UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

Honors Program

Majors who complete at least four history courses with a grade point average of B+ (3.33) are eligible to apply for admission to the History Department Honors Program. Participants complete all the requirements of a regular major, but take sixteen instead of twelve courses. Eight of these courses must be at the upper-division (300-400) level.  This includes a two-semester sequence of research classes: History 497, “Honors Thesis 1 Seminar,” and History 497, “Honors Thesis 2 Tutorial.”  In “Honors Thesis 1 Seminar,” students take a weekly seminar where they begin work on their honors thesis.  In “Honors Thesis 2 Tutorial,” students work independently under the direction of a faculty member mentor to prepare a thesis of approximately thirty pages in length.  In addition, three of the upper-division courses must be 400-level seminars.  “Honors Thesis 1 Seminar” counts as one of those three.

Honors students who maintain an average of at least B+ (3.33) in their history courses, and complete a thesis, will graduate with Honors in History. In addition to being intellectually challenging and personally rewarding, successful completion of the honors program — indicated on the transcript and in letters of recommendation — is good preparation for graduate or professional school.
 

Activities and Awards

Plesur Scholarships: Full-time history majors who have compiled outstanding records in history are eligible to apply for a Plesur scholarship, named after Professor Milton Plesur (1927-87) who devoted his career to teaching thousands of UB students and bequeathed his estate to the university. The awards range from approximately $1,000 to $3,000, and the number of scholarships awarded each year varies depending on the number of qualified applicants. Application forms may be picked up in Park 540 at the beginning of the spring semester and should be returned, together with the recommendations of two faculty members, by March 15. A sophomore awardee who continues to compile an excellent record in the junior year may reapply for a second year of support for the senior year.  Click Here for Application Form.

Milton Plesur and Schoellkopf Awards for Study Abroad:  Each year the History Department will award scholarships from $500 to $2,000 to each of four to seven qualified History majors or joint-majors who enroll in a recognized summer, semester, or year-long program of study abroad.  Application forms are available at the Undergraduate Studies Office of the History Department, 540 Park Hall, and should be submitted there in hard copy and in person.  The deadline for submission for summer, fall, and academic year programs is April 1; for the spring semester it is October 1.  Announcements of grants will be made within two weeks of the application deadlines. Click Here for Application Form.

Two other funding opportunities for study abroad:

       •  College of Arts and Sciences Study Abroad Scholarship

       •  U.S. State Department Gilman International Scholarship

Horton Research Paper Prize: Each spring the department awards a prize for the best honors thesis or substantial research paper written in that academic year. The award honors the memory of Professor John T. Horton (1901-91), who served as chairman of the department for nearly twenty years. A clean copy of the paper without the name of the author should be submitted to Park 540 by April 20.  Rough drafts are acceptable. The author of the winning paper will receive a departmental certificate and $500. Click Here for Application Form.

Phi Alpha Theta: Students who have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.3 in a minimum of four history courses and who have maintained a 3.0 g.p.a. in non-history courses are eligible to apply for membership in Phi Alpha Theta, the oldest academic honor society in the country. The society seeks to promote the study of history and communication among students and professors through the sponsorship of conferences and the publication of a journal, The Historian. Applications may be made at Park 540 any time in the spring semester before April 1; graduating members will be recognized at the department's graduation and awards ceremony in May. Click Here for Application Form.

Bryan G. Argo Memorial Scholarships: History majors who are residents of Niagara or Erie county, are full-time students in their junior year who also work at least part-time, have compiled an over-all grade point average of at least 3.0, and submit a letter of reference from a current teacher or civic or spiritual leader attesting to their family values, integrity, and personal achievements are eligible to apply for the Bryan G. Argo Memorial Scholarship. This award is made each year through the generosity of the family and friends of Bryan Argo, a History student who was devoted to family and friends, believed strongly in continuing education, and whose promising life was tragically cut short by a traffic accident. Click Here for Application Form.

Joyce J. and John D. Milligan and Family Scholarships: History majors from underrepresented minorities with good academic credentials and good personal characteristics (attitude, personality, citizenship, and leadership) are eligible for two annual scholarships, one for a prospective junior and one for a prospective senior. These awards are made available through the generosity of John D. Milligan, a long-time History Department faculty member, his wife Joyce who served the Department as a secretary, their daughter Jacqueline, a dedicated teacher of English as a Second Language at UB, and two other daughters, Elizabeth and Polla, both residents of Buffalo . Preference will be given to African-American students from Western New York who have financial need. The junior awardee is eligible to reapply for the senior award. Click Here for Application Form.

Last updated: Wednesday, August 23, 2006