Honors

What is Honors in Cognitive Science vs. the LSA Honors Program vs. University Honors vs. Degrees with Distinction? 

• Honors in Cognitive Science. The requirements for receiving honors in Cognitive Science are: (1) being a declared Cognitive Science major, (2) having a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4, and (3) submitting an approved thesis via the process outlined below. Registration in the COGSCI Independent Study Courses (497 and 499) is optional. Students may pursue Honors in Cognitive Science without previous affiliation with the LSA Honors Program. Upon declaring the honors major (by submitting an Honors Thesis Application) students are affiliated with the Honors Program and have access to all the resources they provide. Students who complete their honors requirements graduate with “honors,” “high honors,” or “highest honors,” which is noted on the diploma and the official transcript. These honors are given by Cognitive Science based on the quality of the work submitted.

• LSA Honors Program. The LSA Honors Program is a four-year academic program divided into two parts: 1) Lower-division honors requirements and the honors core curriculum are completed by students who are admitted to the Honors Program as freshmen. 2) An honors major is completed by students who pursue an honors thesis (regardless of prior enrollment in the Honors Program).  

• University Honors. The University Honors designation, noted on students' transcripts, is awarded on a term-by-term basis to students who earned a 3.5 grade point average or higher during a given term (at least 14 credits must have been elected that term, at least 12 of which were elected on a graded basis).

• Degrees with Distinction. At graduation, degrees with distinction are awarded based on class ranking. Students who have been approved for graduation, have completed at least 45 graded in-residence credits, and rank in the top 3% of their class will receive a degree "with Highest Distinction." Those who rank in the top 10% of their class but not in the top 3% will receive a degree "with High Distinction." Those who rank in the top 25% of their class but not in the top 10% will receive a degree "with Distinction." Distinction levels are noted on the diploma and the official transcript. Degrees with Distinction may be awarded with or without Honors designation.

The timeline below shows a suggested timeline, with students beginning the honors process in the fall term of their junior year. However, many students have discovered the possibility of doing honors in their major later than that and have still gone on to write excellent senior theses. Please take this timeline as a suggested path; the first actual deadline is the Oct. 1 date to declare honors. Students wishing to declare honors after that date are required to reach out to weinberg-institute@umich.edu first to discuss the honors plan.

The timeline below is based on a Winter semester graduation. If you plan to graduate in Fall or Summer term, please see the section below titled “Alternate Timelines.”

Junior Year

By end of Fall Semester:

• Let the Weinberg Institute know you are interested in pursuing an honors thesis. (Via advising appointment or the Honors Interest Form, typically sent out in early December.)
• Read more about the Honors Summer Fellowship program and decide if you would like to apply.

By the end of Winter Semester:

• Find faculty mentor and identify a proposed title of your project (for more details on choosing a faculty mentor see “Faculty Mentors” below)

During Spring/Summer Semester:

• Register for COGSCI 497 for Fall Term (optional, see “Honors and Course Credit” below)
• At a minimum, work on your thesis abstract and proposed timeline. Some students may choose to conduct thesis research over the summer as well.

Senior Year

Early September (at least two weeks before the Fall Add/Drop deadline)

• Submit the Honors Thesis Application if you are planning to register for Fall term honors thesis independent study credits (optional)

October 1:       

• Deadline to submit the Honors Thesis Application

By the end of Fall Semester:

• Register for COGSCI 499 for Winter Term (optional, see “Honors and Course Credit” below)
• Contact a second faculty member who you would like to serve as your second reader. Make sure to connect your second reader with your faculty mentor.

Mid-March (recommended)

• Discuss with your faculty advisor whether or not you plan to meet the April 1 deadline for submission of a near-finished draft of your thesis to be considered for Honors Program and Cognitive Science thesis awards.
• If you are planning to meet the April 1 deadline, share with your advisor the link to the Honors Award Endorsement form that you will receive by email from the Weinberg Institute.

April 1:

• Deadline to submit thesis for consideration for LSA Honors Awards. 

