The Path to an Honors Degree

As an Honors Scholar, you can personalize your path to earning the Honors Degree. The path begins by completing:

• nine semester hours of honors credits
• at least one lab science course
• two semesters of a foreign language
• your major(s) and minor(s) and the general education requirements
• GPA requirements (3.25 for first year scholars, 3.5 for returning scholars with a minimum of 12 graded hours each semester)

Honors credits may be earned in two ways:

• successfully (receiving an “A” or “B”) completing the 9 credits from among the offered Honors Courses
• earning 3 or 6 credits through fulfilling Honors Contracts and the remaining credits through Honors Courses

With an Honors Contract, you pursue in greater depth the subject matter of a course in which you are currently registered. This option is available at the discretion of the professor responsible for the course. The Honors Contract involves:

• independent work
• research and/or creativity
• the use of higher level analytical and integrated reasoning skills
• work toward specific goals, building upon, but separate from, the regular course work

Contracts are not typically allowed in the following: 100 level courses, teaching assistantships, directed inquiries, experiential learning, physical education, courses taken P/NC.

An Honors Contract can be initiated within the first two weeks of a semester by discussing possible projects with the professor and by making certain the proposed project meets the preceding guidelines. The student (with professor's assistance) should complete an Honors Contract Application (pdf).

The Application (with five copies) should be submitted to the Honor Scholars Committee Chair no later than 12:00 noon on Friday of the second week of classes for approval.