In the Honors Program, you will be mentored and supported throughout the process. You will select a thesis mentor/advisor based on shared interests and the availability of the faculty member to advise you during the thesis work. You are expected to work independently at times but meet regularly with your thesis advisor for support. We hope you will consider being part of the Honors Program.

Requirements of the School of Education Honors Program:

  • You must be majoring in HDFS and HOLD;
  • You must have and maintain a minimum overall GPA at UNC of 3.3 to begin, remain in and graduate with Honors;
  • You must complete EDUC 408 OR EDUC 257 with a grade of “B” or better before you begin taking EDUC 691H;
  • During the fall semester of your senior year, you must enroll in EDUC 691H, “Honors Seminar in Education,” and you must obtain a grade of “B” or better in this course;
  • During the spring of your senior year, you must enroll in EDUC 694H, “Honors Thesis in Education.” In this course, you will be expected to write a Senior Honors Thesis and defend it in an oral examination;
  • Your thesis will be supervised by a thesis Advisor from the faculty in the School of Education;
  • Only by successfully writing and defending your thesis can you graduate from the University “with honors.”

Participating in the Honors Program is in addition to your specific degree requirements. The TWO Honors Program courses cannot be substituted for courses that are required in your degree program. In some cases this will require taking a course overload or enrolling for an additional semester or summer session.

Contact Yuliana Rodriguez, Ph.D., at yuliana@unc.edu if you are interested in participating in the HDFS Honors Program.

How to Apply to the SoE Honors Program

The application portal is open.

The deadline to apply to the School of Education Honors Program is March 31, 2024.

Be prepared to describe your research interests, state your GPA, share a small portion of a writing sample from a previously written research paper, identify a School of Education faculty member who may serve as your thesis mentor, and to list the contact information of two faculty references (at least one should be a faculty member in the SOE).

At least two interest meetings will be held each spring semester for students who may be interested in learning more about the Honors thesis program. Dates will be sent out via email announcement to all HDFS and HOLD majors.