Honors Thesis

Departmental Honors in History of Art

Students may become candidates for honors in History of Art at the end of their junior year. Candidates for honors complete at least two semesters of independent work beyond the usual major requirements for graduation and undergo an oral examination by a committee comprised of two members of the History of Art faculty and one faculty member from another department who is chosen in consultation with the student’s thesis advisor.

To receive departmental honors a student must receive a grade of at least B+ for the thesis as determined by the committee.

To apply to become a candidate for honors in History of Art, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and an overall GPA of at least 3.3 in the major. The student should submit an honors thesis proposal to the potential thesis advisor approval. This honors thesis proposal should outline its topic, the methods used to pursue it, the theoretical perspectives it will engage, and the significance of the work.

Deadlines for Honors Candidates

Students interested in departmental honors should begin consultation with faculty by the end of their junior year at the latest.

  • Honors Thesis Proposal
    Normally, this should be submitted by the end of the student’s junior year. At the latest, this must be submitted prior to the department’s first departmental meeting of the fall semester of the student’s senior year.
  • Registration for 500 Independent Study
    This is done after the thesis advisory has met to discuss the student’s proposal, and should be done as soon as possible in the fall semester.
  • Initial Review of Honors Thesis Progress
    This should occur before the deadline for dropping courses.
  • Selection of Thesis Committee Members
    This should be done once the thesis advisor has reviewed the candidate’s progress and approves the continuation of the honors thesis project. When asking faculty members to participate as members of the committee, the candidate should also apprise them of this timeline, and ask what preliminary work they would like to see, if any, as the project develops. All of these steps should be done in consultation with the thesis advisor.
  • Submission of Thesis for Advisor Review
    The candidate must submit a copy of the complete thesis to the thesis advisor in the beginning of April: traditionally April 1st for final review before circulating the thesis for committee review. The candidate should also ask other members of the committee if they would like to review the thesis at this point before the official submission to the committee for review in preparation of the defense.
  • Submission of Thesis for Committee Review
    The candidate must submit and distribute the complete thesis for review by the defense committee by the end of the second week of April. The thesis advisor, in collaboration with the candidate, will establish intervening deadlines for drafts of various sections of the thesis.
  • Defense
    To be scheduled during the last week of classes, at latest.
  • Submission of Thesis to the Registrar
    The final thesis, printed on archival paper and incorporating whatever revisions the committee may have requested, is normally due at noon on the Monday following the spring exam period. The committee may request that the candidate submit a revised version for their review prior to the final submission to the registrar.