Departmental Honors


Departmental Honors in Classics, 2019-2020

Graduation with departmental Honors is awarded in recognition of exceptional performance in the major, completion of an Honors thesis or an alternative project, and a strong overall academic record (with a final Major GPA of at least 3.50). Classics majors may apply by seeking the approval of a potential thesis/project advisor (well before the deadline listed below) and submitting a one-page proposal to the Honors Coordinator in Classics. Enrollment in the “Honors Essay” course (CLSX 496, GRK 496, or LAT 496) is required.

Deadlines: 

1. Thesis/Project Proposals should be submitted before enrollment for the student’s final semester (or no later than December 1 for May or Summer graduation; or no later than May 1 for December graduation). The potential thesis/project advisor will offer guidance regarding preparation of this one-page proposal. Ideally, the proposal will include information about the student’s preparation for the thesis (e.g. coursework or independent reading). A committee (the advisor plus two more KU faculty members) must approve the proposal. Students who wish to complete the Honors thesis or project before their final semester should talk with an advisor.

2. Honors Intent Forms should be submitted as soon as the proposal is accepted, or no later than November 1 for fall graduation; March 1 for spring graduation; July 15 for summer graduation. 

3. Deadlines for drafts or progress reports must be negotiated with the thesis/project advisor. Such deadlines will be well in advance of the final deadline. Important: All three committee members must have a chance to offer feedback on some portion of the thesis or project before the final deadline.

4. Final deadline for submission of full thesis to committee: December 1 for December graduation; May 1 for May graduation. The thesis must be essentially complete, but the advisor may allow for incomplete footnotes, introduction, or conclusion (for example). Revisions may be requested by the committee. No oral presentation isrequired.

The Departmental Honors requirements set by the College are as follows:

1.Candidates must declare the intention to work for departmental honors with the appropriate departmental honorscoordinator(s) no later than the time of enrollment for the final undergraduate semester, but sooner if required by thedepartment(s). Copies of the intent form should be returned to College Student Academic Services.

2.At the end of the final undergraduate semester, a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in the major. The major grade-point average includes work completed at other institutions, as well as at KU. No minimum grade-point average isrequired to declare candidacy for graduation with departmental honors unless specified by the department.

3.Each candidate’s departmental honors work must include independent research or an acceptable alternative project. The results of research are presented in a form appropriate to the requirements of the major department. Equivalentsto the independent research component are established by approved departmental honors programs. In coursesmeeting the independent research requirement, the candidate must earn a grade of B or higher. Successful completion of all departmental honors requirements must be certified to the departmental honors coordinator(s) by a panel composed of at least three members of the College faculty who have read the report of the independent research and heard the oral presentation, where required

The Honors Coordinator for Classics is: Professor Pamela Gordon, pgordon@ku.edu

The Honors Intent Form and questions about College requirements should be directed to Cortney McKay, Graduation Advisor for College Advising & Student Services; Strong Hall, 1450 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 109. Email: mckayc@ku.edu.
Phone: 785-864-3500
Fax: 785-864-5806