Honors

The Irvin D. Reid Honors College and your undergraduate major department work together to offer two honors options so that you can find the best way to fit honors into your study program. The honors program in the Department of Communication offers capable students the opportunity to pursue independent study and to work closely with department faculty members. Completion of the honors major results in an honors degree designation on the diploma:

BA Communication Studies Honors
BA Film Honors
BA Journalism Honors
BA Media Arts and Studies Honors
BA Public Relations Honors

The honors option is designed to allow students to earn honors credit for any undergraduate class at the 2000-level or above. The course and additional honors coursework must be taught by a full-time faculty member (professor, associate professor, assistant professor, senior lecturer or lecturer). The honors option form is available from the Honors College. In order to enter the departmental honors program, students must have achieved academic excellence in previous work, such as a high school GPA of 3.5 or a college or university GPA of 3.3.

For honors in the major, students must meet all regular major requirements including the following:

• three honors-option courses within the major taught by full-time faculty members (internships cannot satisfy this requirement). See the department's Honors Standards and Guidelines.
• at least one 4000-level seminar offered through the honors program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (see: Honors Program in the university's Undergraduate Bulletin). For further information about seminar topics, consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of the Schedule of Classes, under Honors Program.
• a senior honors thesis (COM 4996) under the direction of a faculty advisor in the major area.
• a GPA of 3.3 within the major.

COM 4996 Senior Honors Thesis. Cr. 3
Prereq: admission to department honors program; a proposal accepted and given written consent by the thesis advisor and departmental chairperson. The honors thesis involves a closely supervised research project that results in a paper of approximately 20 pages. (Y)

Total number of honors credits required (including honors seminar and thesis): 15 credits

If you would like to be considered for the communication honors program, please complete the Application for Honors, and email the form as an attachment to communication@wayne.edu. The departmental undergraduate committee reviews applications on an annual basis in the fall term. The committee then informs applicants of their decision.

For more information about honors in communication, contact your academic advisor.