Elementary Education Honors Program

Elementary Education Honors Program

Highly qualified and motivated students with exceptional initiative, the ability to work with a high degree of independence, and the desire to pursue academic achievement beyond the level of standard coursework may seek departmental honors. This program enables qualified students to extend the training in their major field of study by pursuing education courses and undertaking a supervised research thesis in a related area in the study of education. It is understood that students will pursue a wide range of thesis projects with intellectual tools from a variety of academic disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, while engaging directly with communities of practice, working alongside educators and reformers on and off campus.

To be eligible for admission to the Honors Program a student should have: 

• 18 or more units of completed work 

• A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 and at least a 3.3 GPA in education course work 

• 3 or more units completed with distinction (above the 200-level) in the major field

To receive honors in elementary education, an approved applicant must complete an honors thesis, as well as the following additional courses: 

• Two 300-level electives in Education and Society (EDSO)

• EDUC499 Honors Seminar

Students should apply for the Honors program during the fall or spring of the junior year. The summer following their acceptance into the program, students should begin preparing for their thesis work. The student will complete the research for the project in the fall term of the senior year and will write the thesis in the spring term. In the Spring semester of the senior year, each student in the Honors Program will give a public presentation to articulate their research question and findings.