Sociology Honors Program
In the College of Liberal Arts, each department and program offers its majors the opportunity to graduate with Departmental Honors. An honors student in Liberal Arts often comes to regard the writing of a thesis as among the most important academic experiences of his or her college career. It allows a student, under the supervision of a professor, to research and write an original paper on a chosen topic that is longer and more intellectually sophisticated than those normally written in undergraduate classes.
For Sociology Departmental Honors, students complete a two-semester honors thesis under the supervision of a Sociology faculty member. Students interested in writing an honors thesis should contact the Honors Advisor, preferably in the first semester of their junior year, in order to discuss plans for the thesis and begin to lay the groundwork for the research. Sociology Honors Program applications must be received and approved no later than April 1st to begin the program in the following Fall semester, and October 1st to begin in the following Spring semester. Students will be expected to identify a thesis supervisor (faculty member within Sociology) at the time of application, but it is not required that students have decided upon a research topic. All applications should be submitted to the departmental Honors Advisor. The actual honors thesis coursework consists of two 3 hour courses, SOC 679HA and SOC 679HB, which must be taken over two long semesters. Students should complete SOC 317L, 317M and 379M before the commencement of SOC 679HA; at the discretion of the student's supervisor and Honor's advisor, students may be concurrently enrolled in SOC 317M and/or SOC 379M in the first semester of the honors thesis. Other coursework, including conference courses or internships, or work outside the department, may also be recommended. All Honors students will be required to participate in a weekly hour-long seminar as part of the requirements for the honors thesis.
Graduation Requirements for Sociology Departmental Honors
- Completion of Liberal Arts & Sociology requirements
- University GPA of 3.0 (minimum)
- Sociology GPA of at least 3.5
- Completion at the University of Texas of at least 60 hours of coursework counted toward the degree.
- Sociology 679HA (Honors Tutorial: Reading)
- Sociology 679HB (Honors Tutorial: Thesis)
Students are expected to adhere to the timetable described in the handout "Guidelines and Deadlines," available from the Honors Advisor and online.
Copies of past Honors Theses are available in CLA 1.216.
To keep up to date on Honors opportunities, events, scholarships and courses, please check the Honors board in CLA 1.216.
For more information on Sociology Departmental Honors, please contact
Dr. Penny Green, Sociology Honors Advisor
Office: CLA 3.602, (512) 232-6306
Alpha Kappa Delta
Alpha Kappa Delta is an international honors society for sociology majors. The requirements to join are 3.3 gpa both overall and 3.0 gpa in sociology, upper division standing (60+ hours), and 12+ hours in sociology coursework (although students who do not yet meet these requirements may get involved early!). Members get a lifelong membership to AKD, an invitation to the Spring Banquet, honors cords, and much more. We aim to promote sociology as a major, to promote socialization within the major, and to help students learn how to utilize their sociology degree. AKD needs members to help us design a t-shirt and come up with creative ways to promote our future events, such as the Sociology Jeopardy Bowl.
