Departmental Honors Program

Honors Program Nomination Procedures | Honors Program Requirements | Honors Thesis Formatting

The Departmental Honors Program is designed to challenge superior students in their final year of undergraduate study to use their disciplinary training to delve deeper into a topic of interest in the major. The program emphasizes independent investigation and culminates in completion of a bachelor’s thesis or special research project. Credit for one or two courses (which may include a January Term course) is normally given. If justified by the nature of the project, credit for three courses, including a January Term, may be given. The thesis must be defended by the student in an oral examination administered by the student’s thesis committee. The thesis committee consists of three faculty members; two of the members should be from within the department or program of the student’s major and the third from outside the student’s major. In some cases, specific departments have additional requirements for participation in the program. Successful completion of the Departmental Honors Program is indicated on the student’s diploma as "Honors in (Discipline or Field)."

Admittance to the program is by invitation only and is intended for students who are within three semesters of graduation. In no case will students who have less than five months of study remaining before graduation be considered. A student who has excellent research potential and has been performing at an exceptional level in the major and at a level of distinction in other courses may be invited by the department or program chair to participate in the Departmental Honors Program. The evaluation of performance in the major is made exclusively by each department or program. The evaluation of overall performance outside the department is subject to review by the Honors Advisory Committee.