Honors in a Special Field

Cum laude

The student’s thesis represents a solid contribution to the research field and is likely to be published. The student defended the thesis effectively and did a good job answering questions, placing the thesis within the research field and recognizing the limitations of the thesis.

Magna cum laude

The student’s thesis represents a significant contribution to the research field and is likely publishable in a front-line journal. The student defended the thesis very effectively, and had little or no difficulty answering questions or recognizing the limitations of the thesis and exhibited a comprehensive understanding of the research field.

Summa cum laude

The student’s thesis represents a major discovery, published in a front-line journal and likely to make a significant medium-to-long-term impact on the research field. The student was able to answer all questions effectively, recognized and addressed the limitations of the thesis and showed an advanced understanding of both the thesis topic and the research field.

Students receiving summa cum laude are often first author on several high impact papers. HMS has awarded summa cum laude Honors only 22 times in the school’s history.