What is Departmental Honors?

Departmental honors provides an opportunity for students to challenge themselves academically by engaging in advanced individual scholarly activity in their major. It is designated as a 499 class in a student's major, and the student works one-on-one with a faculty supervisor to undertake an honors project appropriate to the field.

The honors project looks different in every major. It might be a survey of consumers to evaluate attitudes regarding a certain marketing strategy. It might be a data analysis of the stomach content in hundreds of flounder in water with different salinity levels. It might be critically evaluating the message and narrative in a TV show and how it impacts viewers. It might be a literary analysis of modern or classical texts. It might be the production of a film, the writing of a manuscript, or the showcase of an art exhibition.

Why Departmental Honors?

Departmental Honors is a key part of the University Honors curriculum. If you are part of the Honors College, it is the capstone experience to your story in Honors. But anyone with a 3.2 GPA can complete an honors project. What are the benefits, and why should you consider it?

• Opportunity to pursue an independent research or creative scholarly project on any topic of your choice
• Earn class credit in your major--complete those last 3 hours at the 400 level in order to graduate, and do it on your own terms
• A 499 class fulfills your Explorations Beyond the Classroom (EBC) requirement for University Studies and also counts as Writing Intensive (WI) course
• Completing a thesis will prepare you for grad school; not only will it make your application more competitive, but it will prepare you for graduate-level research
• The unique Interdisciplinary Honors Project (HON 499) allows you to combine approaches and research from multiple disciplines, or work with a faculty mentor outside your major
• Special honors designation on your transcript and diploma (University Honors with honors in [Major] for University Honors graduates and Honors in [Major] for Departmental Honors graduates)
• Build a close relationship with your faculty mentor
• Opportunities and financial support to present your research at academic conferences around the country
• Fellowships and scholarships dedicated exclusively to undergraduate research
• Some exceptional theses go on to get published in academic journals--an impressive professional credential
• Prove to employers, mentors, or grad schools that you are well-equipped to take on advanced, independent projects--that you are a true self-starter
• Learn more about yourself, about the research process, and about a topic that interests you 

View some of the past Departmental Honors papers here. 

Withdraw from your Departmental Honors Thesis >>

Click here to enroll in the Departmental Honors Canvas Group

**Note: the Canvas group is for informational purposes only; anyone can join; it is NOT how you register for Departmental Honors.