Honors Program

Classical Languages Honors Program and Thesis

Note to academic advisors and thesis supervisors: Annual usage of the following will reveal the need of regular corrections in keeping with evolving campus policies and website changes. Whether matters of substance affecting policies and standards or merely matters of process, please inform the MCL Office Coordinator immediately upon encountering them.

College and MCL Departmental General Policies

For the college catalog’s baseline qualifications and description consult the College Catalog (scroll down to “Departmental Honors Programs”).

The Classical Languages (CL) honors program requires 12 hours of in-residence upper-division (300-400) course work beyond the major requirements. Of these, 4 hours must be in the student’s language of concentration (HEBR, GREK, or LATN); 4 hours must be HEBR, GREK, LATN, or any other departmentally approved ancient language course, such as Akkadian, Aramaic, Ugaritic; and the remaining 4 hours must be CLAL 499 (thesis course).

Aside from CLAL 499, these additional courses are regularly scheduled upper-division classes. Upon selection by the candidate, these courses are designated “honors work.” “Honors work” means that a student’s work goes beyond that of the class’s other students, in quality if not quantity. These hours are usually taken in the senior year. The minimum acceptable grade in honors work is A-. The student will complete an application in the department for the honors program during the student’s junior year (per the catalog policy linked above).

Application to the Program

(See below for the CLAL 499 thesis class)

Students majoring in Classical Languages (CL) who are interested in pursuing departmental honors should discuss this interest with their general CL academic advisor at least 1 academic year prior to registering for CLAL 499. It is advisable to begin this conversation at the outset of the junior year (early fall semester), in case the student wishes to designate a course in the spring semester of the same (junior) academic year as “honors work.” In any event, note that registration for senior year fall semester classes is completed during the spring semester of the junior year, and any course intended as “honors work” should be so designated at the time of registration.

There are two application forms, to be completed in this order:

  1. MCL Departmental Form: Honors Program Application
  2. Endorsement Change Application

To apply to the honors program, the student will obtain the MCL departmental form from either their general CL academic advisor* or the MCL office coordinator in McAlister Hall and complete this in consultation with their general CL academic advisor.

*Advisors: Box → MCL Admin Folder → Digital Major and Minor Files → Classical Languages → 2.Forms → Fillable CL Honors Program Application

Upon submission and approval of that form, the student will complete the “Endorsement Change Application” which is linked above. This will activate the honors endorsement within DegreeWorks and allow registration for “honors work.” On that form, the “major” is the applicant’s major (not “honors program”) or majors (all majors, if more than one). In the “endorsement” line enter:

“Departmental Honors Endorsement: Modern and Classical Languages,” or just, “Honors: MCL.” The “academic advisor” is the applicant’s general CL academic advisor (not the thesis supervisor). The “endorsement director” is the MCL department chair.

Application Checklist

Registration for Classes as "Honors Work" 

Thesis (CLAL 499) 

Registration for CLAL 499

Supervision, Thesis Requirements

Defense, Finalization