The Honors Program at Wesleyan

A degree with honors can be earned two ways: (1) Departmental honors will be awarded to the student who has done outstanding work in the major field of study and met the standards for honors or high honors set by the respective department or program; (2) Honors in General Scholarship will be awarded to the student who is a University major or whose thesis topic or methodology is outside of the domain appropriate for the award of Honors in the student's department(s) or program(s). The candidate for honors in general scholarship must have a minimum Grade Point Average of 90.00, fulfill general education expectations, and submit a senior thesis that meets the standard for honors or high honors set by the Committee on Honors.

In the fall semester of the senior year, all candidates for departmental honors must either enroll in a senior thesis/essay tutorial or, if they are pursuing an alternate route to honors, must ask their department to forward their names to the Honors Committee as candidates. For honors in general scholarship, each candidate must submit (1) a brief proposal describing the honors work; (2) a short statement telling how general education expectations have been or will be fulfilled; and (3) letters of support from the thesis tutor and the department chair of the student's major (or, in the case of a University major, from the Committee on University Majors). Students who are University majors or are working on a thesis topic or methodology that is outside of the domain appropriate for the award of Honors in the major department(s) or program(s) should refer to the General Scholarship website for information about the application process.

The completed thesis/essay is due in mid-April.

University Honors is the highest award Wesleyan bestows. To be eligible, a student must fulfill General Education Expectations, earn High Honors on the thesis/project within the department or program, be recommended for University Honors by their department, and qualify in an oral exam administered by the Honors Committee.

The Honors Committee oversees the granting of Honors to Wesleyan graduates, hears petitions, selects University Honors recipients, and supervises students who elect to stand as candidates for Honors in General Scholarship. The Registrar's Office assists the Honors Committee and the students writing theses by coordinating the mechanics of the process, providing forms, schedules, and reminders as needed, and by managing the electronic thesis/essay registration and evaluation process.