Media Studies H194: Honors Thesis Preparation Enrollment – FALL 2024
Attention: Students with expected graduation terms of spring 2025, summer 2025 or fall 2025
Students interested in earning Honors in the major must take Media Studies H194: Honors Thesis Preparation in Fall 2024 and Media Studies H195: Honors Seminar in Spring 2025. Enrolled students must meet the GPA and grade eligibility requirements.
If you are eligible and interested in enrolling in Media Studies H194, you must do the following:
1. Follow the instructions on the Media Studies H194: Honors Thesis Preparation
Course Application and submit your rough proposal to Dr. Meeta Rani Jha via the Google Form no later than Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 11:59pm.
Link to submit your proposal: https://bit.ly/2UInq3y
2. Attend the first class meeting of Media Studies H194 on Wednesday,
September 4th, 2024 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in 201 Giannini Hall.
Attendance is mandatory.
There will be an Information Session on the Honors Application on Friday, August 23rd from 1 – 2:30 p.m. on Zoom. It’s highly recommended you attend for advice and to learn what to expect in the Honor’s program. Information Session Zoom Link (link is external and will take you to Zoom).
Dr. Jha will review your proposals. GPAs will be verified. If you are eligible to enroll, Dr. Jha will email you a permission code to enroll after the first class meeting.
Your GPA in the major is based on core and elective courses taken so far. Your GPA overall is noted in CalCentral; it does not include transferred courses.
If you have any questions about the course or course application, contact Dr. Jha at meetarani65@berkeley.edu.
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Graduating with Honors
There are two kinds of honors distinction that students can earn upon graduation.
Distinction in General Scholarship (UC Berkeley)
Students who meet specific criteria can graduate with UC Berkeley honors. Honors for overall achievement at Berkeley are noted on the transcript and diploma as Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction (roughly equivalent to cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude). See Dean’s List/Honors on the Berkeley L&S Advising website for more details.
Honors in the Major
The second form of honors is awarded by individual departments and programs to students who successfully complete their major honors program and maintain a minimum GPA. The minimum GPA requirement in Media Studies is a 3.5 overall and 3.5 in the major.
Students who meet this requirement are eligible to enroll in the Media Studies Honors Program: Media Studies H194: Honors Thesis Preparation offered only in the fall semester and Media Studies H195: Honors Seminar offered only in the spring semester each year. Students who maintain the required GPAs and complete a thesis of “superior distinction,” demonstrated by earning A- or better in both honors courses, will be awarded departmental honors at graduation.
To participate in the Media Studies Honors Program, you must complete the following two courses, meeting the enrollment requirements for each:
Media Studies H194: Honors Preparation
1. Be able to graduate with 3.5 GPA in the major and overall. This means that at the time of enrollment in the honors program, you must meet the minimum 3.5 GPA requirements. If you need help calculating your possible future GPA, use a GPA calculator, such as the Berkeley Residential Life GPA calculator or see your Media Studies Student Academic Advisor. Please note the GPA is not rounded up.
2. Be in your final or second to last fall semester before your final spring at Berkeley.
3. Be concurrently enrolled in or have already completed an approved research methods course.
4. Attend the first honors preparation class meeting.
5. Fill out a Media Studies H194: Honors Thesis Preparation Course Application, which is specific to each fall semester.
Media Studies H195: Honors Seminar
1. Be able to graduate with 3.5 GPA in the major and overall. This means that at the time of enrollment in the honors program, you must meet the minimum 3.5 GPA requirements, which will be verified by the Media Studies staff supporting the Honors Program. If you need help calculating your possible future GPA, use a GPA calculator, such as the Berkeley Residential Life GPA calculator or see your Media Studies Student Academic Advisor.
2. Be in your final spring semester at Berkeley.
3. Have taken a methods course prior to enrollment in the honors program.
4. Have completed, or be concurrently enrolled in, all of the core courses.
6. Attend the first honors seminar class with your completed project proposal, preliminary bibliography, and literature review from Media Studies H194.
In order to graduate with honors after completion of the honors project you must maintain the minimum GPA requirement through graduation and complete the honors thesis seminar with an A- or better.
THE HONORS THESIS
We encourage students with superior records to participate in the honors program. The thesis should be the culmination of the work that you have done in the Media Studies major and it should be drawn from the base of knowledge that you have acquired in your studies. In addition, it should involve original research and thinking on significant issues in the field of Media Studies. A superior thesis is conceptually well-formulated and organized, thoroughly researched and documented and, of course, very well-written. The minimum length requirement is 45 pages. While this may sound daunting if you have only written 5 to 15-page papers for previous classes, most students have found that length is not a problem when they are writing on a topic that is of vital interest to them.
STILL CONSIDERING THE HONORS PROGRAM
The Honors Program is a rewarding opportunity for students who are eligible. The experience of researching and writing a thesis in consultation with your instructor and the commitment to do both are valuable whether you choose to go to graduate school or search for a job after you graduate.
As you plan your senior year, think about what is most important to you. How do you want to spend the remaining time you have at Cal? Some students who are eligible choose to focus on other goals beyond satisfying their remaining requirements to graduate. There are so many options to consider, such as interning or working, finishing a second major or a minor, studying abroad or in Washington, D.C., preparing for the transition to the world of work, enjoying being a liberal arts student, or focusing on other personal goals. Others choose to pursue the Honors Program, because they want the academic challenge of completing a project and becoming an expert on a specific media-related topic that is meaningful to them.
Many who choose to participate in the Honors Program complete it and earn honors; however, that is not always the case due to GPA, a grade or personal choice. Students who complete Media Studies H194 and do not take Media Studies H195 earn three upper-division units towards graduation and research experience. Students who complete Media Studies H194 and Media Studies H195, but do not satisfy the GPA and/or grade requirements, earn six upper-division units total towards graduation and complete a senior thesis.
Media Studies H194 and Media Studies H195 are enrichment courses. They are not required courses for the major and do not satisfy major requirements.