Undergraduate Honors and Honor Society
Undergraduate degree (ALB) candidates with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.33 or higher graduate cum laude (with honors). The top 10 percent of the graduating class in good standing is inducted into the Harvard Extension School’s Phi Beta chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national honor society for nontraditional students. Ordinarily, undergraduate students with GPAs of 3.8 or higher are eligible.
Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award
ALB candidates with GPAs of 3.5 or higher and master’s degree (ALM) candidates with 3.8 or higher earn the Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award.
Prizes
Prizes are awarded to graduates in their graduation year by members of the Extension School academic administration.
The prizes that require student submissions are the Derek Bok Public Service Prize, the Commencement Speaker Prize, The Harold Langlois Award and The Katie Y. F. Yang Prize.
Annamae and Allan R. Crite Prize. ALM (liberal arts field) and ALB graduates who concentrate in visual arts or other artistic fields are eligible for this award, which is granted on the basis of academic achievement and dedication to learning and the arts.
Class Marshal. Each year two graduates at the top of the ALB graduating class are chosen to represent their class at graduation.
Dean’s Prize for Outstanding ALM Thesis. Awarded in biology, biotechnology/bioengineering, creative writing and literature, English, government, international relations, mathematics for teaching, psychology, software engineering and sustainability as well as humanities (dramatic arts or religion) and social sciences (anthropology or history), this award recognizes the thesis research that embodies the highest level of scholarship.
Dean’s Prize for Outstanding ALM Independent Study Capstone. Awarded in digital media design, global development practice, journalism, museum studies, and sustainability, this award recognizes work that embodies the highest level of scholarship.
Director’s Prize for Outstanding ALM Thesis. Runner-up option for the dean’s thesis prize. Awarded in the same fields as the dean’s thesis prize, but only occasionally.
Derek Bok Public Service Prize. This Commencement award recognizes creative initiatives in community service or long-standing records of civic achievement among graduates. Interested undergraduate and master’s graduates should submit the Derek Bok Service Prize form. The application deadline is the first Monday in March at 5 PM to the commencement email box (commencement@ extension.harvard.edu).
The Harold Langlois Award. This award recognizes an ALM management graduate who has demonstrated exceptional academic accomplishment and promise as a manager. Candidates graduating with 4.0 GPA will be invited to apply for this award.
Harvard Extension Commencement Speaker Prize. During their graduation year, bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates are invited to enter the Commencement speaker competition to deliver the student speech at their programs’ diploma awarding ceremony. See our speech guidelines. Speech submissions are due by the first Monday in March at 5 PM to the commencement email box (commencement@extension.harvard.edu).
Harvard University Commencement Speaker Prize. ALB and ALM graduates can participate in the Orations Competition and deliver the prize-winning speech at the morning Commencement exercise in Harvard Yard to an audience of 30,000. The application process ordinarily begins in early March and ends late April.
The Katie Y.F. Yang Prize. This prize is awarded annually to the international ALM management graduate for academic achievement and character. Candidates graduating with 4.0 GPA will be invited to apply for this award.
Reginald H. Phelps Prize. Three prizes are awarded to ALB graduates for academic achievement and character.
Santo J. Aurelio Prize. Awarded to an ALB degree recipient aged 50 or older, this prize acknowledges distinguished and unique records of academic achievement and character.
Thomas Small Prize. Two prizes are awarded to ALM graduates (liberal arts fields) for academic achievement and character.
