Current Students

Graduation Information
Concentration Requirements

With a few exceptions, like Math and Computer Science, graduation with Honors requires the completion of a Senior Honors thesis. This consists of detailed, original research in your chosen field. It is normally completed during the senior year. Length and format requirements vary by department. Thesis research and writing is normally done under the direction of a professor who shares the student's areas of interest.

Many departments require their honors concentrators to register for special seminars and independent study research courses. Other departments don't have these courses, so their students can choose to enroll in Honors 490. Since thesis research and writing often extends beyond one term, your advisor may assign you a "Y" grade for the term or terms prior to completion. This simply means "extended course" or "work in progress." Upon the completion of your thesis, one letter grade will be assigned for all the terms involved. Unlike an "I" (for an incomplete), the "Y" does not remain on your record.

Honors students have the option of using their senior theses to fulfill the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR). If the student intends to use this option, an Honors Thesis Intent Form for the ULWR must be filled out by the student and their thesis advisor. The form is available in the Honors Office, on the Forms page of the Honors website, or at the Sweetland Writing Center (SWC). Return the completed form to the Honors Office for approval and it will be forwarded to the SWC for processing. This form should be completed by the third week of the term in which you plan to complete your thesis. Completion of the requirement hinges on satisfactory completion of the thesis itself, so you may want to select another ULWR course if there is any possibility you will decide not to complete your work.

Deadlines and procedures for evaluating senior theses also vary by department. Some departments have a committee that evaluates all theses, whereas others are based primarily on the judgment of the student's advisor and the departmental honors advisor.

Once the thesis has been evaluated, The department will send one of four possible recommendations to the Honors Office: No Honors, Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors. "No Honors" is given for work that does not meet departmental standards, and for students with cumulative GPAs under 3.4. The other three will be posted on your official transcript and diploma. These are separate from the Distinction awards, which are also posted on graduates' diplomas and transcripts. "Distinction" is awarded on the basis of the student's final cumulative GPA. "Highest Distinction" is given to the top 3% of the graduating class, "High Distinction" is given to those in the 4-10% of the graduating class, and "Distinction" is given to those in the 11-25% of the graduating class.

Graduation
With only a few exceptions, like Math and Computer Science, graduation with Honors requires the successful completion of a Senior Honors thesis. If you are not completing an Honors Concentration in any department, you must request a "Transfer from Honors," so that your record is accurate and your file and graduation paperwork can be released to the LSA Academic Auditors in G255 Angell Hall. They will process your senior audit and graduation certification. Here is the link to their website regarding graduation procedures: Newnan Advising Center - Applying for Graduation.

If you are in the Residential College (RC), even if you are doing an Honors concentration, the RC will process your senior audit and graduation certification. All materials should be submitted to Charles Murphy, 133 Tyler House, East Quad. However, you should submit an Honors Graduation Card to the Honors Program, so that we can invite you and your family to the Honors Graduation Ceremony in the spring.

For Honors students who are not in the RC and are completing a Senior Thesis, please see the information below regarding graduation. *Please note: If you are a double or triple concentrator, ALL of your graduation materials (even non-Honors concentration release forms) should be submitted to the Honors Program.

Applying for Graduation (General Information):
You do not automatically graduate once you earn 120 credits. You must apply for graduation on Wolverine Access. The reason for applying is to have the College officially verify that you have satisfied all the requirements for your degree. Timeline: Students should apply for graduation in the term prior to their expected graduation date. For example, a student hoping to graduate in Winter 2010 should apply for graduation during the Fall 2009 term. However, the official deadline to apply is the last day of classes of the term in which the student hopes to graduate. For example, a student who hopes to graduate in Winter 2010 should ideally apply for graduation by the end of the Fall 2009 term, but officially the student has until the last day of classes during the Winter 2010 term to apply online and submit all necessary forms (see below for detailed instructions).

