Earning Distinction & High Distinction
Students earning the BA in Communication may qualify to earn Distinction or High Distinction in the major.
- To earn Distinction in the major, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25/4.00 and a departmental GPA of 3.50/4.00.
- All students meeting the GPA requirements will be awarded Distinction by the advisor and do not need to request it.
- Any student who qualifies for Distinction is eligible to earn High Distinction, if desired, by completing an additional requirement.
- High Distinction has the same GPA requirements as Distinction, plus the satisfactory completion of an advanced original research paper under the supervision of a faculty member of the student’s choosing.
- Students who wish to earn High Distinction should inform the department of their intentions as early as possible during their Senior year, by completing the form linked from the instructions below.
THE HIGH DISTINCTION RESEARCH PAPER Heading link
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Satisfying the research paper requirement
- Honors College students may use the Capstone Project to satisfy the High Distinction research paper requirement. Capstone projects may represent traditional research or be creative in nature. A written component, appropriate for the topic and approach, is required, even for creative projects. Approval of the final project by the capstone supervisor will allow the project to count for High Distinction.
- Students participating in the LASURI program may use the LASURI project to satisfy the High Distinction research paper requirement. LASURI projects may represent traditional research or be creative in nature. A written component, appropriate for the topic and approach, is required, even for creative projects. Approval of the final project by the LASURI supervisor will allow the project to count for High Distinction.
- Students participating in CURA may use the CURA project to satisfy the High Distinction research paper requirement. CURA projects may represent traditional research or be creative in nature. A written component, appropriate for the topic and approach, is required, even for creative projects. Approval of the final project by the CURA supervisor will allow the project to count for High Distinction.
- Students conducting independent research, whether registered for independent study (COMM 498) or not, may use the independent research project to satisfy the High Distinction research paper requirement. Independent research projects may represent traditional research or be creative in nature. A written component, appropriate for the topic and approach, is required, even for creative projects. Approval of the final project by the research supervisor will allow the project to count for High Distinction.
- If you’re not participating in one of the above, a general standard is that your work is roughly equivalent to a final paper/project in a 400-level course. Your research supervisor’s approval serves as evidence of meeting expectations.
- You cannot use a paper or project turned in for a class (other than COMM 498) to satisfy the research component of High Distinction. You may expand a paper or project initially turned in for a class, if the faculty supervisor agrees and approves the expanded paper.
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Selecting a research supervisor
- If you are an Honors College student conducting a Capstone Project, or are participating in LASURI or CURA , or registered for independent research credit, your research supervisor is the most appropriate faculty member to supervise your High Distinction project.
- If you’re not participating in one of the programs listed above, you may select any qualified faculty member to serve as your research supervisor. Your research supervisor need not be in the Department of Communication, but your project should have some connection to the broad discipline of Communication.
- Whether you’re participating in one of the listed programs or not, you may find the university’s Undergraduate Research Experience website helpful in finding a research supervisor, but you do not need to use this resource.
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When to sign up for High Distinction
- Even before you begin your Senior year (only Seniors complete the form to indicate interest in earning High Distinction), you can begin to think about the research project.
- Decide whether you want to participate in LASURI or CURA ; if so, apply according to the program deadlines.
- If you don’t participate in one of those programs – whether you want to earn independent study or not – start thinking about who you might ask to be your research supervisor. We recommend you reach out to potential research supervisors before you begin your Senior year.
- Ideally, you will identify your research supervisor and research project early during your Senior year, before you complete the form confirming your interest in High Distinction. However, you may wait until your final semester as long as you can complete the project by finals week of your graduating semester.
- After you attain Senior standing (90 credit hours earned), fill out this form to let us know you’re interested in earning High Distinction.
- The COMM advisor will follow up periodically with students who complete the form.
- If you decide you no longer wish to seek High Distinction, please notify the COMM advisor or comm@uic.edu.
- Even before you begin your Senior year (only Seniors complete the form to indicate interest in earning High Distinction), you can begin to think about the research project.
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Approving your research project/paper
- The research supervisor completes this approval form.
- When your research supervisor tells you they approve your completed project/paper, direct them to the form linked above to confirm their approval. The form asks for the supervisor’s name and email address, your name, the project title, and approval status. When the form is received, the COMM advisor will update your records to reflect the completion of the research requirement.
- Your research supervisor must submit the approval form no later than the Monday of finals week of your graduation semester.
- It is your responsibility to send the research supervisor the link to the form (or to this page) and ensure that the form is completed in a timely manner. The COMM advisor will not follow up with the research supervisor if the form is not received.
- Once your supervisor completes the form approving your research, if you maintain the required GPAs you will graduate with High Distinction in the major.
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Where to find more information
If you have any questions about High Distinction, please write to the COMM advisor or comm@uic.edu.