Honors Program
1. Honors in Portuguese
The Portuguese Honors Program affords academically focused and high achieving Portuguese majors the opportunity to participate in a challenging and stimulating academic inquiry in the shape of a yearlong thesis.
Students may begin Portuguese Honors in either the fall or spring semester. However, the entrance requirements for honors must be completed prior to starting the program. Students may apply for honors with requirements still in progress, with the understanding that they will not be considered fully admissible to the program until they have finished the prerequisite coursework. The honors thesis must be written in Portuguese.
Students who choose to enter Portuguese Honors take two semesters of Portuguese 379H (POR 379H + POR 379H) with a grade of A in each course (A- will not allow a student to graduate with Honors in Portuguese). Students conduct individual research on a literary, linguistic, or cultural topic in the first semester and complete the writing of the honors thesis in the second semester. Both courses of Portuguese 379H are taken in addition to the major requirements.
Admission Requirements for Honors in Portuguese
- University GPA of at least 3.0
- Upper division Portuguese GPA of at least 3.5
- Upper division standing
- POR 362 plus 12 additional hours of upper division POR completed at the time of application
- Application filed with Honors Advisor
In order for students to complete an Honors Thesis, application must be filed with the Faculty Honors Advisor. The discussion that ensues should include the selection of the topic that should be related to literature, cultural studies and/or linguistics, and the choice of a thesis faculty supervisor.
The Faculty Honors Advisor will guide the process. The thesis application must be reviewed and discussed before a student will be allowed to begin the thesis work. This process must be completed before the 12th class day of any long semester.
Requirements for Graduating with Honors in Portuguese
· University GPA of at least 3.0
· Upper division Portuguese GPA of at least 3.5
· Completion of 60 semester hours of credit in residence at the University of Texas at Austin that will count toward the degree
· Completion of the required coursework for majors
· Completion of an honors thesis under the supervision of a departmental faculty member, constituting two semesters’ work (POR 379H + POR 379H) with a grade of A in each course.
2. Honors in Spanish
The Honors Program in Spanish affords academically focused and high achieving Spanish majors the opportunity to enroll in a challenging and stimulating seminar course ending their academic inquiry with a semester long honors report or a year long thesis.
Students may begin Spanish Honors in either the fall or spring semester. However, the entrance requirements for honors must be completed prior to starting the program. Students may apply for honors with requirements still in progress, with the understanding that they will not be considered fully admissible to the program until they have finished the prerequisite coursework. The honors thesis must be written in Spanish
In order to graduate with Honors in Spanish, students must complete one of two course combination options:
1. An honors seminar (SPN 378H) plus a semester honors report (SPN 379H)
2. A yearlong honors thesis (SPN 379H + SPN 379H)
In addition, students must receive a grade of “A” in each course. An “A-” will not allow a student to graduate with Honors in Spanish.
SPN 378H is the honors seminar, and will typically be a literature course. In some instances, depending on the course content and the specialization area of the faculty member who teaches the course, it may be a linguistics or civilization course. Students wishing to enroll in SPN 378H do not need to be in the Honors Program. However, you must meet the minimum admission requirements and seek the approval the departmental advisors. Students interested in enrolling in SPN 378H must visit the Spanish Advising Office (BEN 2.108) to reserve a space in the course.
In order for students to complete an Honors Thesis, application must be filed with the Faculty Honors Advisor. The discussion that ensues should include the selection of the topic that should be related to literature, cultural studies and/or linguistics, and the choice of a thesis faculty supervisor.
The Faculty Honors Advisor will guide the process. The thesis application must be reviewed and discussed before a student will be allowed to begin the thesis work. This process must be completed before the 12th class day of any long semester.
Admission Requirements for Honors in Spanish
- University GPA of at least 3.0
- Upper division Spanish GPA of at least 3.5
- Upper division standing
- SPN 327G, 327W plus 9 additional hours of upper division SPN completed (or in progress) at the time of application
- Application filed with Honors Advisor
Application Procedures
- Application available from the Undergraduate Advisors in BEN 2.108
- Deadlines: October 15 for spring or February 15 for fall. Return completed application to Undergraduate Advisors in BEN 2.108.
Requirements for Graduating with Honors in Spanish
· University GPA of at least 3.0
· Upper division Spanish GPA of at least 3.5
· Completion of 60 semester hours of credit in residence at the University of Texas at Austin that will count toward the degree
· Completion of 27 semester hours of coursework for majors
· One of the following options during the senior year with a grade of A in each course:
o Completion of an honors thesis under the supervision of a departmental faculty member, constituting two semesters’ work (SPN 379H + SPN 379H) or
o Completion of SPN 378H, followed by a semester-long honors report, SPN 379H, under faculty supervision.
Suggested Freshman and Sophomore Courses
· Freshman and sophomores interested in special honors in Spanish should complete the lower division sequence if they are not already proficient in Spanish.
· Students who have proficient language skills should try courses in the SPN 320’s -350’s (SPN 327G, 327W, 325K/L, 326K/L, 345L, 346, 322K, 328, 350, for example).
Additional Information
· Students should feel comfortable with written and spoken Spanish before enrolling in honors courses. Most students take the Honors Seminar or the thesis courses (SPN 378H or SPN 379H) in their senior year (one each semester).
· Early advising from the departmental advisors is recommended in order to plan the student’s program of study.
Options are available for non-honors students who wish to take the honors seminar.
