, adding a valuable artifact to your portfolio.
• Choose between internship-based, small business collaboration, or curated scenario projects to fit your interests.

Why Enroll?

• Hands-on experience to apply your analytical and “soft” skills in a real-world context.
• Professional growth by working on a project that enhances your resume.
• Thesis credit in a structured format to meet your honors requirements. 

Registration Requirements

• Students are required to have completed 90 credit hours along with MGT 300, MKT 300 and SCM 300 prior to enrolling in MGT 493.

Reach out to lora.koretz@asu.edu or James.H.Moore@asu.edu with any questions.

CIS 493 Applied Business Data Analytics Capstone (3 credits)

This course is for Barrett students pursuing the Applied Business Data Analytics (ABDA) certificate to leverage their training through a hands-on, applied analytics project that aligns with your degree and career goals. Successful completion of this course will fulfill the honors thesis requirement while gaining real-world analytics experience.

What to expect in CIS 493 Fall 2025:

• Propose and execute an analytics project that tackles meaningful, real-world challenges relevant to you.
• Gain insights and uncover data-driven solutions to support decision-making.
  Present your findings with a professional report and presentation, adding a valuable artifact to your portfolio.
• Choose between internship-based, small business collaboration, or curated scenario projects to fit your interests.

Why Enroll?

• Hands-on experience to apply your analytics skills in a real-world context.
• Professional growth by working on a project that enhances your resume.
• Thesis credit in a structured format to meet your honors requirements. 

Registration Requirements

• Students are required to complete at least 4 of the 6 certificate courses prior to enrolling in CIS 493, but it is preferred for all certificate courses to be completed prior if possible.
• Complete the registration form at CIS 493 Honors Thesis for Honors ABDA Students.

Reach out to wpcareyis@asu.edu with any questions.