Introduction
In an issue-focused interdisciplinary concentration like Environmental Studies, an integration of concentration courses is essential to provide for some practice in the application of the learning from these courses to real and significant issues. The thesis is the means of achieving these goals. Virtually every ES graduate (even those who found the thesis preparation to be a particular challenge) has confirmed after graduation that the thesis was the most valuable part of the ES concentration. On our 1993 survey of alumni/ae, we asked the open-ended question, "What definitely should be required [as a part of the ES degree]?" Fifty percent of the responding graduates cited the thesis. When asked to elaborate on the relationship between the thesis and their first job, graduates emphasized the importance of the thesis in both qualifying and preparing them for their jobs. Ninety-five percent of the responding graduates ranked the thesis as very important or important to the ES program.