The English Laureates & Scholars Thesis Program (EL&S) offers the opportunity to pursue advanced study in English literature, professional and technical writing, or creative writing, to work in independent studies and small classes with English Department faculty, and to learn from and with a small peer group of students.
The Program consists of twelve units (four courses): two sections of an exclusive honors seminar (496A Honors section) and two independent studies (498H), normally taken in the fall and spring of the senior year, during which the student writes a thesis or produces a project of similar scope. Many EL&S students are double majors, or plan a semester abroad during their junior or senior year; the EL&S requirements can usually be successfully coordinated with these individual needs.
Honors Courses
The program courses can also fulfill requirements for English department majors, minors, and for the Honors College (if applicable). The thesis can be counted for Honors College credit. Honors College students who are also in EL&S only have to write a single thesis for both programs.
Program Seminars
The program seminars are exclusive and challenging small topical seminars that will provide not only advanced study in a topic of the faculty member’s research specialty, but also advanced training in the critical reading, argumentative writing, and research discipline necessary to pursue independent thesis research. Program students must take two designated English Honors seminars, and one is offered every semester. Like all sections of ENGL496A, these courses are only offered in person, so you will need to plan for at least two semesters of on-campus instruction during the program.
Honors Thesis
The honors thesis is a substantial and original piece of critical or creative work that forms the signal achievement and culmination of the student’s undergraduate career. Students may apply to write a creative thesis, a thesis in English literature, a thesis in professional and technical writing, or some combination of the three.
The English Lit or PTW thesis is most commonly a long essay modeled after published scholarship in the discipline of English or PTW and written under the advisement of a member of the English faculty. It should advance an original and well-researched argument that participates in existing scholarly debates about a topic of the student’s choosing. Critical theses may be of any length, but customarily they are 25 to 50 pages. The creative thesis is a substantial piece of creative writing in one of three genres—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—written under the advisement of a member of the creative writing faculty.
EL&S for Completion of Honors College Creative Writing Thesis Requirements
All students wishing to write a creative thesis for fulfillment of the honor college thesis requirement must apply through the application process that takes place every year in October—no out-of-cycle applications will be accepted. Such students are strongly encouraged to apply for the EL&S Program.
Due to great demand and limited faculty availability, students accepted into the English Laureates & Scholars program will be prioritized for creative writing thesis advising. Students in the English and PTW majors are encouraged, but not required, to apply through the EL&S process. Note: all English department honors college theses must be advised by English department faculty, with the rare exception of EL&S applicants who list a faculty advisor in a different department on their application. EL&S is the only way to complete an English thesis with faculty from a different department.
English Laureates and Scholars
Creative Writing Thesis Advising Guide for Faculty
Application Process and Requirements
Any student may apply for EL&S, regardless of their major or their college. Transfer students are eligible to apply. Students in the Honors College must apply as other students for admission. Admitted students are not required to join the Honors College.
Since the program usually takes three semesters to complete, it is best to apply before the final three semesters of a student’s undergraduate career. Students with only a single semester left in their undergraduate study cannot be admitted.
Transfer students or students who declare their major/minor after the application deadline in fall of their junior year, but who wish to apply to the program, should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies about the transfer application process not later than the end of junior year.
Students who miss the application deadline but are able to turn in all materials before the committee meets to review, usually within one week of the application deadline, may be considered but will not be prioritized. After the committee reviews and makes decisions, no further applications for that year will be considered.
Applicants should submit a completed application form, which includes a writing sample, a one-page personal statement, and the names of one faculty member who will serve as a reference.
Faculty references will be contacted by the department directly to fill out a short form about the applicant—the application does not require a full letter of recommendation from references. Faculty references do not have to be members of UA faculty, but should have instructed the student at some point. Transfer students may list as references faculty from prior institutions. Students may find it beneficial to ask faculty members for permission to list them as references prior to doing so.
The application deadline for 2027 is Monday, October 12.
Questions?
If you have any questions on this process, please contact Program Coordinator, Sharonne Meyerson with questions about the application process, or the Director of Undergraduate Studies with questions about the program curriculum and coursework.
Frequently Asked Questions
The difference is that students, whether Honors College or not, must apply to the English department to be admitted into EL&S. English Honors is free, but is restricted to just the small cohort that is admitted each year. If you are an Honors College student, but have not been accepted to English Honors, you may not take English Honors seminars.
No. The seminars are only offered in person.
No. The honors 496A classes are split into two co-convened sections for enrollment purposes so that Honors College students who are also EL&S students may receive honors credit in their college. Because Honors College students cannot receive Honors College credit for any class that is open to non-Honors College students, we must split the class enrollment into a non-Honors and an Honors section. But both sections are restricted to English Honors students only—they are effectively the same class. Since all English Honors classes are enrolled by department consent, we will enroll you into the appropriate section.
Many of the EL&S students who were also Honors College students have reported that the English Honors program was the most intellectually stimulating aspect of their undergraduate careers. You only have to write one thesis to satisfy both Honors College and EL&S requirements. And, if you’re a creative writing major, being accepted into the EL&S program prioritizes your application, per Creative Writing faculty policy, to write a creative writing thesis under creative writing faculty advisement.
Yes. If you are a sophomore, you will apply through the regular process in the fall of your junior year. If you are a junior and did not submit an application through the October admissions process, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies as soon as possible, ideally before the end of your junior year. You cannot apply after the beginning of your senior year, unless you are planning to enroll for a fifth year.
There is no advantage to applying later, so please apply in fall if at all possible.
Yes. Honors College students who want to write a creative thesis with CW faculty but do not want to fulfill the other requirements of EL&S must apply for a Creative Writing faculty advisor using the same application form. This is the only way to be assigned a CW faculty thesis advisor. There is a checkbox on the form through which to indicate that you are applying for the thesis portion only; please check that box.
Probably. If you have missed the application deadline by only a few days or a week, contact the English Undergraduate Office. If the committee has not met yet to make decisions, it is possible to turn in your application late, though it will not be given priority. After the decisions are made, no more applications will be accepted for review, including for Creative Writing faculty thesis advisors.