Basic Program Graduation Requirements:
- Minimum cumulative GPA requirement: 3.400. Your major may have higher GPA requirements.
- Research Component: Demonstrated completion of an Honors thesis as denoted by the department of major. OR: Demonstrated completion of HIMP as denoted by the Honors HIMP advisor.
Requirements for Dual Honors Theses
A dual thesis is a single honors thesis that earns its author “Honors” graduation status in two majors. It is different from theses in interdisciplinary majors and programs (such as Organizational Studies, PPE, or the like) or theses that employ methods or approaches from multiple disciplines but which are written under a single department’s honors major requirements.
As a rule, the Honors Program discourages the pursuit of dual theses, as the challenges for students increase significantly from what is already a demanding undertaking. If a student wishes to pursue a dual thesis, this link enumerates the policy.
Questions Regarding Graduation Requirements:
- See your departmental advisor for questions specific to your Honors major.
Looking to Declare an Honors Major?
- Each LSA department has thesis advisors who will work with you regarding your independent research requirements. To learn more about the thesis process, please make an appointment with an Honors advisor.
Down to the Details:
With the exception of Math/Honors, graduating 'with Honors' requires the completion of a Senior Honors thesis. This consists of detailed, original research in your chosen field. It is normally completed during the senior year. Length and format requirements vary by department. Thesis research and writing is normally done under the direction of a professor who shares the student's areas of interest.
Many departments require their honors majors to register for special seminars and independent study research courses. Other departments don't have these courses, so their students can choose to enroll in Honors 490. Since thesis research and writing often extends beyond one term, your advisor may assign you a "Y" grade for the term or terms prior to completion. This simply means "extended course" or "work in progress." Upon the completion of your thesis, one letter grade will be assigned for all the terms involved. Unlike an "I" (for an incomplete), the "Y" does not remain on your record.
Honors students have the option of using their senior theses to fulfill the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR). If the student intends to use this option, an Honors Thesis Intent Form must be filled out by the student and their thesis advisor. The form is available in the Honors Office, on the Forms page of the Honors website, or at the Sweetland Center for Writing (SCW). Return the completed form to the Honors Office for approval and it will be forwarded to the SCW for processing. The form should be completed by the third week of the term in which you plan to complete your thesis. Completion of the requirement hinges on satisfactory completion of the thesis itself, so you may want to select another ULWR course if there is any possibility you will decide not to complete your work.
Deadlines and procedures for evaluating senior theses also vary by department. Some departments have a committee that evaluates all theses, whereas others are based primarily on the judgment of the student's advisor and the departmental honors advisor.
Once the thesis has been evaluated, the department will send one of four possible recommendations to the Honors Office: No Honors, Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors. "No Honors" is given for work that does not meet departmental standards, and for students with cumulative GPAs under 3.4. The Honors Academic Board (HAB) will accept petitions from departments requesting exceptions to the above minimum GPA requirements if there is compelling evidence that an Honors student's final GPA does not adequately represent the students' record of outstanding academic achievement. Petitions for exceptions to the GPA requirement should be submitted to honors.auditor@umich.edu after the department knows what level of Honors they would like to award the student. The other three recommendations will be posted on the final transcript and diploma. These are separate from distinction levels, which are also posted on graduates' transcripts and diplomas.
