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Student Honors

Graduating with departmental honors

Departmental honors is the highest distinction that the department can award to a major. Majors who receive departmental honors will be those who demonstrate a broad mastery of the discipline as well as an ability to complete and present high quality research. A broad mastery of the discipline is demonstrated by a GPA of 3.40 or higher in all courses related to the major. The ability to complete high quality research is demonstrated by the completion of a yearlong research project. This project will be characterized by an independent and in-depth study of an advanced topic including a literature search, reading of original sources and a novel formulation of results. Finally, the ability to present such research is demonstrated by the preparation of an honors thesis, a public presentation and a successful defense of the work to the department faculty.

  • Students interested in pursuing departmental honors should talk with their computer science major advisor in the second half of their junior year.  Full details of the process, requirements and expectations are provided in the Honors Requirements (pdf).
  • Students that intend to pursue departmental honors should complete the Statement of Intent to Pursue Departmental Honors form (pdf). This form should be submitted to the faculty member who will be advising your honors project by June 1 of the summer following your junior year
  • A student pursuing honors must write her or his thesis in accordance with the following style guide: honors thesis style guide (pdf). Here are two templates that adhere to the style guidelines: template.doc (Word) template.tex (LaTeX) 
  • Past recipients of departmental honors

Computer Science honor society

We have a chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines. 

Annual prizes and awards

Each year the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science gives awards and scholarships to the strongest students.