2025-2026 Departmental Honors Program Details & Application

2025-2026 Departmental Honors Program Details & Application

The UCLA Department of English Honors program involves either an academic research project or a creative writing project (e.g. a short novel, selection of short fiction, poetry collection, graphic novel, etc.)

Please note that students pursuing a creative project are expected to complete a specific set of creative writing workshops prior to beginning their theses (see below for details.)

REQUIREMENTS

  • The Honors program is open to English and American Literature and Culture majors with at least a 3.5 grade point average in upper division coursework for the major and a 3.25 overall grade point average at UCLA.
  • All Honors students are required to take at least one critical theory course (English 120-128) no later than the current winter 2025 term.
  • Creative Writing honors students must complete two workshops in the same genre no later than the spring 2025 term. The workshops must fall into the category of poetry (136A/B) or prose (137A/B,) and the second workshop must be an Advanced workshop (136B or 137B.)
  • Note: Any students who do not yet meet the critical theory course requirement or GPA threshold are encouraged to apply to the program and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the program director.

 

TIMELINE FOR APPLICATION

  • Submit Honors Application by January 31, 2025 via the webform below.
  • Be prepared to upload a copy of (1) your statement of academic or creative interests (see instructions on webform) and (2) a current pdf of your default Degree Audit Report that includes fall 2024 grades.
    • The submission form includes instructions on how to obtain a PDF of your Degree Audit Report. Please be sure to run an audit for your Current Program and not for a Modelled Program.
  • Students planning to pursue an academic research project must also submit a writing sample (5-6 pages minimum) from an upper-division course in the major.
    • Creative writing students who will be pursuing a creative project need not submit an academic writing sample, but will be asked to indicate the number and genre of workshops completed.
  • During Winter 2025, read at least one Highest Honors thesis (past theses here)
  • Attend Winter Honors Open House, date and time TBA
  • The advising office will send a message to you in mid-March informing you of your English 191H seminar assignment for spring (see scheduling details below.)

 

HONORS COURSE OF STUDY

  • Spring 2025: 191H
    • The department will enroll students qualified for the program in English 191H for spring 2025; students may not enroll themselves.
    • When selecting other spring courses, departmental honors students should plan for English 191H to take place on Thursdays, 12 pm to 2:50 pm.
    • For students pursuing an academic research project, this course will be a research practicum designed to train them in archival, library, and Internet research skills, as well as apprise them of current methodological and theoretical issues in the field of literary studies.
    • For students pursuing a creative research project, this course will be a seminar to help them better understand the writing process (especially their own process), train them in library skills for creative writers, and help them situate their writing in the contemporary literary landscape.
    • Course requirements, Academic: a thesis proposal, short essays and oral presentations, a final 10-page paper related to the student’s research interests, and an annotated bibliography
    • Course requirements, Creative: a thesis proposal, weekly writings in the student’s genre, short essays, an annotated bibliography, and a book review.
    • Please note: English 191H qualifies for English major Elective credit. It DOES NOT qualify for senior seminar credit, and departmental honors students should plan to complete a senior seminar that is separate from the departmental honors curriculum.
  • Fall 2025 and Winter 2026: 198A and B
    • All Honors students subsequently write a thesis under the direction of a thesis advisor (198A and 198B) in the fall 2025 and winter 2026 terms.
    • Please start thinking of a possible faculty advisor who shares your research interests. You will select an advisor by the end of Spring 2025, with the help of the program director and the instructor of 191H.

 

Please direct question to the English Undergraduate Advising Office or contact the program director, Professor Sarah Kareem, at kareem@humnet.ucla.edu.

 

2025-2026 Departmental Honors Application Form

  • Students applying to complete a creative project MUST complete two workshops in the same genre no later than the spring 2025 term. The workshops must fall into the category of poetry (136A/B) or prose (137A/B,) and the second workshop must be an Advanced workshop (136B or 137B.)
  • Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    To create a PDF of your degree audit report, please run a fresh audit. Once you are viewing your audit, look for the "View/Download PDF" button highlighted in red and placed directly under the progress graphs towards the top of the page.
  • Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    Please include, when applicable, genres (novel, film, nonfiction prose, poetry, drama, creative writing, etc.); literary periods; critical perspectives; seminars taken; and your current ideas about a possible thesis project. If you are applying to complete a creative writing project, please list the upper-division creative writing workshops you have taken at UCLA.
  • Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    Students pursuing a creative project alongside the creative writing concentration need not submit an academic writing sample.