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Departmental Honors

Foreign language professors

Departmental Honors in Foreign Languages

The Foreign Languages Departmental Honors Program offers motivated and focused undergraduate students the opportunity to develop research and communication skills in preparation for a graduate or professional career. Students successfully completing the departmental honors program will be awarded a certificate indicating that they have been awarded “ Honors in foreign Languages.”

To apply for admission into the Departmental Honors Program, a student must:

Apply Information
 Have Junior Foreign Languages Major status or above
Have completed LG 211 and LG 212, or LG 231 and 232, or LG 251 and LG 252, or LG 271 and 272,
Have completed, additionally,  at least two (2) more upper division foreign languages course.
Have earned a 3.5 GPA or better in foreign languages courses attempted.
Have earned a 3.5 GPA or better overall.
Obtain a recommendation from a faculty member who will serve as research mentor for senior thesis.
Obtain the permission of the Department Chair to undertake the project.
Only student6s NOT part of the University Honors Program can be considered for the departmental honors program in foreign Languages.

To be awarded Departmental Honors

Departmental Honors
Must complete all the requirements of the standard Foreign Languages program with a GPA of 3.5 
Must maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 
Must complete a minimum of six (6) semester hours of Honors Research (LG 499). In fall semester student will take three hours of LG 499 for research and, in the spring semester, will take another three hours of LG 499 for writing. LG 480 (Senior seminar)  may be counted toward the six credit hours of LG 499, i.e., the student may take LG 480 and 3 credit hours of LG 499 instead of six credit hours of LG 499. Thus a student graduating with departmental Honors will graduate with a total of 36 credit hours instead of 33.
Complete a written research thesis (LG 499) with a grade of A or B. Student has the option to write the thesis in English or in the language of the student’s major’s: French, German, Russian or Spanish. Student will decide the language of the thesis in consultation with his or her mentor.
Present a formal oral defense of thesis to the Foreign Languages faculty and student at the end of the spring semester. A committee of three or more members, one of whom may be from the University Honors Program will conduct the defense.