Honors Program in Anthropology

The Honors Program in Anthropology encourages students to engage in the subject more intensely and engage in significant original research while undergraduates. Because Anthropology is a field and laboratory science, students should seek opportunities, in consultation with their faculty advisor(s), to conduct or participate in original research.

Admission Requirements

  1. FAU students must have completed between 60 and 90 credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a GPA in Anthropology courses of at least 3.5.
  2. Transfer students must complete 9 upper-division Anthropology credits with a GPA of at least 3.5 in those classes at FAU before they are eligible to apply for the Honors Program. Transfer students must also earn an overall GPA of at least 3.5 to be eligible for admission to the program.
  3. Students should complete an application provided by the department, including a personal statement addressed to the chair of the department explaining why they seek honors in the field. Students should also solicit a letter from one Anthropology Department faculty member supporting their application. Completed applications will be reviewed by faculty. Admission to the Honors Program is contingent on approval by the department faculty.

Standards for Maintaining Active Status

  1. Once accepted, students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 overall and in the Anthropology major. Students may request a temporary probationary status for a semester in the Honors Program if their GPA falls below the required level. However, subsequent failure to raise the GPA will result in dismissal from the Honors Program.
  2. Continued enrollment in the program is contingent upon strict adherence to the Code of Academic Integrity. Any violation of the Code will be grounds for dismissal from the Honors Program.

Honors-Level Enrichment

To receive the designation of Honors in the Major, students in the program shall enhance their education in Anthropology by completing 39 credits in Anthropology courses and performing at least three of the following:

  1. Interdisciplinary research as part of the Honors Thesis (see below);
  2. Original research as part of the Honors Thesis;
  3. Successful completion of Honors Compacts in at least two upper-division Anthropology courses;
  4. Leadership, including, for example:
    1. Documented service on an official University committee;
    2. Documented service as an officer of an anthropology club, society or other organization, whether affiliated with FAU or not;
    3. Documented service to the Department of Anthropology as, for example, chair or organizer of a research symposium or speakers’ colloquium;
  5. Documented field and laboratory experience, such as attendance at a field school or participation as a laboratory assistant;
  6. Documented civic engagement on anthropological issues in the public arena.

Thesis Requirement

  1. Students in the Honors Program must consult with at least one faculty member of their choice about their honors research prior to embarking on the research;
  2. Students shall complete with a grade of “B+” or higher a minimum of a two-semester sequence (6 credits) of Honors Thesis in Anthropology (ANT 4972) culminating in the presentation of an honors thesis approved by the faculty;
  3. Students shall defend the thesis research orally before the faculty;
  4. Students shall publicly disseminate the results of their research, for example:
    1. Through a poster or presentation at a conference or symposium, such as the FAU Undergraduate Research Symposium or a departmental symposium; or
    2. Through submission of the manuscript of research report or article to a research journal, such as FAU's Undergraduate Research Journal.

Students will receive the designation “Honors in Anthropology” at the time of graduation upon satisfactory completion of the foregoing requirements if they also fulfill all normal distribution requirements for the Anthropology major and provided they have earned a GPA of at least 3.5 overall and a GPA of at least 3.5 in all Anthropology courses at graduation. Students who fail to meet any of these requirements, will receive credit for all work successfully completed but will not be certified as having received honors.

Students interested in the Honors Program in Anthropology should contact the chair of the Department of Anthropology.