Distinguished Majors Program in Anthropology (Departmental Honors)

Students with superior academic performance are encouraged to apply for the departmental Distinguished Majors Program (DMP). The DMP culminates in writing a thesis demonstrating independent study of high quality. The requirements for admission to the DMP are:

1. satisfaction of all College requirements as stated in this Record with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 in the student's College and university courses;
2. a GPA of at least 3.4 in all courses taken as part of the Anthropology major;
3. permission of an advisor, who may be any member of the departmental faculty willing to take on the responsibility of supervising the thesis and is normally someone to whom the student has already demonstrated his/her ability in an upper-level course.

To gain admission to the DMP, the student submits to the Director of the DMP the cumulative and anthropology major GPA scores (with transcripts) along with the thesis topic, names of the primary and second faculty readers, and the declared graduation date. Third-year students planning to enter the DMP should turn in their proposals by April 15 if the y plan to graduate in May of the following year, and by December 15 if they plan to graduate in December of the following year.

Once admitted, the student registers for three credits of ANTH 497 in the first semester of the fourth year. In this course, the student conducts research in consultation with the two faculty readers. If the research involves fieldwork or other repeated social contacts with human subjects, the student must obtain, with the Director's help, project approval from the Institutional Review Board for the Social and Behavioral Sciences of the University. The student is obligated to inform the Director promptly of any and all changes affecting his/her DMP, including any changes in the GPA, the two faculty readers, the DMP course and thesis work, and the declared date of graduation.

In the second semester, the student registers for ANTH 498 to revise and finalize the thesis after taking into account faculty suggestions, and submits the thesis (of approx. 10,000 words) to the committee of two faculty readers for evaluation. The deadlines for submission of the thesis to the two readers are: April 15 for those graduating in May, and November 15 for those graduating in December. Ranking on a scale of "Honors," "High Honors," and "Highest Honors," the two faculty report evaluations, along with grades received in ANTH 497 and 498, to the DMP Director, who will determine the degree of honors based on the thesis and the student's overall performance in the anthropology major courses and report this to the College Registrar.

For further information on the DMP program in anthropology, students should contact the DMP Director, Richard Handler, (434) 924-7044 or rh3y@virginia.edu

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