UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ACADEMICS
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Honors Project

Each student in the Honors Program must complete an Honors Project. The conduct of the Honors Project is one of the most important differences between a student's experiences in Honors versus one of the regular academic programs. It is an opportunity to develop and conduct research or a developmental project in the student's area of interest with the guidance of their faculty adviser or other faculty with expertise in the area. The research or developmental project will be a rewarding and productive experience only if the student is sufficiently motivated and prepared.

Each honors student must prepare a proposal prior to conducting a project. The proposal must be discussed with the student's adviser (and project adviser if different from the faculty adviser) to give the student the benefit of the expertise of the faculty regarding current literature and research in the student's area of interest. A properly prepared proposal requires considerable thought about establishing project objectives, procedures, time, and facility priorities. Projects are normally initiated during the junior year and conducted during the senior year of the undergraduate program.

Members of the Honors Committee teach FAES H590.01 as a research methodology course to assist each honors student in preparing to write the proposal. The Honors Committee strongly encourages each student to enroll in FAES H590.01 during the Autumn quarter of their junior year.

Honors students are required to complete a minimum of eight (8) hours of Honors Project, H683. It is College policy that credit in H683 courses, which may be counted toward meeting the requirements for an undergraduate degree, shall not exceed 10 credit hours.

The honors project is complete when the Honors Thesis is approved and submitted to the College Office.

Students in the Agriculture-Graduate (Combined) Program may combine undergraduate individual studies and graduate individual studies or thesis hours to meet the minimum eight (8) credit hours requirement, or, take a minimum of eight (8) hours at the graduate level.

Examination

The honors project is completed when a written report, the Honors Thesis, has been prepared in conjunction with a required oral examination. The style of the final report depends upon the student's Honors Thesis Adviser and the departmental requirements.

The Honors Thesis should be bound and labeled with the project title and student's name on the outside and will remain in the Agricultural Library for future reference and use by other honors students. The honors student must submit a copy of the final report to the Examination Committee at least two working days prior to the oral examination if the traditional exam option is elected. It is the responsibility of the Examination Committee, and ultimately the faculty adviser, to be sure the final copy is bound, includes any changes recommended by the Examining Committee during the examination, and is in the College office by the deadline.

The oral portion of the exam can be met by either a traditional exam approximately one hour in length, participation in the Denman competition (held each spring), or a presentation at a scientific meeting.

If the traditional exam is selected, there must be three faculty members on the Examining Committee including the Honors Thesis Advisor(s) and two other faculty members. If either the Denman competition or scientific presentation is selected, then the Honors Thesis Advisor(s) evaluates completion of the project and distinction with or without honors.

The student's performance on both portions and the quality of the project will be considered in determining a recommendation of with or without distinction in the major(s). The recommendation should be confirmed by the signature of the Honors Thesis Advisor and Departmental Honors Program Coordinator.

The examination is normally held the last quarter of the senior year or at the appropriate time for a student in the Agriculture-Graduate Program. Questions are not meant to ferret out details but to test a student's judgment and understanding of the field of study including the project or thesis. The examination is arranged by the student's adviser.

In advance of the examination, the Honors Director will send the Honors Thesis Advisor the appropriate form(s) for certifying the results of the examination. After the examination, the advisor will complete the form and return the original to the Honors Director. The Honors Thesis Advisor should notify the student of the outcomes.

Submission of Honors Thesis to University Libraries

The University Libraries and the Honors & Scholars programs are giving students the opportunity to submit their final Honors Thesis directly to the University Libraries Knowledge Bank. The Knowledge Bank contains collections of reports, presentations, publications, and policies and procedures related to The Ohio State University's implementation of an institutional repository.

Students will be required to submit their final Honors Thesis in the searchable Knowledge Bank for future references. Students must attend one training session during the quarter of graduation to learn about the self-submission procedures for their digital thesis. Please contact the College's Honors Director for more information regarding the submission processes.

The Knowledge Bank website can be located at

https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/133.

Then by clicking on Honors Theses, located under the Communities Heading, students can search for Honors Theses by topic, titles, authors or date submitted.

Agriculture-Graduate (Combined) Students

The final examination for the Master's degree will be conducted according to the regulations of Graduate School.

Graduation Distinctions

"With Distinction in the Major"

To graduate "with distinction in the major," the student must:

1. Complete the Honors Project to the approval of the Honors Thesis Advisor and the Departmental Honors Program Coordinator.
2. Have followed the approved curriculum with at least a cumulative point-hour ratio of a 3.50.
3. Be recommended by the Examining Committee. The examining committee will consider the student's performance in the examination and the quality of the project in determining recommendation with or without distinction in the major(s).

Cum Laude (3.50 - 3.69)

Magna Cum Laude (3.7 - 3.89)

Summa Cum Laude (3.9 and higher)

** Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude are based on the cumulative point-hour ratio at the completion of the quarter preceding the quarter of graduation. In order to be considered, a student must have taken at least 90 hours at The Ohio State University.