The English Department is seeking self-nominations from students who would like to be considered for the Distinction Program. Students who are invited to the Distinction Program are eligible to take Master’s-level courses in the English Department and can earn “Distinction in English”; those who earn Distinction will be honored with a certificate in June of the year in which they graduate, and will have “Distinction in English” noted on their final transcript. To earn Distinction, students in the program must complete three activities that demonstrate excellence in Creative Writing or Literary Studies beyond what is expected in the ordinary curriculum; such activities might include taking graduate-level courses, presenting papers or creative work at conferences, publishing work in competitive journals, or participating in the Newberry Library Undergraduate Seminar.

Students who would like to be considered for the program must:

· Have a minimum of a 3.7 GPA or be in the University Honors Program.
· Be English majors.
· Plan to graduate by March 2021.
· Email Professor Conary (jennifer.conary@depaul.edu) expressing interest in the program.

The faculty of the English Department will invite students from among those who self-nominate and those who meet the basic GPA and credit hour requirements based on the students’ academic performance within upper-level English courses; only students who have demonstrated an exceptional level of intellectual and creative engagement, a strong work ethic, and a high level of maturity will be invited to the program.

Self-nominations should be submitted to Professor Conary at jennifer.conary@depaul.edu by noon on Friday, May 1st. Please include your student ID number and your concentration within the major (Literary Studies or Creative Writing), along with a few sentences explaining why you would like to be considered for the program. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Professor Conary.