The Honors Program

The Honors Program in History is designed as a senior thesis project intended for history majors who show gifted academic skills as well as a comprehensive background in a particular field of historical study. The senior thesis will be a major research essay of original research, usually mastering a set of primary sources in the original language. The length of such an essay would be typically fifty pages of text along with a full bibliography.

The program involves six hours taken during the senior year, three in the first semester and three in the second semester (History 4498 and 4499). The student will secure the guidance of a department faculty member who will serve as Thesis Advisor and work in close consultation with the student.

The thesis will be read and judged for Honors distinction by the Department Honors Committee. The Thesis Advisor will be an ex-officio member of that committee. The student must submit copies of a final draft of the thesis to each member of the committee by the end of the eleventh week of the second semester of the senior year.

The Thesis Advisor is responsible for grading the student's performance in History 4498 and 4499; the Honors Committee's sole duty is to determine whether the Thesis is worthy of Honors distinction.

A student who seeks admission into the Honors Program must take a History 4000-level Seminar by the end of the junior year. The student must have an overall Trinity University g.p.a. of 3.33, a departmental g.p.a. of 3.66, and an average 3.66 g.p.a. in the following four "gateway" courses: 3381 (The Historian's Craft), 4400-4480 (Seminar), and two Intermediate or Advanced courses in the student's field of specialty.

A student with these qualifications must apply to the Department Honors Committee by May 5 of the student's junior year. The Honors Committee will notify the student of his/her application by May 30.

For more information, email Dr. Allan Kownslar.

I. University requirements
II. Departmental requirements:

A. Admission to the program

1. 3.66 average department G.P.A.

2. 3.66 average in the following courses:

a) HIST 3381: The Historian’s Craft

b) Seminar (HIST 4400, 4420, 4430, 4440, 4450, 4460 A, or 4470 B.

c) Two upper-division courses in the student’s field of specialty

3. Applications will be made by May 5.

B. Requirements: Successful completion of a senior thesis written in a fall and spring HIST 4498, 4499.

A full description of the program is available in the department office.