Distinction in the Major
Responsibility for the award of Distinction in the Major lies primarily with the directors of undergraduate studies, whose recommendations are confirmed by the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing. After confirming the recommendations of the DUSes, the committee seeks approval from the Yale College Faculty and informs the Office of the Secretary of the University so that the awards may be inscribed on the students' diplomas.
Distinction will be awarded to those students who have earned grades of A or A– in three-quarters of the credits in the major subject or program, with a grade of A or A– on the senior departmental examination, senior essay, or senior project. All courses taken for the major are included in these calculations for Distinction in the Major. Grades of F as well as marks of CR in courses taken on a Credit/D/Fail basis are included as non-A grades. Instructions for viewing students' grades are given under the heading "How to Graduate a Senior."
Determining whether or not each senior has qualified for Distinction in the Major can be somewhat complicated, and in large departments it is time-consuming. As an aid to the DUS, the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing has drawn up a thorough set of instructions, including a table that indicates the number of courses that constitute three-quarters of a given number of credits in the major. These, along with nomination forms, are sent to each DUS in late March or early April. Since these instructions contain important information about policy and scheduling, it is helpful to look through examples of the instructions well in advance of their yearly arrival. [A sample copy of the instructions and a copy of the calculation table for three-quarters of credits can be found in PDF format in the online appendixes to this Handbook. A sample of the nomination form for Distinction can also be found in PDF format in the appendixes.]
The important task of determining the seniors qualified for Distinction falls at a busy time, and deadlines are, of necessity, early and firm. The Yale College Faculty must vote on all awards on the Friday before Commencement Day, and the masters and deans of the residential colleges must be informed of the awards on the day before Commencement, so that they can announce the awards when diplomas are distributed. The result is that you will be asked to submit nominations to the committee on or before the last day of the final examination period.
Almost all recommendations for Distinction in the Major are made at the same time, i.e., for Commencement in May. Nominations made at that time include students who completed degree requirements in December at the end of the fall term as well as those who are completing them at the end of the spring term. A certain number of students complete degree requirements following the graduation of their class, and they are awarded their degrees at a later date. Whenever the registrar requests certification from you that a student has completed the requirements of the major, that should be a signal to you to determine whether or not that student is eligible for Distinction in the Major. For these students, and for those whose instructors submit grades late, the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing will accept recommendations at any time and complete the process by which the award is made and inscribed on the student's diploma.
