Penn State Schreyer Honors College

Phi Beta Kappa Honors Thesis Prize

A $1500 prize will be awarded to a meritorious research project completed in an eligible field by a Schreyer Scholar as his or her honors thesis by the Penn State Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. 

The Phi Beta Kappa awards were established in recognition of the extraordinary quality of senior theses and the financial burden assumed by students in their completion, and to encourage students to continue their education and inquiry in liberal studies.

Requirements

Award recipients must be majoring and/or the thesis completed in a discipline included within Phi Beta Kappa. Virtually all majors in the College of Liberal Arts and in the Eberly College of Science fall into this category, and there are numerous others in a number of other Penn State colleges. Here is the list of approved majors.

Besides the quality of the thesis itself, the potential for the student to continue making significant contributions to one or more liberal studies fields will also be considered. In general, “liberal” studies are those that pursue knowledge and creativity for their own sake, rather than in preparation for a specific profession.

Deadline

Applications are due in April.

Application

Application for this award consists of the following items:

  1. one copy of the completed thesis;
  2. a letter of support from the thesis adviser; and
  3. a 1-2 page statement by the student on the role the thesis has played in his or her overall intellectual development, and on their future plans, especially as those intersect with liberal studies.

Items should be submitted to Michelle Toumayants in 427 Burrowes Building. Digital submission of items to tob@psu.edu are also acceptable.

Questions?

Contact Scholar Alumnus Rodney Hughes at (570) 905-6843 or rph144@psu.edu.