Planning for Honors

Honors is a designation offered by academic departments to recognize outstanding independent student work that has met highest scholarly standards for the relevant discipline. It usually involves good grades, a sequence of upper-division coursework and the completion of an honors project.

Honors and Majors

Stanford offers variety of honors programs. Some are designed for majors and others allow students to work outside their major field:

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Planning for Honors

It’s a good idea to investigate all the different types of honors programs even before you decide on your major.  That way you’ll be aware of any requirements you may need in advance. However, you can plan for honors in your junior year as well. If you start to investigate in your senior year however, it’s usually too late.

The following four-year plan is a typical timeline for honors:

Freshman or Sophomore Year

  • Undertake a significant research experience through a class, internship or other opportunity that interests or excites you.
  • Apply for a Chappell-Lougee grant or for Summer Research College to start doing research in your field.
  • As you consider declaring a major, investigate the requirements for honors in your field and related fields.
  • In addition, explore Interdisciplinary Majors programs that might allow you to engage in an honors project outside your major.

Junior Year

  • Find a Faculty Advisor, develop a research methodology and research plan. 
  • Start honors work or research. 
  • In Spring quarter, plan to take a seminar within your honors program. 
  • Write a Major Grant proposal that will support you doing research on your topic over the summer between junior and senior years.
  • Apply for Bing Honors College.

Summer between Junior and Senior Year

  • Conduct honors work or research. 
  • In September, participate in Bing Honors College during the three weeks before Fall quarter starts.

Senior Year

  • Complete your research
  • Draft and write your honors thesis in close consultation with your Honors Advisor.

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Choosing a Faculty Advisor

Choosing a Faculty Advisor and establishing a strong working relationship with him or her is essential to having a positive experience in the honors program.  See the following resources for detailed advice:

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Choosing an Honors Thesis Topic

You do not need to have a topic in mind when you decide to pursue honors. Yet, there are many different ways to decide upon an honors thesis topic.

  • Find a faculty member with whom you are interested in working. Then brainstorm thesis ideas with him or her, perhaps building on that professor’s area of expertise.
  • Develop a topic on your own, before selecting a faculty Honors Advisor. Perhaps you can do this by thinking about your personal interests or by building on a PWR or Introductory Seminars research project.
  • Brainstorm ideas with tutors affiliated with the Honors Writing Program.

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Resources and Support for Honors

  • Bing Honors College. The Bing Honors College brings students to campus in September (before the start of the regular school year). This program is composed of group- and major-based activities designed to help students concentrate solely on writing their honors theses for three weeks.
  • Honors Writing Program. The Honors Writing Program offers consultation, editorial support and advanced classes for students writing their honors thesis.
  • Faculty Honors Seminars. Some faculty hold honors seminars to guide students in their work.  See your individual program for details.

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