  The thesis draft you submit for consideration should be near-complete and should have already been submitted to your thesis advisor. You will submit the thesis, along with an unofficial transcript and a CV/resume, in a form you will receive from the Weinberg Institute in March.

April 8:

• Submit final version of your thesis to your advisor (unless you have agreed on a different deadline with your advisor that will still allow your advisor to submit the final rubric to us by April 15).

April 15:

• Final deadline to submit thesis and receive honors in your major. Email your thesis to Weinberg-Institute@umich.edu and copy your faculty advisor and second reader. Please remind your thesis advisor to complete the honors evaluation form and submit it to us by that deadline as well.

We often have students working on honors theses who are not graduating in a winter term. If this applies to you -- whether your timeline was intended for a non-Winter graduation from the start or your plans changed during the honors process -- we are happy to work with you on an adjusted plan. The deadlines for requirements are listed below, but please feel free to reach out to an advisor here to discuss the timeline in more depth.

Fall Term Graduation

• Deadline to submit your Honors Thesis Application: May 1.
• Deadline to receive honors in your major: Dec. 1. Please send the final version of the thesis to weinberg-institute@umich.edu and copy your faculty advisor and second reader. Confirm that your advisor has submitted the Honors Thesis Evaluation form to the Weinberg Institute by Dec. 1 as well.
• Honors and Department Awards: Cognitive Science and the LSA Honors Program consider theses for honors only once a year, at the end of Winter term. When you submit your honors thesis on or before the Dec. 1 deadline, you will receive an email with a link at which you can submit your thesis for honors consideration, as well as a link to another form to share with your faculty advisor. The deadline for you and your faculty advisor to fill out these forms will be April 1 during the Winter term after your graduation.

Spring/Summer Graduation

• Deadline to submit your Honors Thesis Application: Jan. 8.
• Deadline to receive honors in your major: Aug. 1. Please send the draft of the thesis to weinberg-institute@umich.edu and copy your faculty advisor and second reader. Confirm that your advisor has submitted the Honors Thesis Evaluation form to the Weinberg Institute by Aug. 1 as well.
• Honors and Department Awards: Cognitive Science and the LSA Honors Program consider theses for honors only once a year, at the end of Winter term. When you submit your honors thesis on or before the Aug. 1 deadline, you will receive an email with a link at which you can submit your thesis for honors consideration, as well as a link to another form to share with your faculty advisor. The deadline for you and your faculty advisor to fill out these forms will be April 1 during the Winter term after your graduation.

The University of Michigan provides multiple resources to students writing an honors thesis.

Weinberg Institute Resources:

• This pdf shows the criteria advisors are asked to consider when assessing students' theses.

University Resources:

• The University Library has set up a Cognitive Science Research Guide which includes materials from linguistics, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and computer science. Each Cognitive Science track also has its own Library Specialist, whose contact information can be found on the left-hand side of the Research Guide.

• The Honors Summer Fellowship program offers peer and monetary support for a small cohort of students starting the honors thesis process during the summer before their senior year. Spaces are limited, and applications are typically due at the beginning of the Winter semester of students’ junior year.

• The LSA Honors Program, in conjunction with the Sweetland Writing Center, offers weekly thesis discussion groups for seniors involved in the process to give and receive feedback on their work, as well as learning ways to become a more effective writer. Read more and sign up here.

Funding Support:

• LSA Honors Grants provide funding to thesis-related research, including research-related travel. 
• The Weinberg Institute for Cognitive Science is able to provide funding for thesis-related research and travel via the funding request process

Other Resources:

• Former Cognitive Science students who completed an honors thesis can be great resources. Please contact weinberg-institute@umich.edu if you would like the Weinberg Institute to connect you with U-M alumni who have completed the process. You can also read previous Cognitive Science honors theses through the University's online research archive, Deep Blue.

• Statistical consulting is provided to students by the Center for Statistical Consulting and Research (CSCAR) and during drop-in hours in the Psychology Department.

• If you would like to learn more about the actual process of writing your thesis, check out this Guide to Writing a Thesis or Article.

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