If a student wants to be sure his/her name will appear in the Commencement Guide at the ceremony, he/she must apply for graduation before Spring Break (for April/May graduates) and before the October Study Break (for December graduates). August degree candidates apply for the Summer graduation period, but can attend the graduation ceremony for the previous spring or the following December. If you apply for August graduation before Spring Break in the term prior to your graduation, your name will automatically be included in the Commencement Guide at the spring ceremony. Otherwise, your name will appear in the following December Commencement Guide if you have completed all degree requirements by August.

APPLYING FOR GRADUATION IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS:
    1. Students must apply for graduation on Wolverine Access. Log in to http://wolverineaccess.umich.edu/ and click on Student Business > Degree Progress/Graduation > Apply for Graduation, and then follow the prompts.
    2. In addition to applying for graduation online, students must also meet with departmental advisors to submit Concentration and Minor releases for each major and minor they have declared. All releases should be submitted to the Honors Program and changes to an original release must be approved and submitted by the departmental advisor.

Official Senior Audit:
Once all of your releases and your completed online application have been received, the Honors Academic Auditor will send your Official Senior Audit to your umich.edu e-mail account. It usually takes one to two weeks to process your audit. Please note that at certain times of the year (January, May, August, October, and November) we experience a high volume of requests and audit processing can take up to three or four weeks.

Your Official Senior Audit is an official University document. Please read it thoroughly and keep it for your records, because the information in your audit is used to certify your graduation. If you have questions or believe there is a mistake in your audit, please e-mail the Honors Academic Auditor, Jacquelyn Turkovich, at jacqzac@umich.edu. Please note that the online degree audit on Wolverine Access is a useful tool, but is is NOT an official degree audit. The only official audit is the one that you receive from the Senior Auditor in the Honors office. It is your responsibility to make sure your remaining courses will satisfy the unfulfilled requirements listed in your audit.

If you are taking courses for a concentration or minor other than the ones listed in your audit (i.e., you have made a change in how you are fulfilling a concentration’s requirements), have your concentration advisor submit an updated release.

Other Graduation Forms:
All Honors seniors (including RC students who are also Honors concentrators) should fill out a Honors Graduation Card for graduation, to ensure that you and your family will be invited to the Honors Graduation Ceremony.

Remember, if you are intending to use your thesis to fulfill the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR), you must submit the Honors Thesis Intent Form for the ULWR to the Honors Program. This form must be signed by you and your thesis advisor. Honors will endorse your form and forward it to the Sweetland Writing Center (SWC) for processing

Changing your Graduation Date:
If you applied for the wrong graduation date on Wolverine Access or your plans have changed and you need to defer your graduation, you must notify the Honors Academic Auditor in writing. Please send an e-mail to lsa-hnrs-gradwork@umich.edu from your umich account with your name, UM ID number, and new graduation date. If you are deferring because you plan to complete another concentration or minor, remember to submit a release for the new major or minor.

Graduation & Degree Verification:
ATTENDING A COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY GRADUATED.

Once all of your final grades appear on your transcript, your record is evaluated to verify that you have met all degree requirements. If your graduation has been denied, you will receive e-mail notification.

Once your degree is conferred, it will appear on your official and unofficial transcripts. Conferral happens in late May. If you need verification of your graduation prior to the end of May (for an employer or graduate school, for example), contact Jacquelyn Turkovich at jacqzac@umich.edu. After degrees are conferred, however, only the Registrar's Office can provide letters of graduation verification. If your degree has been conferred and you need verification, contact the Transcripts & Certification Office at 734-763-9066.

Commencement Ceremonies:
There are three graduation periods every year - April, August, and December - but only two campus-wide commencement ceremonies (Spring Commencement at the conclusion of the Winter term and Fall Commencement in December). August (Summer) graduates are eligible to participate in either the Spring or the December ceremony.

The Honors Program has its own graduation ceremony and reception each year during the Spring Commencement activities.

For campus-wide ceremony information, visit www.umich.edu/~gradinfo.
For Honors Ceremony information watch for e-mails from the Honors Program and check the Events page on our website.