499 Grading

Grade the Thesis Seminar work as you would any other course - in accordance with the expectations set forth in the syllabus, or, for the Individually Contracted Thesis, as recorded in the contract as approved on CHC PATHS. The grade should reflect the quality of the student's work, attendance, and participation. 

• Honors Thesis graded “B” or higher in all components will count toward graduation credit and fulfillment of Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) requirements.
• Honors Thesis coursework graded “D” to “B-” will count toward graduation credit but not fulfillment of CHC requirements.
• Final grades awarded for the Honors Thesis coursework, as well as Research Manuscript or Creative Portfolio, will affect the CHC Honors credentials awarded at graduation. Please see Graduation with Honors for details.  

In the event of extenuating circumstances that delay completion of a 499 course, Honors College students should be given the same respect and consideration as other students, neither more nor less. Refer to the Undergraduate Registrar's Academic Regulations Handbook for standard policies. 

Grade Submission Process 

• Individually Contracted Thesis courses registered as "HONORS" 499Y/T/P: for current or previous 3 semesters, instructor forwards grade to CHC Roster Coordinator (RC).
• Individually Contracted Thesis courses registered as "DEPARTMENT X" 499Y/T/P" (e.g., HIST, ENGL, CMPSCI): for current or previous 3 semesters, instructor forwards grades to the Department Multi-instructor Roster Coordinator (DRC) for the department in which 499Y/T/P is registered; DRC submits/changes grades directly on SPIRE.*
• Seminars registered as either "HONORS" or "DEPARTMENT X" 499 (e.g., 499A/B, 499C/D, etc.): for current or previous 3 semesters, instructor has online access to SPIRE grade roster and submits grades

*SPIRE offers additional details regarding submitting grade changes online (INC, NR, Y, or '__' (blank). For further assistance, contact your department's Roster Coordinator or Administrative Assistant.

Honors Thesis Grading Guidelines 

Grading options for the Honors Thesis may vary. Visit the Honors Thesis Grading Guidelines page for more details. 

Other Grading Issues 

To be eligible for CHC Distinctions, CHC students must complete the full CHC curriculum, with either Multidisciplinary Honors or Departmental Honors. The Distinctions are determined based on the final cumulative GPA and grades for both parts (or grade if taken in one semester) of the thesis course. Please refer to the chart below for more detailed information:

Match the GPA and 499 grades to the chart below; if they are in different columns, then award the Distinction which reflects the lowest match, e.g. GPA of 3.85 with grades of 'A' and 'B+' on the 499 results in 'with distinction', not 'with greatest distinction'

*Students enrolled in a thesis seminar course are issued a grade for the final product produced as part of the course; this grade is also considered when calculating the CHC Distinction.

We encourage ongoing communication between you and your Honors Thesis students regarding their progress. If any of your students are in jeopardy of not completing their thesis, please have a candid discussion with them as soon as possible, document your conversations in writing, and refer the student to a Commonwealth Honors College advisor.

Please be aware that CHC students cannot be cleared for graduation until all thesis grades of INC, NR, Y, or '__' have been converted to final grades on SPIRE.

Contacts 

Feel free to contact Dominic Usher, dusher [at] umass [dot] edu (dusher[at]umass[dot]edu) if you have questions.