Honors and Awards
DEPARTMENTAL HONORS
Spanish and Teaching of Spanish majors may graduate with honors in one of three ways.
I. DEPARTMENTAL DISTINCTION.
Upon successful completion of a Senior Honors Thesis, and in combination with the maintenance of an overall GPA of 3.5 or above, you will be eligible to graduate with Departmental Distinction.
AND/OR
II. LAS HONORS
If your overall GPA ranks you in the top 12% of your graduating class, you may graduate with Honors, as shown below, IF you also satisfy one of three additional requirements.
a. Departmental Distinction (see above); OR
b. 35 hours of Advanced Credit courses (specified 200-level and most 300-level courses; see the LAS handbook)--that is, 14 hours beyond the 21 required by LAS; OR
c. 25 hours in special Honors courses, or through successful honors credit for Honors Credit Learning Agreements. SIP offers Span 204 as an Honors course--look for the James Scholar section. To earn Honors credit in any other 200- or above- level Spanish course, contact the LAS Honors Dean as well as the Spanish Honors Advisor to set up a LAS Honors Learning Agreement for that course.
For most students considering Honors, Departmental Distinction is probably the most advisable and interesting. However, double majors and double-degree students may find they have sufficient Advanced Credit courses to consider alternative b. Completion of any one of these areas, plus the required class rank, leads to graduation in LAS with the following Honor: top 3%: Summa Cum Laude; top 7%: Magna Cum Laude; top 12%: Cum Laude. For more information on pursuing these honors as a Spanish major, contact the Honors Advisor, Beth Chasco at bchasco@uiuc.edu.
James Scholars (3.5 cumulative GPA) are informed directly by the LAS Honors Office (270 Lincoln Hall). This office can provide you a copy of their booklet, "Honors," with more complete information. Also see the LAS Honors website: http://www.las.uiuc.edu/students/honors/honors_types.html
DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS
Two departmental awards are given every year to the outstanding Spanish major and Teaching of Spanish major as nominated by faculty in the department. In addition, scholarships for study in Latin America and for Catalan are available through application, posted here January of each year.