Senior Thesis

The Senior Thesis is Mt. Bethel Christian Academy's academic capstone project in which all students who graduate from MBCA must participate. As a graduation requirement, we emphasize the need for students to write well, think well, and speak well by the end of their time here. Students work towards these goals throughout their time at MBCA, and this project represents the culmination of years of work and preparation. 

The thesis is comprised of a year-long research project that is completed in the student’s Senior Rhetoric course. In this class, students engage in the fundamentals of argument structure, research synthesis, and artful delivery through oral presentations. To this end, students complete a ten- page research paper centered on a topic of their choice that they spend the year researching, writing, and practicing speaking. At the end of the year, students give a 20-minute presentation in front of an audience of their peers and a panel of judges, and then they have a 15-minute Q&A round in which they defend their position. 

This project encourages students to engage in topics of interest with a critical lens and to curate research from reliable sources at a pace and with the guidance appropriate for high school students, all while working towards giving a compelling verbal presentation. We believe these skills are invaluable assets for students, not just as they enter collegiate environments, but also as they enter the world and workforce. 

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy Community,