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.
Departmental Honors Requirements
(Effective Fall Semester 2025)*
- Maintain a 3.50 grade point average overall and in the sociology major.
- Successfully complete a minimum of three upper-level elective courses (600- or 700-level classes).
- A student may elect to complete a thesis (SOC799 H) as one of their electives, but this is not required.
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.
