Honors

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Undergraduate students receiving a baccalaureate degree with a grade point average of 3.50 or above have the degree conferred with University Honors. Announcement of these honors is published in the commencement program and the diplomas of the honorees are inscribed to indicate the honor received. University Honor graduates wear special medallions during commencement.

University Honors are awarded based on the following overall grade point averages:

Cum Laude		3.50-3.74
Magna Cum Laude		3.75-3.89
Summa Cum Laude		3.90 and above

Students who have met the criteria for graduating as an Honors Scholar or with Departmental Honors are also published in the commencement program.

The President’s Recognition Award is given to graduating seniors who have achieved at the 95th to 100th percentile on the required, nationally normed, senior exam prescribed by the faculty in their respective major. Students receiving this recognition are sent a President’s Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Academic Achievement. The receipt of the President’s Recognition Award becomes part of a student’s official academic record and is annotated on all future transcripts.

The requirements for becoming an Honors Scholar in the Arts and Sciences are: complete five approved courses in the areas of mathematics, science, humanities, and social science with at least one course from each area; and earn at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA overall and in these five courses. Only grades of “A” and “B” may count toward the 3.5 minimum grade point average requirement in the five approved Honors Scholar courses.

Students who complete a single undergraduate major may not satisfy Honors Scholar requirements with any course in their major field. (For example, a student whose only major is mathematics may not use any course carrying the MATH prefix to satisfy Honors  Scholar requirements.)

Students who complete two or more majors may use any approved courses to satisfy Honors Scholar requirements.

No credit toward becoming an Honors Scholar shall be given for high school courses or transfer courses (including AP, CLEP, Study Abroad credit or substitutions) unless approved by the Honors Scholar Committee. Also, only courses with three or more credits may count toward becoming an Honors Scholar.

Many Honors Scholar courses have prerequisites or co-requisites. Refer to individual course descriptions for specific details.

See the Honors Scholar Program. 

Departmental Honors in the major are available in several disciplines for outstanding majors who have achieved distinction as determined by measures specific to the Departmental Honors Program. Students meeting the requirements for Departmental Honors have their transcript annotated.

For additional information and criteria regarding the Departmental Honors programs listed below, refer to the Academic Programs section of this catalog. Departmental Honors are currently available in the following disciplines:

School of Arts & Letters:
Art: Studio Art
Art: Visual Communications
Art History
Classics
English
French
German
Linguistics
Music: General Concentration with Emphasis Groups
Music: Liberal Arts
Music: Performance
Spanish

School of Health Sciences & Education:
Athletic Training
Exercise Science
Health Science
Nursing

School of Sciences & Mathematics:
Agricultural Science
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics

School of Social & Cultural Studies:
Communication
Economics
History
Philosophy and Religion
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology/Anthropology