HOW TO EARN HONORS WITH AN ENGLISH MAJOR
Updated October 2025
All English majors who write a thesis and otherwise meet LSA criteria can earn the credential of honors as Upper-Division students even if they have not been enrolled as Lower-Division Honors students (the Honors program that begins with admission before matriculating at UM). LSA Honors students, at the same time, do not automatically earn the credential of honors in the major, but must compose a thesis under the supervision of the department, as noted in the checklist below. From LSA’s perspective, the English Language & Literature major is an “honors major,” meaning we offer a thesis program for our students so that they might earn the credential. While all students apply to the thesis program, an intention to earn honors is not required for successful admission.
The credential of Honors is awarded through the College of LSA to English majors based on the following criteria:
Completion of a written thesis based on an independent research project supervised and approved as meeting requirements by the department of your major. There are two “capstone” programs in English Language & Literature that support thesis projects: the Capstone in Creative Writing and the Capstone in Research.
Completion of all undergraduate credit requirements in the major with a minimum grade point average of 3.4 cumulative and 3.5 in the major.
Notes on timing and institutional structure of Honors:
Admission to either capstone program and meeting the 3.4 GPA will enroll you as an Upper-Division Honors Program student in LSA, a program that offers an array of special advising services, activities, and summer research and travel funding not available to other Michigan undergraduates. In order to take full advantage of the LSA Honors Program, students should apply to the Capstone program in the fall of their third year. Students who apply in winter term will still be enrolled as Honors students, but not eligible for research funding consideration.
Students who begin work in the capstone earlier than third year (identifying appropriate advisers, taking required courses in a timely manner, declaring intention as soon as decided) will likely enjoy the fullest advantage of Honors Program benefits as well as optimal support of an Honors-qualifying English thesis. Contact an English adviser as soon as you think you might pursue a capstone with the intention of earning an Honors credential.
Students who declare intention in Honors in the major later, after the end of third year, may still complete a capstone and may be eligible for the Honors credential. However, late-adding students will not be eligible for most LSA Honors Program benefits and, if not fully participating in the capstone program courses and meeting all program expectations for capstone students, may not earn the credential of Honors even with the minimum GPA.
Students who wish to write a thesis for honors qualification on a timeline different from the standard (organized with the goal of winter term graduation) should contact the Director of their respective capstone to discuss a plan.
While the English Department does not itself award the credential of honors, the Department does issue the approval to the LSA Honors Program for each student. Based on a student’s meeting thesis-drafting requirements (i.e. their work in 428 or 495/496) and the quality of the final thesis itself, the Department recommends Honors/level of Honors the Honors College.
Notes on transcripts for Honors students who graduate with a BA in English:
The rankings earned at the end of the Capstone program appear as part of the “Major” of a student on their official UM transcript. For example, a transcript may read:
Major: Honors [High Honors, Highest Honors] in English*
Track: Creative Writing
Minor: [Program Name]
Degree: Bachelor of Arts [with Distinction, High Distinction, Highest Distinction]**
Or
Major: Honors [High Honors, Highest Honors] in English*
Track: Research
Minor: [Program Name]
Degree: Bachelor of Arts [with Distinction, High Distinction, Highest Distinction]**
* Specific rank is recommended by English based on the quality of capstone course work and thesis and awarded by LSA Honors College based on the English recommendation.
** Determined entirely by LSA based on GPA.
Because of limitations set by the Registrar’s Office, students who are dual-enrolled in both the Creative Writing and Research capstone programs will see only one track named. The Department will ask the dual-enrolled student which of the two tracks they would prefer to appear on their transcript.
Students whose degree GPA ranks them as high all-round performers among their cohort (i.e. students graduating in that specific year) will see the phrase “with [high, highest] distinction” appended to their degree “Bachelor of Arts”; this marker is entirely separate from any Honors credential or Department recommendation, and made without any input from English. See LSA’s Distinction Levels and Grades and Grading for more information.
See also Honors Program home: https://lsa.umich.edu/honors
