Timeline
The following deadlines are required or (where noted) recommended either by the Charles Center or the department. College-wide deadlines set by the Charles Center, which the department has no ability to adjust, are marked here with an asterisk (*). This page may not be up-to-date with any recent changes in Charles Center policies, so be sure to check the Charles Center webpage for the latest information. Keep in mind that the deadlines required by the Classical Studies department are often more stringent than college-wide requirements, and supercede Charles Center deadlines where they are earlier. Your advisor may also set requirements for you that are even more stringent than departmental requirements.
The timeline presented here is for students finishing the honors thesis and/or graduating in May. For August or December graduates, the schedule of deadlines will be different, but the deadlines will fall in the same relative place in the course of the student's final semesters.
If you are going abroad for all or part of your Junior year, please note that some deadlines may fall in the period when you will be away from campus.
Spring Semester, Junior Year:
First Friday after Start of Classes: By this date you should inform the department chair of your interest in doing honors. Prior to this you should already have chosen and communicated with the person who will be your honors advisor and discussed with them the topic you will pursue.
Late January/Early February: We strongly recommend that you submit your application to the Charles Center for admission to the honors program during this period, since that will make you eligible to apply for Charles Center honors fellowships, the *deadline for which is usually mid-February
First Day of Pre-registration for Fall Semester (late March):
This is the ultimate date by which you should submit your application for admission to the honors program to the Charles Center. Your advisor and the department chair will both need to sign off (electronically) on your application. Once your application is accepted, the Charles Center will automatically enroll you in GREK, LATN or CLCV 495 in the upcoming fall semester and 496 in the spring semester. In planning your schedule for these semesters, keep in mind that these are three-credit courses which will require at least as much of your time as any other three-credit course.
From this point on:
Your work will be under the direction of your honors advisor. The deadlines and requirements listed below represent departmental and college-wide minimums. Your advisor may require earlier deadlines and more in the way of drafts and other preliminary work.
Spring and Summer before Senior Year:
Begin research into your topic after consultation with your honors advisor. You may be able to obtain support for your summer research from the department or the Charles Center. Visit the Charles Center pages for Honors Fellowships, Summer research grants, and Semester research funding. Keep in mind that the deadlines for applying for these grants is often as early as mid-February. For departmental support, be on the lookout for a call for proposals for summer projects from the department chair, which is usually issued early in the Spring semester.
Fall Semester, Senior Year:
First Friday after Start of Classes: By this date you should have met with your honors advisor to work out a plan of research for the fall semester and a schedule of meetings between the two of you to report on your progress.
Spring Semester, Senior Year:
*Late February (exact date will be set by the Charles Center each year): The department must submit examining committee membership recommendations to the Charles Center.
*First Friday in April: By this date you must present your advisor with a complete draft of your thesis (most advisors will also require preliminary drafts of the complete thesis or parts of the thesis before this date).
*Two Weeks before the Last Day of Classes (mid-April): By this date you must present your advisor and all committee members with a final draft of your thesis conforming to specifications given below. No substantial revisions to your thesis will be permitted after this date, so it is essential that your thesis be in as final a form as possible.
*One Week before the Last Day of Classes: Your advisor will schedule your oral examination for the earliest possible time after this date, provided that your advisor and the committee members agree that the thesis you submitted meets minimum requirements of acceptability.
*One Week after the Last Day of Classes:
- You must submit to the Charles Center a digital copy of the title page of your thesis with the signatures of the examination committee (instructions for submission here). Your honors advisor will separately report the level of honors (honors or highest honors) that you attained. Whether you achieve honors, and what level of honors you achieve may, at the discretion of the committee, be made contingent on minor revisions and corrections in your thesis.
- Α digital (.pdf) copy of your thesis, including a copy of the signed title page, must be uploaded to the Swem library thesis archive, and you must also submit a "license and embargo" form, which controls the level of access that library patrons will have to your thesis. Instructions for making these submissions can be found here.
