To submit an application, students must meet one of the following requirements at the time of application:
(a) a GPA of 3.40 or higher
OR
(b) a GPA between 3.20 to 3.39 with a minimum of three semesters on the Dean's List (as long as they entered UVM prior to the fall semester of 2007). Students who enter UVM in the fall semester of 2007 or after with GPAs in this range will no longer be eligible to submit thesis proposals.
To begin the process students should, during the second semester of the junior year, consult with and receive approval of a faculty member who agrees to act as advisor for the project. Following the proposal guidelines, the student will then write a formal proposal in close consultation with the advisor.
Next, students must complete the following to successfully submit the completed College Honors application:
Typically, students will work on their theses during the fall and then spring terms of their senior years. Such students should follow the schedule for May Graduates. Those students who plan to graduate in December should follow the schedule for December Graduates.
The proposal is by far the most important piece. It should be developed through close consultation with a thesis advisor, starting in the second semester of the student's junior year if possible. Care should be taken to complete each of the required sections: Abstract, Statement of the Problem, Background, Significance, and Bibliography. Applications that are not divided into the appropriate sections will normally be returned.
Students whose theses involve interaction with human subjects should be aware that such work often requires the approval of a separate, University-wide committee (the Committee on Human Research in the Behavioral Sciences, CHRBS). Students writing theses in Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, or related fields should be sure to ask their advisors whether CHRBS approval is required and obtain confirmation before starting the thesis. Students working in Biology should also be aware that theses involving human or animal experimentation also require a separate University approval and should work with their advisors to obtain it. Approval need not be secured at the time at which the proposal is submitted but the proposal should indicate that the student is aware of this requirement and taking steps to fulfill it. (In the past, several students have written wonderful theses only to be told that they could not receive credit for their work since it had not received the appropriate authorization.)
The student's thesis advisor provides guidance in constructing the thesis, helping the student to analyze his or her ideas critically and providing input and correction along the way. Advisors are normally secured in the semester prior to the submission of the College Honors application package. More information about securing an advisor is available in the Frequently Asked Questions section. Students should be aware that not every person is allowed to be a thesis advisor. Specifically, the thesis advisor must be a tenured or tenure-track professor (not a lecturer or instructor) in the College of Arts and Sciences. In some cases, students who would like to work with a faculty member who does not fit these criteria may do so, but only if they can secure the agreement of a tenured or tenure-track professor in the College of Arts and Sciences who is willing to serve as the student's co-advisor. Questions on this point should be directed to the Chair of the College Honors Committee.
Once the application is received, the Committee evaluates the proposal based on its written standards as specified in the guidelines. The Committee then sends a response to the student via e-mail.
Responses can fall into one of four categories:
When submitting a College Honors proposal, students should register for the appropriate Honors course (HON 2XX) through the department in which they hope to pursue their Honors work. For example, Biology students should sign up for HON 208 in the fall and HON 209 in the spring; English students should sign up for HON 220 in the fall and HON 221 in the spring. In the event that an Honors course in the student's department is not listed in the course newspaper, the student should consult with the Chair of the Honors Committee. Students must take 6.0 credits of HON 2XX coursework to receive College Honors. Typically, these 6 credits are distributed evenly between the first and second semesters, i.e. 3 credits each semester. However, if, for reasons owing to a student's schedule (the student is already registered for, say, 16 credits), a student wishes to do so, College Honors credit may be variably distributed across the two semesters, i.e. 2 credits the first semester and 4 the next, 1 and 5, 4 and 2, or 2 and 4. Please note that this is an "accounting issue" only; students are expected to do an equal amount of work both semesters regardless of how the credit is distributed.
Last modified September 16 2009 05:10 PM
