Cronkite and Barrett, the Honors College

Honors at Cronkite

Cronkite School students who are also members of Barrett, The Honors College are part of a community of academically outstanding undergraduates at Arizona State University. Here, Cronkite honors students can learn more about the honors experience, find their Faculty Honors Adviser and more.

Academic requirements

All ASU honors students complete special academic requirements to earn their degrees “with honors.” Students participate in just-for-honors-students courses and experiences; pursue rigorous work in their program of study; and complete an honors thesis. Learn more about the academic requirements for honors students at the Barrett, The Honors College website, and explore scholarships just for honors students.

Honors at Cronkite

Lower division, upper division and online honors students each follow unique requirements in their honors journeys. Cronkite students benefit from the required 3-credit MCO302: Honors Media Research Methods course, taken in the third year, which prepares students to complete their prospectus and 6-credit thesis.

Beginning in the second year, Cronkite honors students are encouraged to take (and repeat) the 1-credit Honors Media Seminar course. Designed to build upon the Human Event, the seminar unites honors students with visiting professionals and scholars in lively discussions on timely issues critical to media. Cronkite students may also pursue honors sections and honors enrichment contracts in media skills, values and travel-based courses that advance both their knowledge and their portfolios.

The honors thesis

Completing an honors thesis is a culminating experience for all Barrett, The Honors College students. Learn more about the thesis project on the Thesis Resource Page, and follow these steps:

1. Complete MCO302: Media Research Methods (Honors) in your third year, or the semester before you plan to conduct your thesis research. Students may use the literature review completed in the course to inform their theses.
2. Attend a live or self-paced thesis workshop, and explore all of the funding opportunities to support your thesis work.
3. Consult the thesis guidebook.
4. Connect with your Cronkite Faculty Honors Adviser (FHA); locate your assigned adviser in the list below. Your FHA will help you identify a thesis or creative project topic and suggest faculty members who could serve as your thesis director and committee members.
5. After meeting with your FHA, develop your idea into a prospectus—a 2- to 3-page document that spells out what you propose to do in your thesis project, and a timeline for doing it. Your prospectus must address the prospectus criteria on p. 8 of the Thesis Guidebook and include a timeline. Discuss the need for ASU Institutional Review Board approval with your director and start the approval process, if appropriate; additionally, discuss anticipated expenses with your committee and begin the Thesis Reimbursement Funding Application for pre-approval before making purchases. Learn more about Barrett Prospectus Guidelines here.
6. Submit your prospectus to Barrett, the Honors College.
7. Complete the Cronkite Honors Thesis Registration Form, attach your prospectus, collect the signatures from your FHA and thesis director, and submit it to your academic adviser. Your adviser will allow you to register for the MCO493: Honors Thesis course.
8. Register for 6 credits of MCO493: Honors Thesis, which may be spread across multiple semesters while you complete and defend your thesis. Your director will expect to hear regular progress updates from you.
9. Discuss your thesis drafts and defense with your committee. Complete the thesis defense, approval and submission steps outlined in the Barrett Thesis Defense Guidelines.

Cronkite Faculty Honors Advisers (FHAs)

Faculty Honors Advisers (FHAs) help students navigate the honors experience, coordinate thesis committees, seek Institutional Review Board approval and thesis funding, and more.

Students are assigned by last name to an FHA. Please find your assigned FHA below and contact the faculty honors lead, Dr. Dennis Russell (Dennis.Russell@asu.edu), with questions.

Last names A-G: Bill Hill, William.J.Hill@asu.edu 
Last names H-P: Dr. Dennis Russell, Dennis.Russell@asu.edu
Last names Q-Z: Dr. Gail Rhodes, glrhodes@asu.edu
At large: Jessica Pucci, jepucci@asu.edu

Cronkite honors thesis examples