The English Department's main office is in Muenzinger D110.

English Honors Program

In coordination with the Arts and Sciences Honors Program, the English Department offers qualified students the opportunity to intensify their course of study by writing and defending an honors thesis in an attempt to graduate with Latin honors: cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.   

English majors may apply to pursue English Departmental Honors (detailed below) or General Honors (visit the Arts & Sciences Honors Program website for details).

Deadlines

There are two internal application deadlines if you wish to apply to pursue an Honors thesis in AY 2025-26: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 and Friday, August 1 2025.  Those who are planning to graduate in Fall '25 must apply by the April deadline.  If you are graduating in spring '26, you may apply by August 1, but the department strongly encourages students to meet the April deadline, so that you may spend the summer consulting with your advisor and preparing to write the honors thesis.  Please find the application form for Honors and additional links below.

Completed application materials (signed application form, writing sample and complete Degree Audit) must be compiled and sent electronically to ssengl@colorado.edu.

The Fall 2025 Thesis Registration form can be found here.

Spring 2026 Honors thesis deadlines for those defending in Spring 2026 can be found here.

Additional Information

For more information on English Departmental Honors, eligibility requirements, and application instructions, please refer to these documents:

​For further information, contact Undergraduate Student Services:

ssengl@colorado.edu
303-492-6434

Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society
Alpha Iota Sigma Chapter, University of Colorado Boulder

Sigma Tau Delta is an active honor society which has served the English discipline for over 75 years. With over 750 chapters in large and small, public and private colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe, it is by far the largest–and most active–honors organization in the field.

Our central purpose is to confer distinction upon outstanding students of the English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies. Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.

Requirements for Membership

  • Minimum of 2 college courses in English completed (excluding freshman English)
  • 3 semesters of college course work completed (45 hours)
  • Overall GPA of 3.0
  • English GPA of 3.0 (excluding freshman English)

A one-time fee of $45.00 which includes:

  • lifetime membership in Sigma Tau Delta
  • admittance to chapter meetings and events
  • scholarship, internship, assistanship, award, and grant opportunities
  • bi-yearly editions of The Rectangle literary journal
  • opportunities to be published in The Rectangle
  • newsletters
  • opportunities for writing awards

For more information on the society, see Sigma Tau Delta website. To apply (cost is $40), fill out this application — Sigma Tau Delta Application — and send a copy to Rachael Deagman, English Department, Hellems 101 UCB 226, Boulder CO 80309.