Program Components
The Honors in the Arts program brings together students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, as they work alone or in groups to complete an interdisciplinary arts creative thesis throughout their senior year. The program consists of the following components:
- Workshop classes (ARTSINST 201A, 201B, and 201C) in all three quarters of senior year. Under the guidance of an instructor, students will learn skills for sustainable, independent creative research while practicing interdisciplinary critique in response to the work of their peers. Cross-disciplinary dialogue is the foundation of the Honors in the Arts program, and students should be prepared to complete their project within this collaborative, cohort-driven environment. As part of the workshop, students will be required to complete smaller assignments directly related to their project throughout the year. These include an artist statement, an annotated bibliography, quarterly reflections in fall and winter, and presentations on their interdisciplinary approach.
- HIA Thesis Projects are typically creative projects that combine art practice with knowledge from another field or discipline, center research creation, or bring together two or more art disciplines in a meaningful way. Honors in the Arts theses may also be scholarly research projects involving an interdisciplinary approach, or may exist anywhere on the research paper - artwork spectrum. We welcome both solo and team projects.
- Mentorship: Each student or group will work closely with a faculty advisor and a grad student mentor to develop and complete their honors thesis.
- Field research: Students are encouraged to see exhibitions, shows, and lectures on campus and in the Bay Area, and funding is available to support this research.
Students must receive at least an A- on the capstone project in order to receive honors. Students who receive a grade of less than an A- but greater than NP will receive credit for the workshops but will not receive honors.
Preparation for Honors in the Arts
Students interested in Honors in the Arts must submit an application in spring quarter of their junior year. The application should reflect the following preparations:
COURSES
Students wishing to complete Honors in the Arts are required to have taken at least three courses identified as preparing them to successfully execute an interdisciplinary thesis project at the honors level, including courses that provide a solid foundation in the artistic discipline(s) relevant to the proposed project. These courses should be taken for a letter grade and must be taken from at least two different departments or programs. Ideally, students should plan to complete at least two of these courses prior to entering the program.
Looking for preparatory courses? Check out SAI's Interdisciplinary Courses Guide and Creative Courses Guide.
FACULTY REFERENCE
Students are required to submit the name and contact information of a Stanford faculty member who has agreed to serve as a reference. The faculty member will receive a request to complete a reference form (not a letter). Students are advised to secure a faculty reference well in advance of the deadline, and to enter their information in the application portal as early as possible.
FACULTY ADVISOR
HIA students are required to arrange a faculty advisor for their thesis project. Group projects require one faculty advisor for the whole group. Preference will be given to projects advised by members of the academic council (that is - instructors with the title Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor). Senior lecturers, Jones lecturers and Stegner Fellows are also eligible to advise HIA projects. Other kinds of lecturers may be eligible to advise; please email Jessi Pipert for questions about eligibility.
Students interested in applying to HIA should contact the faculty member with whom they would like to work, describe the project, and have the faculty member complete this Advisor Consent Form. Students should email their advisor consent form to artsinstitute@stanford.edu no later than April 16, 2025.
Need help finding an advisor? Check out these resources on connecting with faculty.
Contact:
Stanford Arts Institute
artsinstitute@stanford.edu
