The Honors Program in CSD is an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students to learn more about communicative sciences and disorders by working closely with a faculty mentor.
This opportunity affords students a chance to learn outside of the classroom, explore where the evidence comes from in "evidence-based" practice, and forge strong relationships with faculty mentors and graduate students in a lab environment. Students who successfully complete the Honors Program will graduate with honors in CSD.
Qualifying for the Honors Program
To qualify for the Honors Program, students must have a major and cumulative GPA of 3.5 and submit a proposal (see below for more information).
Students are strongly encouraged to apply for funding through NYU Steinhardt. Students who are interested in applying for this funding should check the application deadline, which is often in March (before the deadline for the departmental proposal).
Timeline/Program of Study
Attend a CSD Research Fair and Honors Info Session
It is great to get involved and informed as soon as possible. While we recommend that you attend these events in your freshman or sophomore year, there is still time to get into the Honors Program if you attend junior year.
Join a lab and get involved in research
It is recommended that you work in a lab for at least one semester prior to submitting an honors thesis proposal. Students should work with a mentor to develop the proposal well in advance of the April 15 application deadline. The earlier you join a lab, the more time you have to see the types of research that are being conducted. Many students get involved during their freshman and sophomore years. The latest you should join a lab if you would like to complete the Honors Program is in the fall of your junior year.
Identify a research mentor
By the fall of your junior year, you should identify a mentor who will guide you through all aspects of the research honors thesis. The research mentor must be a full-time faculty member in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Looking through descriptions of CSD full-time faculty members' labs will help you narrow your interests and ensure that your interests match those of your potential research mentor.
Submit an honors thesis proposal
The proposal is due April 15 of your junior year.
View this list of recently completed undergraduate honors theses for your reference.
Notification of acceptance into the Honors Program
Accepted students will be notified in mid-May of their junior years.
Submit an Institutional Review Board (IRB) application
Students who are accepted into the honors program may need to submit an IRB application for their proposed project. Students should consult with their faculty mentor to determine if a separate IRB application is needed. This should be submitted during the summer before senior year to ensure ample time for review. IRB applications that are “Expedited” require an additional checklist. You will also need to submit a copy of your thesis proposal. Note: to submit an IRB application, students must also complete the Human Subjects training.
Enroll in CSCD-UE 1990: Honors Research Seminar in CSD
Enroll in two credits for Fall semester of your senior year.
Enroll in CSCD-UE 1000: Independent Study
Enroll in two credits for Fall semester of your senior year and four credits for Spring semester of your senior year.
Submit your undergraduate honors thesis
Submit your thesis by April 15 of your senior year. You are encouraged to present your thesis/research at a conference, such as the NYU Undergraduate Research Conference. Please note that applications for that conference are due in March, ahead of the April submission.
Application Process
Applications for the Honors Program are due April 15 of your junior year. Please submit all the materials listed below as an email attachment to the Honors Thesis Coordinator at csd-honors@nyu.edu.
- Application form
- Unofficial transcript demonstrating a minimum major GPA and cumulative GPA of 3.5 as well as the GPA calculator
- Honors Research Proposal, which includes:
- Title
- Abstract (250 words maximum)
- Proposal: No more than 5 pages double spaced, 1-inch margins (excluding the abstract, references, and any appendices). The proposal should include the following sections: Introduction/Background (a brief review of the relevant literature, the research questions to be addressed), Methods (the proposed methodology for answering those questions), and Expected Results. Strong proposals include motivation for why answering these questions will benefit the field. Please use this template for both the proposal and the final thesis.
- Mentor contract with the research mentor who will supervise this project
Evaluation of Honors Applications
Not all students who apply to the Honors Program will be accepted. Each application will be evaluated by two reviewers (faculty members who are not your mentor) who rate the application on the following areas, each on a scale from 1 to 5 (5 being the best score):
- Quality of the proposed project
- Feasibility of the proposed project
- Relevance to the field of CSD
- Student’s academic record
- Evidence of a solid relationship with the research mentor
- Evidence of the mentor’s commitment to the project
Scores from the three reviewers are averaged to generate the final application score. If the final score ranges from:
- 4.0-5.0: The student is qualified for acceptance into the Honors Program
- 3.0-3.9: The student is required to meet with the director of the Undergraduate Program to gain final approval
- 1.0-2.9: The student is not accepted into the Honors Program.
Thesis
The scope and length of an honors thesis will vary by sub-field, but will typically be 25 to 40 double-spaced pages in length. The final document must be in APA format. Honors candidates are strongly encouraged to formally present posters/papers at an Undergraduate Research Conference or other national or local conference. Students are encouraged to submit an abstract to the ASHA conference and also to apply for PROGENY, which pairs students with another mentor at the ASHA conference. The top student submissions are eligible for a waiver of the conference registration fee.
Successful Completion of the Honors Program
Graduating with honors in CSD requires not only acceptance into the CSD Honors Program, but also successful completion of the program.
Departmental honors are conferred upon graduating seniors who meet all four of the following criteria:
- Major GPA and cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher at the time of graduation
- An A- or better in CSCD-UE 1990: Honors Research Seminar in CSD
- An A- or better in CSCD-UE 1000: Independent Study in CSD
- Completed honors thesis (to be reviewed by two faculty members)
For more information about the Honors Program, contact the Honors Thesis Coordinator at csd-honors@nyu.edu.