The Communication Honors Program
What is the Honors Program?
The Communication Department Honors Program is designed for seniors who wish to undertake an extended research or creative production project under the supervision of a Communication faculty member. Because the Honors Program requires a year-long sequence of courses in a small cohort, students get an opportunity to work at length and in-depth with faculty and other students on an individual project. Students who have special research interests and plan to pursue graduate school or work in fields of production are strongly recommended to apply to the Honors Program.
Eligibility
Major and Class Status
Only COMM and MIC majors may apply for the Communication Departmental Honors Program. (COMM minors and non-majors are not eligible to apply.)
The COMM Honors Program accepts applications once per year, with the call for applications typically issued late in Winter Quarter. Students apply during their Junior year and are notified of selection decisions before Senior year enrollment begins.
Participation in the Honors Program requires enrollment in coursework each quarter of the student’s Senior year (Fall, Winter, and Spring). See the “Senior Year Honors Course Sequence” section below for details.
GPA
Applicants must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0, and a major GPA of at least 3.5.
Applicants with an overall GPA between 2.0 and 3.0 may still be considered if they have demonstrated a high level of achievement in the major and submit a strong Honors project proposal.
Faculty Mentor
Applicants must secure the support of one faculty member who agrees to serve as their Faculty Mentor if admitted to the Honors Program.
The Faculty Mentor must be a member of the Communication Department Faculty. (Lecturers and graduate students are not eligible mentors.)
Ideally, the faculty member is someone with whom a student has had one or more classes and whose subject area and is a good fit in terms of the research or creative interests a student hopes to pursue in the program. See department faculty and their research interests here.
Prior to applying for admission to the Honors Program, students must:
(1) Contact the faculty member with whom they hope to work. (Do not wait until the last minute for this step. Not all faculty are available to support an Honors student every year.)
(2) Submit a writing sample to that faculty member.
(3) Arrange a meeting to discuss their proposed project.
(4) Secure the support of the Faculty Mentor.
(5) Provide the Faculty Mentor with a draft copy of the Honors Project Proposal, with sufficient time before the application deadline for the mentor to give feedback.
The Faculty Mentor must complete two components of the Honors application:
(1) The Faculty–Student Support Agreement Form
(2) The Honors Student Assessment Form
Senior Year Honors Course Sequence
Honors students are required to enroll in the following set of courses each quarter of their Senior year:
Fall Quarter
COMM 196A (Honors Seminar in Communication I: Methods) with the Honors Program Director.
Students will receive a letter grade at the completion of COMM 196A in Fall Quarter, based on attendance in the seminar and the successful completion of a research or creative production proposal.
COMM 196A may count towards the COMM or MIC major, as an intermediate elective.
Winter Quarter
COMM 196B (Honors Seminar in Communication II: Research) with the Honors Program Director.
Students who receive a B+ or higher in COMM 196A will be invited to continue in COMM 196B in Winter Quarter, during which they will prepare a bibliography, undertake data collection, and begin writing their project reports.
COMM 196B may count towards the COMM or MIC major, as an intermediate elective.
Spring Quarter
COMM 199H (Honors Project Completion) with their Faculty Student Mentor.
In COMM 199H during Spring Quarter, students will complete their projects and prepare for Honors Project presentations, under the guidance of their Faculty Mentors. Final projects will be reviewed and evaluated by the Faculty Student Mentor and Undergraduate Advisors at the end of the Spring quarter in order to determine a department Honors award designation.
COMM 199H may count towards the COMM or MIC major, as an advanced elective.
Honors Distinction
Upon successful completion of the requirements, the Honors designation "With Distinction," "With High Distinction," or "With Highest Distinction" will appear on the student's diploma.
Distinction is based on three factors: academic performance in the Honors sequence, the quality of the final project, and academic performance (GPA) in the Communication or Media Industries & Communication major.