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Roy R. Charles Center

Departmental Honors: Guidelines

A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS AND THESIS DIRECTORS
THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY
ROY R. CHARLES CENTER

(Revised July 2007)

The Departmental Honors program is administered by the Charles Center for the Committee on Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies. The application for Admission to Honors Study is now available on the Charles Center website and they must be returned to the Charles Center upon completion. Please direct all questions concerning Departmental Honors to Lisa Grimes (221-2578).

Prospective candidates for the honors program in Arts and Sciences should first familiarize themselves with the provisions of the honors program as described in the College Catalog, and with any additional requirements or deadlines applicable in specific departments or programs.

Please note that for the purposes of this document "spring-fall student" is one who will defend the honors thesis at the end of the fall term. A "fall-spring student" will defend the thesis at the end of the spring term. These Guidelines are good for students defending honors theses in Spring and Fall 2008.

I. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO DEPARTMENTAL HONORS

A. Grade Point Average. A grade point average of either 3.0 on a cumulative basis by the end of the junior year or 3.0 for the junior year alone is required. Note that some departments / programs require a higher grade point average - students should check with their department / program to determine their eligibility.

B. Completion of department / program approval process and submission of Application for Admission for Departmental Honors with the signature of the Department Chair (or Program Director, if applicable) to the Charles Center. This Application form is due by 5 p.m. on the first day of class of the semester in which the student is to begin the Honors project.

II. TIMETABLE

The following timetable will be adhered to rigidly. Candidates are advised to plan ahead in order to avoid delays in thesis preparation involving research, writing, computers, etc.

The candidate is also responsible for checking with his or her home department and thesis director for any additional deadlines that may be applicable, and for meeting those deadlines. For example, a departments or programs may require that a draft of the entire thesis is ready for final corrections by April 1.

A. Eligibility Certification
Eligibility must be certified by the Charles Center by 5:00 p.m. on the first day of classes of the first semester of the Honors project.  For spring – fall projects this date is January 16, 2008 and for fall - spring projects, this date is August 27, 2008.  The student should complete the "Application for Admission to Honors Study" available online, have it signed by both the faculty member directing the thesis ("advisor") and by the department Chair or program Director, and then submit it to the Charles Center.  Please note that departments or programs may have earlier deadlines or additional requirements for admission to Honors – check with your Honors advisor for details.

B. Registration for Honors 495 and 496
Charles Center staff will create all of the appropriate Honors sections and register students students for both 495 and 496. If a student has pre-registered for 13 or fewer credits, we will be able to register that student as soon as we have processed the application for admission to Honors. If a student has pre-registered for more than 13 credits, Honors registration will take place after credit limits are lifted.

C. Appointment of Examining Committee
Lisa Grimes will send department chairs and program directors a form for submission of Honors committee recommendations by September 8 2008 for spring-fall students and by Monday January 21 2008 for fall-spring students. Committee recommendations must be returned on this form by the appropriate person (department chair, program director, etc.) to the Charles Center by Wednesday, September 24 2008 for spring-fall students graduates and by Wednesday, February 6 2008 for fall-spring students. (Emails from students or individual Honors advisors will not be accepted.) Once the committee recommendations are submitted the formal appointments will be made by the Charles Center (by email). 

Note that each examining committee will consist of three or more faculty members, representing at least two academic departments. Any current William and Mary faculty member who is eligible to assign grades may serve on an Honors committee.  This includes visiting and adjunct faculty.  Departments / programs have different methods of selecting faculty for committees.  For example, in some departments the selection is centralized, in others the selection is up to the thesis advisor and student.  Students should ask their Honors advisor about the procedure for selecting faculty in their department or program.

D. Thesis Submission
Two weeks before the last day of classes of the student's graduating semester (or the next class day if this date falls on a holiday or vacation day) a copy of the completed thesis conforming to the specifications listed in Section III must be submitted to each member of the examining committee. For spring-fall honors students this date is Friday, November 21 2008.  For fall-spring students this date is Friday, April 11 2008. This copy need not be on acid-free paper unless it will be the copy retained by Swem Library and/or the department.

