The Stanford Arts Institute administers an interdisciplinary honors program in the arts. This program is open to Stanford students in any major. Upon acceptance to the program and successful completion of a capstone project integrating a broad arts perspective, students will receive “Honors in the Arts.” The program features two main tracks:

• Interdisciplinary honors within the arts: for students majoring in a particular arts discipline who wish to incorporate other arts disciplines into their work. Students in this track will normally be majors in an arts department (Art & Art History; departments within the Division of Languages, Cultures, and Literatures; English; Music; Theater & Performance Studies) who wish to do an honors project involving approaches from another arts field.

• Interdisciplinary honors for non-arts majors: for students majoring in a non-arts discipline who complete a capstone project incorporating the arts. Students in this track will normally be majors not in one of the departments described above, who wish to do an honors project involving an arts element. This project should incorporate themes, discourse, or learnings from a student’s major. Some Honors students may also choose to participate in The Senior Reflection (TSR) in Biology.

Requirements for Admission

A minimum overall GPA of 3.67 (A-) will normally be required for admission into the program. Upon petition, exceptions might be granted by the program director in the case of students demonstrating particular strengths relevant to honors in the arts.

Students wishing to receive honors in the arts will be required to take at least three courses identified as preparing them to successfully execute an interdisciplinary capstone project. It is recommended that students complete at least two of these courses prior to entering the program. However, upon approval of the program director, students may take these courses while pursuing their honors project. Courses will normally be at least 2 units and will have been taken for a letter grade. A list of sample courses can be found here.

Admission to the program is competitive. A selection committee determines admission on the basis of the requirements above and a brief essay outlining a student’s preparation and proposing a capstone project. Prospective students will be asked to name a faculty member who can provide a reference upon request.

Requirements for Completion

In order to receive honors in the arts, students admitted into the program will complete a capstone project as the culmination of a year of honors workshop classes. Capstone projects can be either scholarly / research projects involving a historical / theoretical approach or creative projects involving an arts practice element. In the latter case, students will be required to produce, in addition to the creative project, a brief explanatory statement outlining the intellectual and artistic goals of the project and reflecting on its impact. Projects will be developed through three quarters of required workshops. Capstone projects will be graded by the program director and the workshop leader, with input from the student;s creative and academic mentors and a panel of outside reviewers. Students must receive at least an A- on the capstone project in order to receive honors. Students receiving a grade of less than an A- but greater than NP will receive credit for the workshops but will not receive honors.

For More Information

Please contact esaidel@stanford.edu with any questions about the process and program.