The Honors Council decides who graduates with honors as well as the level of honors awarded. The Council is a committee of the College of Arts and Sciences appointed by the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs. The award and level of Honors is determined by the quality of the thesis, an oral examination, and the candidate's academic record. The Honors Program requires that a student wishing to graduate with Honors have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 for Departmental Honors and 3.5 for General Honors. There is some variation among departments but no department has a requirement below 3.3.
Some departments also have specific course requirements.
If you are uncertain about your department's requirements, including GPA, check with your department's Honors Council Representative. The following policies were adopted by the Honors Council and are in force beginning Fall, 1996. Students pursuing Honors with a Distributed Studies or Individually Structured Major must designate a major area with an appropriate advisor for the purpose of their Honors thesis. As an alternative, they may pursue the General Honors track. Students wishing to graduate with a double major may not submit the same thesis for both degrees.