Undergraduate > The Honors Program in History
Acceptance into the honors program is at the discretion of the program’s director and requires a GPA of at least B+ in History courses and a successful honors thesis proposal. To join the program, you must also secure a faculty advisor, submit the Honors Registration form at the main department office, and enroll in the winter quarter honors colloquium during your junior year. (If you are planning to go overseas during that quarter, please consult the Director of the Honors Program.)
Students accepted into the honors program typically begin work on the honors thesis in the winter quarter of their junior year (with the honors colloquium) and complete the thesis by mid-May of their senior year. They must also attend Honors Program events (such as writing workshops and presentations).
Eleven to fifteen units of honors work are distributed as best fits the student's program. These Senior Research units (299A,B,C) are in addition to the 12 required courses in History.
In February of senior year, honors students give oral presentations of their work in progress to a small group including the advisor, secondary reader, and a peer reader. On Honors Day in mid-May, students share their research findings in a public presentation to faculty and students.
Students completing the thesis with a grade of B+ or higher are eligible for graduation with Honors, which is indicated on the student's transcript and diploma.
Each year, the History Department awards a James Birdsall Weter Prize and the School of Humanities and Sciences awards a Robert M. Golden Medal for outstanding Honors essays.
Honors Funding
Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) makes funding available through quarterly Small Grants and annual Golden Grants. Contact URO for details and deadlines. Students can also apply to the History Department for a Carl Brand Fund grant, which reimburses small expenses such as photocopying, microfilming, computer time, duplicating and binding, and Fischer grants, which fund return trips to archives, for example, during winter or spring break. Information and applications are available from the department office. Only costs documented through saved receipts are eligible.
Summer Honors College
The Summer Honors College offers a select number of honors students from all over the university the chance to begin serious work on their theses before the start of the autumn quarter. Activities of the Honors College include sessions with reference librarians, writing workshops, individual conferences with history faculty, and presentations of work in progress. Participants will also have the chance to interact with honors students from other disciplines, allowing for an exchange of ideas and thesis research strategies.