The Honors in the Major Program entails a research thesis or creative project to be completed in your major area of study under the guidance of a faculty committee. This committee will be comprised of at least three professors of your choice. During the time that you are working on your project—normally two to three semesters —you will register for 6-9 hours of 4000-level thesis credit, and upon completion of your work you'll seek final approval from your committee through an oral defense.

Please note that you may only complete a thesis or creative project in your major area of study. If you have declared a double major, you must pick one of these areas, although your thesis or creative project may include elements of both areas.

Honors in the Major is modeled after graduate school and, as in graduate programs, thesis requirements for each undergraduate department may be slightly different. However, there are certain aspects that are common to most all theses or projects:

• Over the course of the two to three semesters you work on a thesis or creative project you must register for 6-9 semester hours of 4000-level honors thesis credit (3 credits maximum per semester).
• You will choose a committee of faculty members to work with who are most often tenured or tenure-track (two from the department of your major and one from another department).
• You will complete a written document based on your research or creative project
• Your will defend your thesis orally before your committee.
• Once you have completed and successfully defended your project, you will graduate "with honors" in your major, a designation that is noted on your transcript (not your diploma).

If you are interested in enrolling in the Honors in the Major program, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

• You must have a minimum cumulative FSU GPA of 3.200 and 60 hours of college credit, with at least two full terms remaining before your anticipated graduation date.
• If you are a transfer student, you must have been at FSU for at least one full term (12 semester hours) and have a cumulative GPA of 3.200 at FSU and at your previous institution.

Departments retain the right to set their own specific eligibility criteria which may include, but are not limited to, higher cumulative and/or major course GPA than 3.200 and prerequisite or co-requisite courses or seminars. Please contact your department’s liaison for specific information.

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.200 or better must be maintained in order to remain in the Honors in the Major program. Your department may have a higher minimum GPA requirement that you must maintain (please contact your department’s liaison for specific information).

If you do not meet these minimum requirements, there are a few options you may consider:

• Delay beginning your project for a term or more while you raise your GPA. (Note: this is an option only if you still have at least 3-4 semesters left before your anticipated graduation.)
• Consider approaching a faculty member to work on a Directed Independent Study (DIS) with you. Although this option does not allow for graduating "with honors," it does give you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member, and to do an original research project as an undergraduate. For more information about undergraduate research go to http://undergradresearch.fsu.edu/about.html.