prerequisites for admission
Honors students must be in their junior or senior year and have completed at least 3 upper division courses in Art History. Seniors who are graduating in the Spring quarter should complete all requirements of the Departmental Honors Program including their Honors Thesis during the Winter quarter before their graduation. Students who wish to have their Honors Thesis fully considered for a departmental award should complete their Honors Thesis during the Winter quarter of the year in which they are enrolled in the Departmental Honors Program.

A 3.5 GPA  in all upper division Art History courses.

An overall GPA of 3.0., which must be sustained throughout the course of the student’s project.

application procedures
1 Obtain the Honors application
(available in the Department Office - Arts 1234).

2 Afterchoosing a general topic of research for their Honors Thesis, Honors candidates select and meet with a faculty member in their area of emphasis.  Once this faculty member agrees to serve as faculty advisor for the project, specific requirements are negotiated. Students then submit an Honors Proposal to the department (see space provided on application), signed by their faculty advisor.  Acceptance of the proposal requires the review and signature of the Department Chair. Honors candidates may inquire with the Undergraduate Staff Advisor on the status of their application within a few days of submission.

program requirements
Note: courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Note: grade of B or better required to receive Distinction in the Major.

1 Students must complete the following requirements for Distinction in the Major

A  Two quarters of undergraduate seminars (Art History 186 series). One of the two courses can be completed before students enroll in the Departmental Honors Program. One upper division course (with L&S Honors Contract) in Art History or one graduate seminar in Art History  can substitute for one of the undergraduate seminars (Art History 186 series). One of the two quarters of undergraduate seminars ( Art History 186 series) can be applied to Area B.

B  Researching and writing of an Honors Thesis by either taking two consecutive quarters of Independent Study (Art History 199), or one quarter of undergraduate seminar (Art History 186 series) followed immediately in the next quarter by one quarter of Indepedent Study (Art History 199).
NOTE: Both options lead to the completion of an Honors Thesis. Alternative options must be approved by the Undergraduate Advisor and Department Chair. 

2  Deadline for completion of the thesis is Monday of the 8th week of the last quarter in which the student is working on the Honors Thesis.

honors thesis specifications

Please note the deadlines that apply to all students in the Honors Program:
Beginning of week 8 of the second quarter of your honors thesis research project: Submit one (1) copy to your advisor for commenting and grading.
By week 10 of the second quarter of your honors thesis research project: Submit one (1) final copy (corrected, if required) of your honors thesis to the main departmental office.

1 The suggested minimum length is c. 20-25 pages main text plus images, bibliography, appendix, etc.

2  The thesis project should comprise a structured research process including but not limited to bibliography, outline, first draft, submission copy, and final copy.

A  Sample outline of a completed honors thesis:
        title page,
        table of content,
        list of images,
        main text (double-spaced, continous essay, or structured in sections or chapters),
        images (unless included in main text),
        bibliography (divided into primary sources, secondary sources, etc. if applicable)
        list of image sources,
        appendices (if applicable)

The above are recommendations. Please discuss with your honors thesis advisor if and which adjustments are required based on your specific research project.

honors thesis review
After the Honors Thesis is completed and submitted, they are evaluated by a committee consisting of the student’s advisor and at least one other departmental faculty member, usually a specialist in a neighboring field. Among the criteria used in evaluating Honors Theses are scholarly presentation, originality, and quality of research.