The university offers three levels of honors at graduation: cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude. Please note that:

• Transfer credits and S-U option credits are excluded.
• Post-baccalaureate students are not eligible for honors recognition.
• Honors recognition is printed on the university diploma.

To graduate with the distinction of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude, a student must meet the requirements below and be recommended by the college faculty.

The student must have completed at least 45 semester hours of credit in residence at the university. Only the junior-/senior-level GPA exclusive of internship/student teaching will be considered. Credit earned through correspondence or extension courses is not included when computing grade point averages.

• Cum Laude: 
  To graduate cum laude, a student must have earned a 3.40 or higher GPA for all coursework taken while classified as a junior/senior.

  Magna or Summa Cum Laude:
  Students in the College of HHP are eligible for magna cum laude or summa cum laude by earning a 3.70 or higher GPA for all coursework taken while classified as a junior/senior and completing a senior paper or creative work. The student’s supervisory committee makes the recommendation for these distinctions based upon an evaluation of this work. 

  Submitting an Honors Thesis (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/thesis.html )
  
  Please follow these guidelines when preparing an Honors Thesis:

• Submission of an undergraduate thesis to request graduation with magna cum laude or summa cum laude it must reflect this high caliber of work.
• The Thesis Submission Form (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/forms/thesis.pdf) should be secured to the thesis as the first page. This form must be completed with a typewriter or computer. Handwritten forms will not be accepted.
• When completing the Thesis Submission Form, pay special attention to the Key Words entry, as these words will be used to index the thesis. Think of these words as instrumental in leading a potential reader to the thesis.
• The thesis should be stapled or secured with a binder clip. Binders and folders are discouraged, as they will be discarded when the theses are filed on microfiche.
• Have the abstract reviewed for organization, content, grammar, and spelling before submission.
• The abstract should begin with a definitive statement of the problem or project. The purpose, scope, and limit of the thesis should be clearly delineated. Then, as concisely as possible, describe research methods and design, major findings, the significance of your work (if appropriate), and conclusions. The abstract should be 100-200 words.
• Students whose thesis involves "creative" work such as original fine art, music, writing, theatre, film, or dance should describe process and production, indicating the forms of documentation on file as "thesis" materials.
• Type abstract into the space allotted on the Submission Form.

Looking for help writing a thesis?  The Honors Program recommends, "Conquering Your Undergraduate Thesis" by Nataly Kogan (available on Amazon.com, or at your local bookstore). This book offers helpful and practical advice from fellow students and recent graduates. 

HHP Honors Thesis Submission Deadline

Honors Thesis/Graduation requirements are completed during the last one or two semesters at UF. (If you plan to complete an internship outside of Alachua County, you must complete your honors/project paper the term prior to interning). The final thesis submission is established and posted by the Registrar's Office under Academic Deadlines and Calendars (http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/adhub.html ).

APK Fall 2009 Departmental Process:

• Verify your Upper Division (UD) GPA meets the Department minimum using your degree audit on ISIS and/or meet with your APK Academic Advisor to confirm your eligibility. (The APK4940C, Internship, course is not computed in your UD GPA.)
• Select an APK faculty member in your discipline with whom you would like to work on a research project. Approach the faculty member and discuss your interest in an honors project, and review with him/her the opportunity and paper/project requirements. The faculty member will act as your Honors Faculty Committee Chair. A second faculty committee member will be provided by the Department.
• October 9, 2009 - Submit a preliminary TYPED Honors Thesis Submission Form (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/forms/thesis.pdf ), to your Academic Advisor.  This enables the college to ensure your honors designation is printed on the commencement program.  NOTE:  Your honors designation will not be printed in the commencement program if you fail to submit your Honors Thesis Submission Form by the October 9th deadline. 
• November 20, 2009 – On or before this date, submit a preliminary draft to your Committee for review and discussion. This enables you and your Committee ample time for correction and final submission.
• December 4, 2009 - Submit to the APK Department Chair a copy of the thesis/project, a final TYPED Honors Thesis Submission Form (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/forms/thesis.pdf ), and a memo from your Honors Faculty Committee Chair recommending summa or magna cum laude. The Department Chair will forward the documents with a recommendation for summa or magna cum laude to the Dean’s office, who will then submit the information to the Honors office.