Students typically lay the groundwork for Stanford GSE Honors through coursework in the Graduate School of Education during the first three years of their time at Stanford. They apply for the honors program during their junior year. The summer following their acceptance into the program, students begin preparing for the thesis year in earnest, typically through the Bing Honors College.
Prospective students will have the option of beginning their program during Spring Quarter of their junior year (option #1), which facilitates data collection over the summer; or Autumn Quarter of their senior year (option #2).
To commence in the Spring Quarter of their junior year (option #1), students must be admitted during the program’s Autumn Quarter admission round during their junior year. Upon admission, students will discuss their research interests with the Program Director and be paired with a faculty advisor from among the GSE faculty. They will enroll in independent study units or EDUC 199C during Spring Quarter of their junior year, followed by EDUC 199A in the Fall and EDUC 199B in Winter of their senior year (in addition to Honors Thesis units with their thesis advisors during Autumn and Winter quarters.). Students defend their proposals orally at a public event in November. Students will be eligible, in terms of the Honors program, to apply for PSO during Spring Quarter of their senior year.
To commence in Autumn Quarter of their senior year (option #2), students must be admitted during either the program's Autumn or Winter Quarter admission rounds during their junior year. Upon admission, students will enroll in EDUC 199A: Undergraduate Honors Seminar (3 units) in which they develop a cogent proposal for their inquiries. Students defend their proposals orally at a public event in November. At that time, each student also is paired with an individual advisor from among the Graduate School of Education faculty. During Winter and Spring Quarters, students enroll in 199B and 199C, respectively. Both are 1-unit courses providing continued support toward completion of their projects under the mentorship of the Honors Director. Students also register for additional Honors Thesis units with their thesis advisors during Winter and Spring quarters.
For all students, the program concludes in May of the senior year with a public presentation and submission of the final thesis. Upon successful completion and graduation, honors are noted on the student transcript/diploma and theses are posted in the Stanford Digital Repository.
Sample recent honors theses titles:
- "Living the Dream: How Enrichment Program Minority Students Negotiate Ethnicity and Conceptualize Class"
- "Seeding Survival: The Value of School Gardens in Under-Resourced Communities in Cape Town"
- "Growing Up Girl: Literature in the Adolescent Journeys of Self and Identity"
