Departmental Honors Program
The Departmental Honors program gives students an opportunity to work closely with faculty members, to explore their sociological interests at a deeper level, and to develop skills that will be useful in graduate school or in the professional world. Honors status is indicated on the diploma and signifies academic excellence to future employers or graduate school admissions committees.
University Honors Program
Students wishing to participate in the University Honors Program (UHP) as well as Departmental Honors program should contact the Honors Program Office. Information describing the University Honors Program is available in the Undergraduate Catalog and on the UHP website.
Departmental Honors Requirements
(Effective Fall Semester 2011)*
- Maintain a 3.40 grade point average overall and in the sociology major.
- Successfully complete a minimum of 16 honors-designated credits within the major. With the exception of SOC 402-H, all courses must be at the 600 or 700 level. As part of the 16 credit hours of honors designated class work, either successfully complete:
- Honors Thesis (SOC 799H): The thesis may be completed in one or two successive semesters by registering for 4 to 8 credits of SOC 799H. If a student completes an 8-credit thesis, s/he will complete two of the four (4) required courses of honors designated coursework. (Note: Although 8 credits may be used to satisfy the Honors-In-Major requirement, only 4 credit hours of SOC 799H may be used to fulfill the Sociology major elective requirement.)
OR - Two sociology courses at the 700- or 800- level. Students must produce a rigorous research paper (similar to the standard required of M.A. students) in each of these courses and present one of these papers in a public forum.
- Honors Thesis (SOC 799H): The thesis may be completed in one or two successive semesters by registering for 4 to 8 credits of SOC 799H. If a student completes an 8-credit thesis, s/he will complete two of the four (4) required courses of honors designated coursework. (Note: Although 8 credits may be used to satisfy the Honors-In-Major requirement, only 4 credit hours of SOC 799H may be used to fulfill the Sociology major elective requirement.)
*Students who matriculated prior to the Fall Semester 2011 may meet the requirements set forth in their catalog year or they may choose to meet the new requirements.
Thesis requirements
- The thesis will involve independent research in the library or in the field under the supervision of two faculty members, one of whom has agreed to direct the thesis, the other – selected by joint agreement of student and director – to act as reader.
- Students must start work on their thesis the next to last semester of their undergraduate curriculum. For most students, this will be the fall semester of their senior year.
- Students must present their analyses at the UNH Undergraduate Research Conference in the spring.
- Students will submit a complete copy of the final draft of the thesis to the chair of the Undergraduate Committee by the end of their final semester of 699-H.
To Declare Departmental Honors
- Eligible students who are interested in the program should contact the chair of the Undergraduate Committee, Professor Moran, to obtain information regarding the program and the forms which need to be processed in order to formally be approved for the program.
- Once approved, students should contact the Sociology Office staff to formally register as a Departmental Honors student. In addition, each semester students should provide the Sociology Office a list of the honors-designated courses for which they have enrolled.
NOTE: Few honors-only courses are currently offered; therefore, students can receive honors credit for regular courses at the 600 and 700-level if they do the following:
- Meet with the course instructor to determine extra work required to receive honors credit;
- Complete a “Change of Honors Designation Form” for each regular course requested to be completed at the honors level, and return it with the instructor’s signature to the Registrar’s Office during the regular add/drop period.
