*"Departmental" is intended to include recognized interdisciplinary programs, e.g., American Studies, Animal Behavior, Environmental Studies, Feminist Studies, International Studies, Latin American Studies, Physical Science and approved independent majors. In these cases, "department" and "department chair" refer to the committee that oversees the program and its chair.

1. To be considered for admittance to the Departmental Honors Program, a student should ordinarily have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.4 and a minimum grade point average of 3.6 in the major. Admission to the Honors Program requires approval of the department. Approval is based on an informal assessment of the student's academic ability and motivation to carry out a substantial independent project, the coherence and feasibility of the project, and the availability and willingness of an appropriate faculty advisor and supervisory committee. No student will be formally admitted to the Departmental Honors Program without these elements.

2. Although admission to the Departmental Honors Program is formally "by departmental invitation," students are encouraged to initiate communication with the faculty member with whom they might be interested in working. Whenever possible, such contact should be made well in advance of the proposed starting date. Note that interdepartmental honors projects are encouraged, in which case there may be co-advisors.

3. Eligible students register for honors course credit during at least two semesters. A grade is assigned at the end of each semester. Each department has its own honors course number (XX-983), which normally is repeated to total the six semester hours of credit required to earn departmental honors. Students may enroll for honors course credit no earlier than the second semester of their junior year and no later than the last day for adding courses in the first semester of their senior year. However, in some cases groundwork for the honors project may be started in the fall of the junior year, or even earlier. Note that the optimal timing of the honors project varies by discipline. For instance, projects in the Humanities are normally carried out in the senior year with groundwork begun the preceding summer, whereas in the Sciences, an earlier start may be warranted.

4. At the discretion of the department involved, the honors project may be included in the total hours requirement for the major. However, it should not normally be substituted for regular curriculum requirements of the major, with the possible exception of the Capstone. Substitutions require the advance approval of the department chair.

5. The honors advisor will normally be the member of the department who has the most knowledge and expertise in the general area of the honors project. The prospective advisor, the student, and the department chair must approve of the selection. The honors advisor is solely responsible for determining the honors course grades.

6. The supervisory committee will be chosen by the honors advisor and the student, with the approval of the department chair. The committee will have at least three but not more than five members, including the honors advisor and one faculty member outside the department. The role of the committee is to provide guidance on an as-needed basis and, upon its completion, to judge whether or not the project warrants Departmental Honors.

7. When an honors project is approved, a timetable for its completion will be developed by the student and approved by the honors advisor. A final completion date for the project will be set sufficiently in advance of the student's graduation for the assessment process and final revisions to be completed. Failure to meet this deadline will eliminate a student from consideration for University Honors.

8. If the honors project is not developed or satisfactorily executed as planned, it will be possible to convert registration in an honors course into registration for Independent Study. If this conversion is made, the project must meet the normal requirements for Independent Study.

9. Completed honors projects are presented in a public forum, attended by the honors advisor, supervisory committee, and guests. This presentation will take the form of, or be supplemented by, a traditional oral "defense" in which the committee asks the honors student questions to assist in the evaluation of the project.

10. Upon completion, the honors advisor and supervisory committee members sign a document to certify that the product of the project is worthy of Departmental Honors. For honors projects that take the form of a manuscript, this "signature page" becomes the first page of the final document. The elements of the signature page are centered and arranged as follows: 1) the title of the report, 2) the author's name, 3) the statement "A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation with Honors in [name of the department or program]," and 4) Southwestern University, [year]. On the bottom half of the page, next to the word "Approved," include one signature line for each member of the supervisory committee. Under each signature line, type the signatory's name, role ["Honors Advisor" or "Committee Member"], and academic department. A copy of this page must be submitted to the Registrar's Office prior to graduation.

11. Honors projects that take the form of a manuscript are bound, and a copy is shelved alphabetically by author with other honors theses in the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center. The student should take at least two original, unmarked copies of the final corrected version of the manuscript to the Collection Development Coordinator, A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center. There should be no written comments on the documents submitted. The Library pays for binding two copies, one for the Library and one for the student. The student or department may request that additional copies be bound at a set fee. Theses are sent for binding in June of each year.

12. The student who successfully completes an honors project will graduate "with honors" in his or her major, and With Honors will be designated on his or her permanent record and diploma. A student who graduates with a double major or a paired major and who completes an interdepartmental honors project involving the departments of those two majors will be awarded honors in both majors. Graduation with honors in a major is distinct from graduation with academic honors specified by Latin praise ("cum laude"), which is based on a student's overall grade point average. A student may earn both types of honors.

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