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What is DS?

Honors

Students who demonstrate exceptional scholarship are recommended for honors in the concentration. DS students do not have to apply for honors.

The guidelines for graduating with honors:

  1. a grade of "A" in 7 out of 11 DS concentration courses.
    Grades of "S" are equivalent to a "B".
  2. a thesis judged by both advisors as meriting honors ("pass with distinction").

Honors will not be awarded by the University retroactively. Therefore, students who do not complete their required work in accordance with the schedule outlined above will not be able to receive honors, even if all requirements are completed at a later time.

In addition to graduating with honors, students who receive their B.A. in Development Studies may be recommended to the Dean of the College to receive special prizes upon graduation, typically consisting of modest monetary awards. These recommendations are made by the DS Advisory Committee on the basis of (1) an evaluation of the overall work of the students in the concentration (especially in the senior seminar), and (2) DS related extracurricular activities.

Theses considered for pass with distinction must follow these guidelines:

1. Systematic and extensive use of primary AND secondary sources.
2. Generally 80-120 pages, double-spaced.
3. Well-written and makes a clear contribution to a debate.
4. The thesis is considered by the committee to make a clear and important theoretical and/or empirical contribution to the field of development studies.
5. Both readers must agree that the thesis deserves a pass with distinction
6. The first thesis draft is sent to the advisor by the deadline.
7. The final thesis draft is sent to the advisor by the deadline.

See Theses Writing Guidelines.