Honors Program Academic Policies

Advising

All Honors students are required to meet with the Director or the Associate Director at least once a semester, ordinarily during the Pre-registration period.

General Education Requirements

The Honors Program provides an alternative means of completing General Education requirements. It is possible to complete all the General Education requirements and almost all of the Honors Program requirements simultaneously, with the same set of courses. Thus Honors students do not have to complete two sets of requirements. Progress toward fulfilling the General Education requirements should be discussed during Pre-registration advising each semester. The Honors Program must certify completion in writing to the Registrar; this should be done no later than the last semester of the Junior year.

Math Requirement

The mathematics requirement may be met in one of two ways. Students who complete foreign language study through the intermediate level may satisfy the requirement with either pre-calculus (Math 130) or statistics. Students with only one year of language are required to complete calculus. Science and Math majors are reminded to be sure that the math courses they select are also acceptable to their major departments for credit toward the major.

Language Requirement

Honors students are required to study a classical or foreign language through the intermediate level (normally 101/102 and 201/202), unless they complete calculus - see above. All or part of this requirement may be met through testing. Bilingual students who have been given General Education distribution credit by admissions should consult their Honors advisor. The Program also accepts American Sign Language in fulfillment of this requirement, but students should be warned that access to intermediate level courses in ASL is often problematic.

Diversity Requirement

Some Honors Program courses are also Diversity courses. Since this requirement, unlike other General Education requirements, can be met through courses at any level (100, 200, 300) it is relatively easy to fulfill for most students.

Junior Colloquium

The Junior Colloquium is designed to prepare students for the kind of research necessary for the senior honors thesis. It should be taken prior to beginning the senior thesis.

Senior Thesis or Project

This requirement is ordinarily met under the jurisdiction of the student's major department. If that should be impossible or inappropriate, arrangements can be made under the rubric of Honors 490.

Grade Point Average

A GPA of 3.2 is required to maintain a good standing in the Honors Program. Students whose work falls below this level in a semester will be contacted by the Program, and will be required to achieve a 3.2 in the following semester's work. Students should keep in mind that major programs typically require a higher average in major courses along with an overall 3.2 GPA for admission to Senior Honors Programs and options.

Pass/Fail

The Pass/Fail option may not be elected in Honors courses. (Major programs typically limit or exclude the use of this option, too.) The use of this option is also discouraged (but not forbidden) in courses required by the program—i.e., those in Math and Foreign Language.

Waivers

An Honors course requirement may be waived for students who choose to study abroad.

Completing the Program

Students who successfully complete the Program will be recognized at the College's annual Honors Convocation in May of their Senior year, and a notice of successful completion will be added to their official transcripts.

Leaving the Program

Students who decide to leave the Program are urged, for reasons of practicality and courtesy, to arrange an interview with the Director or Associate Director. Such students do not lose General Education or Core credit for their Honors courses, but the assignment of this credit is not automatic. It must be certified in writing by the Honors Program. The Program and its faculty are also anxious to benefit by learning from leaving students how well or ill the Program has met their needs and interests.