Honors

The Honors Program in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies consists of two options: Option One is designed for undergraduates who achieve academic excellence as they complete the requirements for the major, and Option II for students who wish to pursue advanced independent research in the field of study. Students pursuing Option II work for an entire academic year on a thesis project under the supervision of both a research mentor and the MALS Undergraduate Advisor. Many of these MALS majors go on to pursue graduate studies. 

 

MALS majors considering the Honors Program should contact Dr. Rachel González-Martin at rvgonzal@austin.utexas.edu at least three semesters before they plan to graduate. 

 

Option One: Honors in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies 

The requirements for Option One are: (1) official status as a MALS major; (2) a UT grade point average of at least 3.00; (3) a grade point average of at least 3.50 in the coursework required for the MALS major; and (4) a grade of A in MAS 301 and in two upper-division MAS courses. Students who complete these requirements will be presented with Honors Cords by MALS at the time of graduation. 

 

Options Two: Special Honors in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies 

Students who wish to pursue the Special Honors in MALS option must identify a research mentor who will provide area content support in developing the thesis project. The MALS Undergraduate Advisor will serve as the thesis mentor and help develop the actual thesis. Students are expected to have regular check-ins with both the research mentor and the MALS Undergraduate Advisor. Thesis projects are expected to be between 50 and 75 pages in length. Students must register for MAS 679HA in the fall term, where they develop their research question, then conduct a literature review and undertake research for the thesis. Then they register for MAS 679HB in the spring term to complete their research and finish writing the thesis. 

The requirements for Option Two are: (1) official status as a MALS major; (2) a UT grade point average of at least 3.00; (3) a grade point average of at least 3.50 in the coursework required for the MALS major; (4) a grade of A in MAS 301 and in two upper-division Mexican American Studies courses; (5) a grade of A in MAS 679HB; (6) satisfactory performance on an oral presentation of the honors thesis written in MAS 679HB; and (7) completion of the thesis project prior to graduation. Students who complete these requirements will be presented with Honors Cords and be recognized as graduating with Special Honors by MALS. 

 

For more information, contact our Senior Academic Program Coordinator, Luis Guevara, at lvg@austin.utexas.edu.