What's the deal with Honors at graduation?

<p>If you have a 3.8 GPA and don't write a thesis, are you still eligible for Honors on your diploma when you graduate? What sort of award would this be? Dean's List, or something like that?</p>

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<p>Is it only for arts and sciences? What about engineering?</p>

<p>I know nothing about any program Honors. My D will be graduating in science.</p>

<p>There are departmental honors that often require a thesis, but not always. Note that every concentration is different in their exact requirements. Typically, “honors” means advanced coursework and a certain high GPA relative to peers. “High honors” means everything from “honors” plus a pretty good thesis. “Highest honors” means everything from honors plus an OUTSTANDING thesis. Certain concentrations, such as computer science, do not require a thesis to get honors (though it is encouraged to write one anyways, you can get “highest honors” without one)- so, for example, in their department, you need to do extra coursework, and certain tiers for GPA indicate your honors level. To find information on the requirements for honors in a given concentration, then check out the Fields of Concentration guide: [Fields</a> of Concentration Handbook for Students 2013-2014](<a href=“HarvardKey - Harvard University Authentication Service”>HarvardKey - Harvard University Authentication Service) </p>

<p>Then there are latin honors, and to get these you normally need to have a certain GPA relative to your classmates. Only latin honors show up on the diploma. Info on those is here: [Requirements</a> for Honors Degrees Handbook for Students 2011-2012](<a href=“http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k79903&pageid=icb.page418749]Requirements”>http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k79903&pageid=icb.page418749)</p>