Awards and Honors

Fil Hearn Award for Study Abroad
Faculty of Frick Fine Arts Special Commendations
University Honors College (UHC)
Graduating with Honors

Fil Hearn Award for Study Abroad

In recognition of the tremendous contribution of Professor Fil Hearn to the University of Pittsburgh and the Architectural Studies program over twenty-five years, we are proud to announce the annual Fil Hearn Award for Study Abroad. This award was created to commemorate Professor Hearn’s deep involvement in Semester at Sea and his constant support of study abroad as means to expand the intellectual horizons of undergraduates. Architectural Studies majors who have applied to a study abroad program recognized by the University of Pittsburgh (for example, the DIS program in Copenhagen) are invited to submit applications for the Fil Hearn Award for Study Abroad.

The application deadline will be announced annually early in the spring semester.

Faculty of Frick Fine Arts Special Commendations

Outstanding graduating seniors may qualify to receive a special commendation from the faculty. These awards are announced at April graduation, but students graduating in December and August may still be eligible.  Recipients show excellence in academic achievement and have made a significant contribution to the life of the HAA department and AS program.

University Honors College (UHC)

The University of Pittsburgh Honors College (UHC) offers unique courses, special degrees, and supplemental advising to highly motivated students who have been invited to participate in UHC when they applied as a freshman. UHC does not have a formal membership, and students throughout campus can take honors courses by requesting special permission.

The UHC offers opportunities for undergraduates to learn outside the classroom, such as the Brackenridge Summer Research Fellowship and the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship.

Graduating with Honors

University Requirements

Those members of a graduating class who have attained an outstanding scholastic record and have taken at least 60 letter-grade credits while enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences graduate with honors. There are three levels of honors, depending on a student's GPA: cum laude (3.25), magna cum laude (3.5), and summa cum laude (3.75). Note: transfer students must complete at least 60 letter-grade credits, which do not include audited courses or those taken as satisfactory/non-satisfactory.

Departmental Honors

AS majors who have at least a 3.50 overall and departmental GPA can qualify for departmental honors by completing a senior thesis with a minimum grade of A-. Students develop a research paper under the direction of a faculty member suitable for application to graduate programs in art history and architecture, or to other professional schools.

The 2009 expected honors graduates are:

Christine Carpenter, “I.M. Pei's National Gallery of Art,” Advisor: Gretchen Bender
Alexander Dixon, “The New Castles of Potsdamer Platz,” Advisor: Gretchen Bender

Special Projects

Field Trips

Every year our students visit sites of national and international significance, studying historic and contemporary architecture first hand.