Honors in History
The UA Little Rock Department of History offers students the opportunity to graduate with honors in history.
To graduate with honors with a B.A. in History, a student must have:
- 3.25 overall GPA
- 3.50 in history courses
Students take an Honors Thesis course (HIST 4322) that involves research supervision by a faculty member. The 3-credit course counts toward the 36-hour requirement for the history major. A thesis committee consisting of the supervisor and two other faculty members must approve the thesis topic. A thesis committee recommendation is required for the student to graduate with honors.
Procedures
Students should ask the faculty member whose work most closely matches their interests to be the thesis committee chair. The committee must approve a proposal before a student can register for the honors thesis class. The proposal should be approved the semester before the student plans to write the thesis.
The proposal should consist of:
- A two-page outline of the student’s argument and how they plan to develop the argument
- A timeline for completing the thesis
- A bibliography that outlines the relevant secondary literature and the main body of primary sources the student plans to use
Thesis
The student meets with the committee as necessary during the semester and should submit drafts. The thesis should be 30-50 pages and must be, primarily, an analysis of primary sources. The student defends the thesis before the committee and anyone interested in hearing the defense. The committee will confer to determine whether the thesis is worthy of honors.
On approval of the thesis, the committee chair will submit a form to Records and Registration indicating that a student is graduating with honors in history. The form is due on the same day that final grades are due. So, the thesis must be completed, defended, and the committee evaluation done, no later than a day or two before final grades are due.
For more information, contact History Department Chair Barclay Key at btkey@ualr.edu.
