HON 4V87: Grades

Grades

The thesis mentor will be responsible for assigning a grade for either “Credit” or “No Credit.” Grades will be awarded as the student progresses through the thesis project rather than at the end. In other words, students will get credit (or not) at the end of the semester in which they registered for HON 4V87.

In addition to the basic mark of “Credit” or “No Credit” for thesis hours, each Honors student will be given a more specific and holistic evaluation—ranging from “Unsatisfactory” to “Outstanding”—by the examining committee after the thesis defense. The committee will consider both the product (the completed thesis) and the overall process (e.g., conducting research, writing drafts, meeting deadlines) in assigning this mark. The committee’s evaluation will be a part of the permanent Honors Program record of each senior, and it may be used as a factor in determining his or her eligibility for awards occasionally given to the program’s graduates.

Students should have been placed into a section of HON 4V87 with their thesis mentor as the professor of record. As such, faculty should be able to assign grades to their thesis students in the same manner as any other class, e.g., through Bear Web, Class Roll, etc. If a student is not in a section with his or her thesis mentor, it is usually because the student selected the mentor at a late date or changed from one mentor to another. In such instances, the thesis mentor will need to contact the Honors Program office so that a grade can be assigned to the student.

HON 4088, Honors Exit Review

HON 4088, Honors Exit Review, is a new course for Fall 2011.  The Exit Review is not a test or exam.  Rather, it is simply an administrative check of all Honors requirements.  A student MUST register for HON 4088 and a grade of "Credit" to be recognized as an Honors Program graduate.  Failure to register for this class or to earn credit for HON 4088 will prevent Honors Program graduation.

Note on the Final Deadline

In order to process the thesis in time for graduation, the thesis and all other Honors Program requirements must be completed and submitted by the final deadline listed on the HON 4V87 syllabus.  Failure to meet this final deadline means either not graduating from the Honors Program or delaying graduation until a later semester. Students and mentors should thus plan for a cushion of at least one or two days in their schedule.