Graduating With Honors

To be eligible for university honors, a student must have completed a minimum of 60 credits (75 credits for dual degree candidates) while enrolled at Tulane University; this may include enrollment in Tulane’s Junior Year Abroad and semester-abroad programs and Washington Semester. Only Tulane credits are computed in the cumulative grade-point average for honors candidates. A student completing two degrees may be awarded university honors for both degrees. Eligibility for honors for each degree will be determined by grades earned in all course work counting toward the respective degree.

A student who at the time of graduation has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.600 and has completed the Honors Program requirements is awarded the degree magna cum laude. A student who at the time of graduation has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.800 and has completed the Honors Program requirements is awarded the degree summa cum laude.

All candidates for the degrees of summa cum laude and magna cum laude in Newcomb-Tulane College must complete the Honors Program requirements and therefore must write honors theses during their senior year. Summa and magna candidates in fields such as fine arts, performing arts, and mathematics may satisfy certain other requirements in lieu of the honors thesis; here the term “honors thesis” includes any sort of project that a senior completes as one of the requirements for a degree with honors.

Honors Program Requirements

In addition to maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.6 or 3.8, beginning with the graduating class of 2008, Honors students must also complete four Honors courses, 2 at the 300-level or above, and write an honors thesis. The two 300-level courses may be courses listed with an “H,” courses taken as an “Honors Option” (see the Director for information), 3-credit independent studies, or select courses taken while participating in an official Tulane Junior Year Abroad program (see the Director for more information).

Graduating With Departmental Honors

To be eligible for departmental honors, a student must earn a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.400 and a grade-point average of at least 3.500 in courses counting toward the major, must complete an honors thesis or project, and must fulfill all of the department’s other requirements for honors.

Honors Thesis

During spring of the junior year, a student who expects to graduate with university or departmental honors should consult with the department chair or honors advisor to verify eligibility with an academic advisor in the dean’s office. Students select a thesis director and register for Honors Thesis at the beginning of the first semester of their senior year with Honors Program office. By mid-semester, the student must submit a prospectus that has been approved and signed by the thesis director and a second reader. A first progress report, approved and signed by the thesis director and the second reader at the end of the first semester, indicates whether the thesis is to be continued or terminated. A second progress report is due in the middle of the second semester and a complete draft of the thesis is due a month before the projected date of graduation. Two weeks before graduation the thesis must be completed; the oral examination is held after all other requirements have been met. Students expecting to graduate in December should meet with their department chair or honors advisor one year prior to graduation to determine eligibility for departmental honors.