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Honors Program

Students with a cumulative average of 3.50 at the end of their first three years of study are eligible and may be invited by the Department of Religion to participate in the Honors Program.

Students will choose a thesis director from the faculty in the Department. In consultation with this director, students will choose two additional faculty members to serve on their Honors committee. The director will guide the student's independent research on a topic of the student's choosing. The student is encouraged to consult with the additional committee members, especially during the final semester of the work. The entire committee will judge the quality of the completed Honors Thesis and the student's defense of the thesis in an oral examination. A minimum of two successive semesters of Honors Directed Reading (REL 495R) is required for the Honors degree. The Department strongly encourages the student to find and take a graduate seminar related to the Honors topic. The Honors committee must include one member from outside the Department of Religion and, in the case of joint majors, the committee must include one faculty member from each department and a third faculty member from outside both departments.

Successful Honors candidates are awarded the degree with Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors. The degree of Honors is awarded for satisfactory completion of the Honors Program while High Honors are given for an outstanding achievement and Highest Honors for an exceptional performance of a quality suitable for publication. Fourrageres signifying honors are presented to qualifying graduating seniors to be worn at Commencement.