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Honors Procedures

Below we outline our procedures for calculating Departmental (English) Honors. Please read this brief document to learn how our recommendations figure into the calculation of College (Latin) Honors.

These guidelines reflect our Honors procedures as of November 2023.

Calculating Departmental (English) Honors

To be eligible for Honors, a student must write a thesis.

We determine a student’s Honors recommendation using a weighted average of their thesis readings, which are converted into a number on the 4.0 scale, and their in-field GPA. In-field GPA and thesis GPA are weighed at a 2:1 ratio. The weighted average is a number on a 4.0 scale.

A student is assigned an Honors recommendation by comparing the weighted average to the following cutoffs:

  • Honors: 3.5 or greater
  • High Honors: 3.67 or greater
  • Highest Honors: 3.85 or greater

Below, we outline how the two components of this weighted average are calculated.

Calculating In-field GPA

A student’s in-field GPA is the average of grades received for every Classics course a student has taken through the fall of their senior year. The in-field GPA includes all courses

  • offered within the department (i.e., CLASARCH, CLASPHIL, CLASSIC, CLS-STDY, LATIN, GREEK, MODGREEK, MEDGREEK, MEDLATIN);
  • taught by a faculty member in the department;
  • cross-listed with Classics;
  • eligible for concentration credit (per the DUS’s discretion).

Note: Because not all spring grades are finalized before Honors recommendations are issued, courses taken in the spring of a student’s senior year are not included in calculations for in-field GPA. Likewise, Classics 99 (Senior Thesis Tutorial), which is letter-graded at the end of the spring semester, is not included in the student’s in-field GPA.

Calculating Thesis GPA

Every thesis writer receives multiple grades for their thesis. We first convert each thesis grade to a number on a 4.0 scale, using the values below. The thesis GPA is the average of these numbers.

Thesis GPA equivalencies

  • Highest: 4.0
  • Highest minus: 3.89
  • High plus: 3.78
  • High: 3.67
  • High minus: 3.56
  • Honors plus: 3.45
  • Honors: 3.33
  • Honors minus: 3.22
  • No Honors: 3.11

Our Process for Assigning Readers to a Thesis

Concentrators

Each thesis is assigned two readers. A thesis is assigned a third reader in two cases: (1) if the first two readers’ grades are three steps on the grading scale or more apart (i.e., 0.33 or more difference on the thesis GPA chart above); (2) if the thesis receives one grade in the Honors category or higher and the other in the No Honors category.

Joint Concentrators with Classics as Primary Field

Each thesis is assigned two readers from Classics in addition to the reader(s) provided by the Allied Field. Even if these readers’ grades differ by a full Honors category or more, an additional reader in Classics is not required since the thesis receives a reading from the Allied Field. All thesis grades, including those from the Allied Field, are used to calculate the thesis GPA.

Note: If the Allied Field provides multiple grades for a thesis, we first average those grades, then use the resulting value in calculating the thesis GPA.

Joint Concentrators with Classics as Allied Field

Each thesis is assigned one reader from Classics. All thesis grades, both from Classics and from the Primary Field, are used in calculating our English Honors recommendation, although this is ultimately determined by the Primary Field concentration.

Sample Honors Process

Concentrator

A student has a 3.80 in-field GPA. Their thesis is initially assigned to two readers. One gives it Highest Honors, the other High Honors minus. Because these grades are more than one full Honors category apart, the thesis is assigned to a third reader, who gives it High Honors minus.

The three thesis grades are assigned numerical values: 4.000 (Highest Honors), 3.560 (High Honors minus), 3.560 (High Honors minus). These are averaged into a thesis GPA of 3.707.

The student’s in-field GPA (3.800) and thesis GPA (3.707) are then used to calculate the weighted average (with the in-field GPA counting for 66% and the thesis GPA for 33%). This is 3.709, which falls into the range of High Honors.

Joint Concentrator with Classics as Primary Field

A student has a 4.0 in-field GPA. Their thesis is assigned to two readers in Classics. One gives it Honors, the other High Honors. The Allied Field provides a reading of Honors plus. Although the Classics readers’ grades differ by a full Honors category, the report from the Allied Field means a third Classics reading is unnecessary.

The three thesis grades are assigned numerical values: 3.33 (Honors), 3.67 (High Honors), 3.45 (Honors plus). These are averaged into a thesis GPA of 3.483.

The student’s in-field GPA (4.0) and thesis GPA (3.483) are then used to calculate the weighted average 3.828, which falls into the range of High Honors.

Joint Concentrator with Classics as Allied Field

A student has a 3.50 in-field GPA. Their thesis is assigned to one reader in Classics. The reader recommends High Honors. The Primary field provides two readings, one High Honors, the other High Honors minus.

The three thesis grades are assigned numerical values: 3.67 (High Honors), 3.67 (High Honors), 3.56 (High Honors minus). These are averaged into a thesis GPA of 3.633.

The student’s in-field GPA (3.50) and their thesis GPA (3.633) are then used to calculate the weighted average 3.589, which falls into the range of Honors.