Departmental Honors in the College of Arts & Sciences
About A&S Departmental Honors
Outstanding undergraduate students in the College of Arts & Sciences at the junior or senior level who maintain an accumulative GPA of at least 3.50 may be eligible to earn Departmental Honors from their department of major. A thesis or project is required as the culmination of supervised research or an appropriate project carried out over several terms; therefore, it is best to start exploring the possibility of an honors thesis no later than the beginning of the junior year. Honors students may be encouraged to share their findings in a variety of professional and academic conference settings, and sometimes even present with their faculty. The Ohio University Student Research and Creative Activity Expo attracts A&S honors students who, along with other outstanding students from across the Ohio University campus, compete for awards. Completion of thesis requirements established by the respective department allows the honors student to graduate "With Honors," a designation noted in the degree bearing official transcript and on the student's Ohio University diploma, and serves as an impressive credential for applying to advanced programs of study.
Not every department in the College of Arts & Sciences offers an honors program. Departments with Departmental Honors programs include: Anthropology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Classics & World Religions, English, Environment & Plant Biology, Geography, History, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies.
Departments offering an honors program appoint a Departmental Honors Coordinator (DHC) who, in consultation with the department chair and faculty, will establish requirements and guidelines, the procedures to apply to and be selected for the program, as well as monitoring the progress of all honors students in the department.
These web pages fully describe the requirements and expectations for enrolling in an Honors Program.
Important Resources
- Thesis Overview and Guidelines Manual
- Copyright, Plagiarism, and Publishing Information [from the Graduate College]
- Sample of Title Page and Label to be Placed on the Front of the Thesis Binder
Thesis or Project Submission Form
Deadlines
Departmental Honors Designation on Transcripts
Theses and projects (along with the completed Thesis/Project Submission Form) must be submitted to the Office of the Dean by the last day of class for the semester in order for the Departmental Honors designation to appear on the student's graduation transcript.
Departmental Honors (DH) Designation in the Commencement Program
In order to be included in the Ohio University Commencement Program, the departmental honors coordinator must email a student's name and thesis title to Adam Brown by the end of the fifth week of the semester. The email must include the student's name, PID number, academic department, thesis adviser, and thesis title.
This deadline applies only for your name and thesis to be included in the Commencement Program. Information submitted after the above dates cannot be guaranteed to be included in the Commencement Program. Departmental Honors can be added to a student's final transcript at a future date: however, it is unlikely the diploma will include a DH designation because it is ordered and mailed out shortly after graduation. Questions about deadlines should be directed to Adam Brown.