As part of the Honors Program, you'll take courses that explore a variety of subjects — everything from Renaissance drama to Ethics in the workplace. You'll also have opportunities to participate in cultural events ranging from the sublime — Shakespeare in Stratford, Canada — to the wonderfully ridiculous — "Bat Boy: The Musical" in Pittsburgh. You can see information about recent and upcoming events at these links.

And the Research Honors Program allows qualified seniors to specialize in their chosen field by working with faculty members on a senior thesis, for many, a first step in work they will do either in their professional lives or in graduate school.

Curriculum Honors

Eligibility and Application

1. Incoming Freshmen who have achieved a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 and an ACT 25 composite are given a formal offer to apply to the Curriculum Honors Program.
2. Current Marietta College Freshmen, by application: Marietta College freshmen who will enter the sophomore year with under 37 credit hours and a 3.50 or better overall GPA are eligible to apply in the spring semester prior to their sophomore year. Application is made to the Honors Program Director.
3. Incoming Transfer Students, by invitation or application: Transfer students entering MC who fall under condition (3) above.

Program Requirements

The coursework for Curriculum Honors consists of the following 15 hours taken over a three-year period, all counting toward completion of the college's general education requirements:

• First semester: Honors College Experience Seminar (an honors section of an enhanced introductory level course)) and either Honors Literature (HONR 111) or Honors Communication (HONR 112) (6 credits).
• Second semester: HONR 111 or HONR 112 (3 credits).
• Third and fourth semesters: Two honors courses (honors sections of 200-level courses enhanced to provide students with research skills) (6 credits)

• To complete Curriculum Honors, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.30 (3.00 for second-semester freshmen only), and complete all four semesters of required coursework.

Research Honors

Regardless of whether a student is in Curriculum Honors, the second part of the Honors Program allows seniors with GPAs of 3.30 in the discipline and 3.30 overall to do advanced work under the close guidance of a member of the faculty, typically in the student's major.

Such students present a thesis to a thesis committee including the thesis director, a member of the Honors Committee, and a third (optional) faculty member of the student's choosing. With this committee's final approval of the thesis, the student is awarded Research Honors.

In the past, we have had a variety of topics and approaches taken: a screen-play (sold to a New York agent, no less!); studies in web-based technology; traditional literary critical analyses papers; the production and direction of a theatrical performance; and biology and science studies that led to conference presentations and graduate school.  You can see completed honors theses at the OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertation Center.

Eligibility

1. Eligibility requires an overall cumulative GPA of 3.30 and a cumulative GPA in the discipline of 3.30 both at the time of the proposal to the thesis committee.
2. The student must have a thesis director in the field of study in which the thesis work is to be done. The thesis director must, of course, be willing to support the student's proposal.

Program Requirements

1. The thesis proposal is typically submitted by the student during the spring semester of the junior year or the fall semester of their senior year. The proposal must be approved by the student's thesis committee (see above).
2. The thesis is typically submitted during the student's senior year, preferably by the end of the fall semester. Approved theses are bound and preserved in the College Library and made available published online through OhioLink.

Forms

Honors Thesis Guidelines (PDF)

Recent Projects

• Isabella Hildebrandt, Biochemistry,“Analysis of Apoptotic Signaling Pathways Induced by Nitroparabens in Melanoma Cells”
• Blake Szkoda, Biochemistry, “The Effects of Citral on Caspase-3 Activation in M624 and HaCaT cells”
• Lindsey Schrock, Communications and Theater, “Personal Narrative Disclosure”
• Destiny Remeneric, Psychology and Biology, “The Effect of Gender-Specific Stressors on DecisionMaking”
• John Counselman, Political Science, “Breaking States: The Effect of Foreign Intervention on Political Stability”
• Emily Lorek, Leadership and Psychology, “Does Group Leadership Affect the Relation between Stress and Group Decision-Making?"
• Lauren Louloudis, Psychology, “Visual Feedback and Motor Imitation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder”
• Michelle LaRue, English, “Resurrecting Jane Austen: An Exploration in Writing as a Reader (and Vice Versa)”