UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

Honors Program

The honors Program in history offers students additional intellectual challenges, based on participation in an honors seminar and the production of a substantial thesis based on primary source research. Students enjoy the reward of finishing a prolonged, independent project mentored by a faculty member. Majors who complete at least four history courses with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.33 (B+) or who have a letter of support from a faculty member willing to supervise their project are eligible to apply for admission to the History department Honors Program. To complete this program, students fulfill the standard requirements for the major, and a two-semester sequence of research seminars. These are Honors Thesis 497 I (seminar) and Honors Thesis 497 II (tutorial), in which students prepare a thesis of approximately thirty to forty pages. Upon admission to the program, honors students are responsible for arranging with a faculty mentor to guide their thesis research and writing, normally completed in the senior year. Honors students may, at the discretion of their mentors and upon approval of the directors of undergraduate and graduate studies, participate in a relevant graduate seminar or seminars. Honors students who complete the thesis and attain a minimum GPA of 3.33 in the major will graduate with Honors in history.

Activities and Awards

Milton 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 UB students and bequeathed his estate to the university. Awards will be made to students who can demonstrate the most serious interest in and commitment to History as evidenced by academic record, extra-curricular activities, and career plans.  A sophomore awardee who continues to compile an excellent record in his or her 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 awards study abroad scholarships to qualified History majors enrolling in a recognized summer, semester, or year-long study abroad program.  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 March 15; for the spring semester it is October 15.  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 a cash prize. Click Here for Application Form.

Phi Alpha Theta: Students who have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.1 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: Full-time 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 Student Award. 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.

John D. Milligan and Daughters Scholarships. Full-time 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 late 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 award is renewable in the senior year at the discretion of the chair of the History Department.   Click Here for Application Form.

Deadline for application March 15th
Please return to 540 Park Hall, Undergraduate History Office

Last updated: Thursday, February 21, 2013