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Honors

Honors Advisor:

 

Dr. Charlie Nagle - cnagle@austin.utexas.edu

Undergraduate Advisor (BEN 2.108)

SPN-POR-Advising@austin.utexas.edu

 

Departmental honors in Spanish offers majors more advanced and independent study than is possible under the regular degree plan. The honors program allows students the opportunity to complete an original research project (honors thesis) under the supervision of a departmental faculty member, usually during the last semester of the senior year. Early advising from the both the honors advisor and a departmental advisor is recommended in order to plan the student's program of study.

Honors students must complete the required capstone course (SPN/POR 379C) prior to enrolling in the honors thesis course (SPN/POR 377H). The recommended sequence of courses for honors students is to take the capstone course during the first semester of the senior year, followed by the honors thesis course in the second semester of the senior year. The capstone and honors thesis courses may only be taken in the fall and spring semesters. 

The honors thesis course (SPN/POR 377H) does not count within the 27 hours required for the major, but is in addition to all major requirements.

To graduate with departmental honors in Iberian and Latin American Languages and Cultures, a student must:

  • Maintain a University GPA of at least 3.0

  • Maintain an upper-division Spanish/Portuguese GPA of at least 3.5

  • Complete all requirements for the departmental major

  • Complete all University degree requirements and residency requirements

  • Complete the departmental capstone course (SPN/POR 379C) prior to enrolling in the thesis course (SPN/POR 377H) and writing the honors thesis

  • Complete the honors thesis course (SPN/POR 377H), writing the thesis under the supervision of a departmental faculty member

  • Participate in research week

  • Successfully defend the thesis during a thesis examination exercise with the supervising faculty

  • Complete the honors thesis with a grade of A

Procedures and requirements for the honors thesis:

  • No later than the semester prior to writing the honors thesis, the student should contact the departmental honors advisor in order to discuss research interests and the proposed field of study. The honors advisor will help the student choose an appropriate thesis supervisor, based on student and faculty specializations within the fields of literary/cultural studies and linguistics.

  • Students will produce a thesis proposal, in consultation with the thesis supervisor, by the end of the semester before the thesis is to be written. The proposal must be discussed with and approved by the supervisor before a student will be allowed to begin the thesis work.

  • The faculty supervisor must be a member of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese

  • Students will normally choose a second reader. If appropriate, the second reader may be outside the department of Spanish and Portuguese.

  • The thesis may be written in English or Spanish, to be discussed in consultation with the faculty advisor.

  • The thesis is generally around 30-50 pages in length.

  • Once a student’s proposal has been approved by the faculty supervisor, the student will submit an honors application form, signed by both the thesis supervisor and the honors advisor, to the departmental undergraduate advisors in BEN 2.108.

  • Registration for the honors thesis (SPN/POR 377H), including submission of the application, must be completed before the 12th class day of the semester.

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