Undergraduate

Honors Program

The Anthropology Honors Program offers our best and most motivated undergraduate students the opportunity to complete a significant, independent research project, working one-on-one under a faculty mentor to produce an original thesis.

During the Spring semester of their junior year, Honors students meet in an Honors Seminar, where they learn research and presentation skills. In the Fall semester of their senior year, students work with their personal faculty mentors to write their theses. The Honors experience culminates with the Honors Colloquium at the end of the Fall Semester. Students present their research to fellow-students, faculty, and friends, and celebrate their special achievements at a reception. 

Why choose Honors?

In a major research university, sometimes it's hard to get lost in large classes; the Honors Program (which is separate from the USF Honors College experience), offers the chance to do in-depth, guided work with your own faculty mentor. A successful Honors thesis prepares you for graduate or professional school, showing that you already have research and writing skills; many Honors graduates have had opportunities to present research at professional meetings, and even publish papers. The experience also gives you an edge in the workplace, providing evidence of independent thinking and ability to complete a complex project. Faculty mentors can become your best references, as they know your strengths more than any class teacher.

Students in the first semester of their junior year, prior to completion of 90 semester hours, may apply to the program. The application process takes place in the Fall, and the program which begins in the Spring semester. 

Admission is competitive, based on the following:

  • Overall academic record (minimal 3.25 GPA overall, 3.5 GPA for USF anthropology course work)
  • A 2-page personal statement indicating research interests
  • A letter of recommendation from a faculty member willing to serve as Mentor.

Successful completion requires the following:

  • Maintenance of a 3.25 overall and a 3.5 in the major
  • Completion of ANT 4932 (4) (Honors Seminar) with a grade of "B" or better
  • Completion of ANT 4970 (3) (Honors Thesis) with a grade of "S," and completion of all otherrequirements for graduation

For more information and application process, see the Anthropology Department Undergraduate Advisor.