Honors Program

Rising seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.50 in History are eligible to enroll in the History honors program at the beginning of their senior year.  Interested students should approach a faculty mentor to sponsor their research during the Spring semester of their Junior year.  Following this, the student must submit a brief (2-3 page) proposal outlining the nature of their project and the proposed course of research, generally conducted over the summer and fall months, to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  The faculty sponsor must also submit a statement indicating their willingness to support the student in their research and writing of the Honor's Thesis.

Students pursuing Honors will then enroll in HIS 495 (Fall) and HIS 496 (Spring) in their senior year.  Generally speaking, 495 is dedicated to research and 496 is dedicated to the writing of the thesis.

The paper resulting from a student's research is read by two faculty members in History (one being the faculty advisor) and a member of another department, as arranged by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and in consultation with the student's faculty advisor.  If the paper is judged to be of unusual merit and the student's record warrants such a determination, the De­partment will recommend honors to be bestowed at graduation.  Students writing an honors thesis may also participate in URECA, the campus-wide research fair that takes place each Spring.

The full set of guidelines for carrying out an Honors Thesis can be found here.