Sociology Honors Track
The Department of Sociology has an honors track for students in the Honors College who wish
to enrich their experiences within the Sociology major. The honors track in sociology may be
especially useful for honors students majoring in sociology who are focused on graduate school
by helping them engage in advanced research. Students completing the Sociology Honors Track
will graduate with an Honors Bachelor of Science (H.B.S.) or Honors Bachelor of Arts (H.B.A.) in
Sociology.The benefits include:





Developing advanced research skills
Improving writing skills
Becoming an expert in a specific sociological topic
Achieving a more signature educational experience
Enhancing your application to graduate programs
The departmental honors courses count toward the student’s major as well as toward the
honors degree.
Students considering pursuing an honors degree in Sociology should talk to an advisor in the
Honors College, attend an Honors College Thesis information session and make sure they
understand all the requirements of the Honors College. (See honors.utah.edu for more
information.)
Additionally, students considering the honors track in Sociology should schedule an
appointment to meet with the departmental honors advisor. The departmental honors advisor
can provide honors students with additional information on the honors track courses, help
students plan for completing the course requirements of the degree, and prepare them to
complete an honors thesis in Sociology. This process needs to begin early as the honors thesis
courses that must be completed have prerequisites.
Admissions and Requirements
Students must be admitted to the University of Utah’s Honors College (honors.utah.edu) in
order to pursue an Honors degree in Sociology.
To earn an Honors B.A. or B.S. degree in Sociology students must satisfactorily complete eight
approved Honors courses and an Honors Thesis:


Three Honors Core Courses
o Two semesters of Intellectual Traditions (Honor 2101, 2102, 2103…)
o One semester of Honors Writing (Honors 2211, 3200, 3800)
Two additional Honors courses either through the Honors College or
departmental honors classes. (Examples of Honors classes include American
institutions, Honors Calculus, Honors Core in Social and Behavioral Sciences,
Honors Core in Physical and Life Sciences, Honors Core in Fine Arts, Construction
of Knowledge or Honors Think Tanks.)



One Sociology Honors track course. Honors Sociology courses are specifically
approved graduate level courses offered each semester. These courses meet
with the regularly scheduled graduate classes and introduce honors students to
the kind of advanced research skills explored at the graduate level.
Two semesters of honors thesis courses. These courses are meant to be taken in
sequence. The first course is 4998 Honors Thesis 1 (prerequisites are SOC 3111
Statistics and SOC 3112 Research Methods) and the second course is SOC 4999
Honors Thesis 2 (prerequisite SOC 4998).
Complete the honors thesis.
Students must complete the departmental honors courses in sociology with a minimum grade
of a B and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better in all course work to complete the
degree.
Students must have their Honors Thesis approved by their Sociology faculty supervisor and the
departmental honors advisor, and Dean of the Honors College.
Honors Thesis and Honors Supervisor within the Sociology Department
In order to complete an honors thesis, each student must have an eligible sociology faculty
member to supervise the research and writing of the thesis. Honors students are responsible
for identifying and asking a sociology faculty member to serve as the honors supervisor. The
departmental honors advisor is available to assist students in identifying faculty whose research
interests may fit with the student’s honors topic. Please be aware that teaching assistants,
graduate instructors, and most adjunct professor are not eligible to supervise an honors thesis.
The faculty supervisor, as well as the Departmental Honors Advisor, must approve the final
version of the honors thesis and will grade the required honors thesis hours (SOC 4998 and SOC
4999) when the thesis is completed. The following are some things to think about when
considering an appropriate faculty supervisor:




Typically, this faculty member will be someone whose research overlaps with your
proposed thesis topic.
Typically, this faculty member will be someone with whom you have already developed
a relationship—i.e. someone you have taken a class with and done well; someone you
have worked with as a research/teaching assistant, and so on. In most cases, the faculty
member needs to have some basis for judging whether or not you are an appropriate
student for them to supervise.
Remember to start this process early—build relationships with your professors by
introducing yourself, being engaged in their classes, meeting them in their office hours,
and so on. One of the benefits of this program is that your thesis supervisor not only
serves in this capacity, but can be a valuable resource for you in the future (i.e. writing
letters of recommendation for graduate school, jobs, scholarships, and so on).
An Honors Thesis Proposal Form (available on honors.utah.edu) signed by your Faculty
Supervisor and Departmental Honors Advisor must be submitted to the Associate Dean
of the Honors College by Sept. 15th (for students planning to graduate in May).
The Honors process needs to begin early. As stated previously, the sociology honors thesis
courses have prerequisites. Please see the departmental honors advisor early to go over these
requirements. While these courses can be taken in any semester, it is recommended that the
SOC 4998 be taken in the fall semester and the SOC 4999 be taken in the spring semester the
student is planning on graduating. The deadlines below represent the thesis deadlines from the
Honors College:
Honors Thesis Deadlines



Fall semester: November 15
Spring semester: March 31
Summer session: July 15
Please note that the honors supervisors and the honors advisors need a minimum of two weeks
to respond to a draft. A common problem is that students do not allow enough time for
working through drafts with their advisors and then for gathering the correct approvals and
signatures from the departmental advisor and the honors college advisor. So, plan accordingly.
Departmental Honors Advisor
The departmental honors advisor for sociology is Professor Heather Melton. To learn more
about the honors track in Sociology, contact Professor Melton at heather.melton@soc.utah.edu
or 801-581-3108.