Honors Program

Honors Coordinator
Dr. Adrienne Eastwood
Faculty Office Building 101
408-924-4509 
[email protected]

The Department of English and Comparative Literature welcomes applications to participate in the department’s Honors Program.

What is the Departmental Honors Program?

The program offers high-achieving students in our department the opportunity to challenge themselves by studying a special topic (English 190 or English 181) or by taking part in a graduate seminar of their choosing (200-level courses). Students work closely with an instructor and their Honors peers in an enriching, small-group setting. 

What are the advantages of completing the Department Honors Program?

Students set themselves apart from the general English major by completing English Honors. They signal to potential employers that they are among the best students in the department. They form close bonds with other honors students and their professors, who are in a position to write more meaningful endorsements of students for future employers. Students completing the Departmental Honors Program receive special certification on their transcripts and diploma indicating that they graduated with honors.

How are Departmental Honors different from other honors designations at SJSU?

SJSU offers a number of honors designations. So-called “Latin Honors” (such as “cum laude”) are automatically awarded to all SJSU students  who graduate with a particular GPA (3.5, 3.7, or 3.85). Students may find themselves automatically enrolled on the List of Dean’s or President’s Scholars if they maintain a high GPA for a certain number of semesters. Some students may participate in a “Honors Society” such as Golden Key or Phi Kappa Phi[BROKEN LINK]. Some students may complete the lower-division “Humanities Honors” sequence.  Our department’s Honors Program can be completed in addition to these other programs, but it is the only program specifically designed for our majors. Unlike some of these other programs, Departmental Honors includes a special citation on a diploma and transcripts.

How does a student join the Departmental Honors Program?

Students should fill out the form below and submit it to the Departmental Honors Coordinator.  In order to participate, students must meet three qualifications:

  1. They must be upper-division students
  2. They must have a 3.0 overall GPA
  3. They must have a 3.5 GPA in their ENGL courses.

Remember, students must apply for Departmental Honors and must complete the seminar requirement in order to have their transcripts and diplomas annotated with the Departmental Honors designation.

Download and complete: Honors Program Application Form [pdf]

[Mac users - to complete the form, please download PDF (not Preview)].

Please submit the completed form to Dr. Eastwood.