E. Oral Examination
The members of the examining committee will read the honors thesis and if, after reading the thesis, the committee finds it provisionally acceptable, the oral examination may be scheduled.  December 2008 exams must be finished and the results reported to the Charles Center by noon on Friday, December 19, 2008.  May 2008 exams must be finished and the results reported to the Charles Center no later than 11 a.m. on Friday, May 2, 2008.

The exam will consist of an oral examination lasting at least one hour. The main purpose of the examination will be to ask questions about the honors thesis, but the candidate may also be asked to discuss other topics that are related to the thesis.  Students should check with their advisors about the protocol for oral exams within the department or program.

The examining committee will determine if an honors designation will be awarded, and if so, at what level (Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors). In reaching its decision about awarding honors, the committee will be guided by the quality of the honors thesis and by the candidate's performance on the oral examination. Please note that Biology, Physics, and Neuroscience assign only Honors (rather than High or Highest) to successfuly projects.

F. Corrections
Between the completed thesis deadline and the last day of regularly scheduled final examinations, only corrections of minor typographical or mechanical errors will be allowed. After the oral exam, the committee may instruct the candidate to correct any errors discovered during the evaluation process.

G. Reporting of Level of Honors
Reporting of each student's level of Honors to the Charles Center immediately following the completion of the oral exam may be done by submitting a copy of the thesis cover sheet (sample here), complete with the signatures of the examining committee. Keep in mind that the reporting deadline for spring-fall students is 12:00 noon on Friday, December 19;  the reporting deadline for fall-spring students is 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 2.

Please note: Only students who presented in the Honors Colloquium must submit a copy of the thesis to the Charles Center.

H. Submission of the Thesis to Archives
One unbound copy of the honors thesis, including the original signatures of the examining committee, must be submitted to the University Archives (located in Swem Library) before the student leaves campus.  The thesis director may require the candidate to hand carry it to Swem. This copy should be enclosed in a file folder or simple binder. Be sure to read the Guidelines for Submitting Dissertations and Theses to the University Archives.

The student and/or the department may elect to have additional acid-free copies bound. Please check with the department or program to find out its specific policy regarding binding.

Failure to meet these deadlines may result in the loss of honors.

III. SPECIFICATIONS FOR ARCHIVE COPIES OF HONORS THESIS

Click here for the Guidelines for Submitting Dissertations and Theses to the University Archives. Students should check with their department or program for additional requirements.

Note: The cost of paper, typing, photocopying, and other expenses incurred in the preparation of the honors thesis is the responsibility of the candidate.

IV. CREDIT AND INCOMPLETE GUIDELINES

A. Successful Honors Projects
A candidate who successfully completes Honors 495 will receive a grade of "G" at the end of the first term of the project. Following the honors defense in the second term of the project, a final grade for both Honors 495 and 496 will be determined by the examining committee. The Honors advisor is responsible for submitting the grade for 496 and the Registrar's Office will then change the grade for 495 to match the 496 grade. If the 495 grade should be different from the grade assigned for 496 the advisor will have to submit a grade change form to the Registrar's Office.

B. Unsuccessful Honors Projects
1. If it becomes evident before the end of the first term that the student will not complete the project, either a) the student must withdraw from Honors 495 with the approval of the thesis advisor (be sure to let Lisa Grimes know); or b) if it is too late for the student to withdraw from the course the project advisor must change the Honors 495 designation to an appropriate alternative, such as independent study, by sending an email to Lisa Grimes indicating the course number and number of credits (if variable). The Charles Center will then take care of making the change.

2. If the project continues into the second semester and it then becomes evident that the project will not be completed by the submission deadline (two weeks before the last day of classes of the student's graduating semester), the student and faculty advisor must either: a) change Honors 495 and 496 to appropriate alternatives (in most cases, independent study) by emailing Lisa Grimes (as in BIb above); or b) declare an incomplete, which can only be done in extraordinary circumstances and with departmental approval. The student and advisor must agree to firm new deadlines for the thesis and the defense and must submit these deadlines to the Charles Center.

3. If upon reading the thesis the members of the examining committee decide that the thesis does not merit honors and elect not to examine the student, or if, upon completion of the oral defense the examination committee determines that the thesis does not merit honors, the committee must change Honors 495 and 496 to appropriate alternatives (by email to Lisa Grimes) and award the student grades for these courses.

Thus, under no circumstances may Honors 495 and/or 496 remain on the transcript of a student who is not awarded honors by the examining committee.