Honors

Qualifying

All students who concentrate in Urban Studies take ten courses from the Core and Complementary Curriculum list to fulfill the concentration requirements. However, for qualified students interested in conducting a substantial independent research project in their senior year, the Urban Studies Program offers the option of an Honors Concentration.

Twelve courses are required of an Honors concentrator -- i.e., two in addition to the ten courses required of a regular concentrator. These two courses can be EITHER a second research skills course and one thesis preparation (independent reading and research) course, OR two thesis preparation courses. To receive an Honors degree, the candidate's thesis and course record must be of outstanding quality. In addition the candidate must work closely with at least one faculty advisor and be examined by an appropriate committee.

Applying

Students must apply to the honors program by the middle of the second semester of their junior year. To be eligible to apply for honors, a student's academic record in the Urban Studies Program must be above average. The student's application for honors must include a statement describing a proposal for a research project to be carried out in the senior year. The application must be countersigned by the faculty member who is to serve as the student's honors advisor. All applications will be reviewed by the Director of Urban Studies Program. Students whose applications are approved for the program will be notified by the end of the second semester of their junior year.

Writing the Thesis

The thesis advisor works closely with the student on his/her project. By the end of the first month of the senior year, the honors candidate will be required to arrange with one additional faculty member to serve as reader. The honors candidate will submit a completed draft of the thesis to the faculty advisor and the two readers by the middle of the second semester of the student's senior year. The final draft is due the week preceeding reading period.