Honors Program Handbook and Policies
Revised Fall 2025, Honors Faculty Council Approval TBD
- Eligibility
- Requirements for University Honors Scholars
- Honors Level Work
- Types of Honors Courses
- Timely Progress on Completion of Honors Classes
- Capstone
- Activity Point Requirements
- Honors Alert and Dismissal
- Honors Faculty Council
- Exceptions
Incoming First-year Students: To join the Honors Program, students must have a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 and are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores. Students who do not meet this criteria may apply for conditional admission, which is decided by the Honors Program Director.
Transfer Students and Current 91社区 Students: To join the Honors Program, students must have completed at least 15 college credits with a GPA of 3.4 or higher. Dual credit courses and grades do not count toward this credit minimum.
We encourage students to join during their first or second year. Students who join later can still participate but may find it harder to complete all required Honors courses on time.
To graduate as a University Honors Scholar, students must:
- Earn a 91社区 undergraduate degree with a cumulative GPA meeting the Honors Program minimum:
- 3.25 for students who entered before Fall 2018
- 3.4 for students who entered Fall 2018 or later
- Complete 7 Honors classes with a grade of B or higher
- Make timely progress in completing Honors courses
- Complete one 100-level Honors seminar (UNIV 101.Hxx, HONS 101, or HONS 102)
- Complete the Honors Capstone
- Earn 3 activity points per semester
Recognition for University Honors Scholars includes:
- Honors designation on diploma
- Notation of Honors credit and Scholar status on official transcript
- Honors cords presented at ceremony
- Honors cords worn at Commencement
Honors work means a different kind of learning, not just more work. It encourages broader, deeper, and more complex exploration. Honors projects are student-driven and faculty-supported, helping students take leadership in their education.
Typical Honors projects may include:
- Critical reading of primary texts
- Writing multiple drafts of papers
- Synthesizing materials across disciplines
- Creative research focused on process
- Asking metacognitive questions like 鈥淗ow do you know?鈥�
- Community engagement addressing real-world problems
- Increased student-faculty interaction
- Student-led discussions and presentations
- Creative problem-solving
- Integrative learning with local and global perspectives
Stand-Alone Honors Courses
These courses are open only to Honors students. They feature small class sizes, challenging coursework, and strong interaction with classmates and faculty.
Cross-Listed Honors Courses
These courses appear twice in the schedule, once as a regular section and once as an Honors section. Honors students have reserved seats but share the class with non-Honors students. Honors students complete an additional component designed by the faculty. No Honors contract is required. Students earning a B or above will receive Honors credit unless the faculty reports otherwise.
Contract Courses
Most 91社区 courses can be taken for Honors credit by adding an Honors component. The student and faculty agree on a project and complete an Honors contract form. The component should require 15 to 30 extra hours and deepen the student鈥檚 understanding. Creative projects are encouraged, such as:
- Designing a website or app
- Making a video
- Creating fiction, art, or performances
- Conducting original research
- Translating texts
- Leading a class session or major presentation
- Writing a research paper
- Doing a literature review or annotated bibliography
- Participating in a service project
Deadlines for Contract Forms (submit to Honors Program office, OC 1070):
- Full semester courses: Friday of the 4th week
- 8-week courses: Friday of the 2nd week
- Courses shorter than 8 weeks: Friday of the 1st week
At semester鈥檚 end, faculty submit grades for the course and the Honors component. Students must earn a B or above in both to receive Honors credit.
Students must write contracts for courses they are currently taking. They may withdraw from the Honors contract without dropping the course after notifying both faculty and the Honors Program.
Students must complete at least one Honors course each academic year to stay in good standing. If a student has finished all Honors courses except the Capstone, they may wait until junior or senior year to complete it. Once students complete all 7 Honors courses, no additional Honors courses are required.
To graduate as a University Honors Scholar, students must complete at least 4 Honors courses before their final semester. They cannot try to finish more than 3 Honors courses during their last semester.
Updated Capstone Guidelines (For students entering Fall 2018 or later)
Capstone Project
- Involves original research, design, or creative work related to the student鈥檚 major or minor.
- Produces new knowledge or creative work, not just a summary of existing work.
- Requires 30 to 45 hours, including preparation for the presentation (more in-depth than typical Honors components).
- Can take many forms, such as research papers, performances, artwork, creative writing, design projects, software, or posters.
- May build on a required major-related capstone project.
- Usually tied to a 300- or 400-level course in the major or minor. If not, students register for HONS 499 (1 credit).
- Must be supervised by a faculty member in the major or minor.
- Requires approval from the Honors Program director.
Capstone Presentation
- Students must publicly present their Capstone in an academic, professional, or creative forum like the Endeavor Awards Symposium or an Honors Program event.
- Presentations can be lectures, poster sessions, readings, performances, or research defenses with audience Q&A.
- Presenting at a professional conference may count with director approval.
- Presentations only to a class are not sufficient.
Capstone Timeline
- Usually completed in junior or senior year, preferably before the last semester.
- Capstone Proposal Forms should be submitted by Friday of the 3rd week for full-semester classes or Friday of the 2nd week for 8-week classes (one week earlier than regular Honors contracts).
- Early meetings with faculty to select a supervisor are encouraged.
- The Honors Program Director reviews proposals within three days and contacts students promptly if there are issues.
To stay engaged, students must earn three activity points each semester.
Points can be earned by attending:
- Events sponsored by the Honors Student Assembly
- Academic and cultural events on campus
- Honors Program events like open houses, orientations, and fairs
The Honors Program Director will announce approved events via the listserv. Students can request approval for other events by emailing the Director.
At Honors Student Assembly events, students sign in to receive points. For other approved events, students must email a thoughtful paragraph about what they learned.
Points do not carry over between semesters unless approved in advance.
If a student misses their points one semester, they must make up the missed points plus one extra the next semester to remain in good standing.
Students studying abroad are exempt. Students joining mid-semester will have a prorated points requirement.
GPA Honors Alert:
Students whose cumulative GPA falls below the Honors Program minimum will be placed on Honors Alert.
- For students entering before Fall 2018, the minimum GPA is 3.25.
- For students entering Fall 2018 or later, the minimum GPA is 3.4.
Students on Honors Alert have one semester to raise their GPA above the minimum. If they do not, they will be dismissed from the Honors Program at the end of that semester.
Points Honors Alert:
Students who do not earn three activity points in a semester will be placed on Honors Alert. During the next semester, they must earn the required points plus one extra to regain good standing. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the program.
Summer Sessions:
Summer sessions do not count as a semester for Honors Alert purposes unless the student takes a full semester鈥檚 worth of credits. For example, a student placed on Honors Alert after spring has until the end of fall semester to improve their GPA, even if they take summer classes.
Academic Integrity:
Students in the Honors Program should commit themselves to responsibility, honesty, and integrity in their academic work. If a student violates 91社区鈥檚 Academic Integrity policy as found in section 5.0 of the Student Rights and Responsibilities: A Code of Student Behavior, they may be removed from the Honors Program. The Honors Program Director will be notified after a student is found in violation of the policy. After the first offense, the Director will meet one on one with the student to discuss the situation. Depending on the severity of the incident, the circumstances, and the student鈥檚 behavior, the Director may decide to remove the student from the Honors Program at that point. The Director may also decide to work with the student and offer them another chance to perform their academic work with integrity. If a student violates the policy again, they will be removed from the Honors Program.
The 91社区 Academic Integrity policy includes issues of cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and interference. 91社区 students should make particularly sure to obey the policies of 91社区 and their professors regarding use of AI generative tools.
The Honors Faculty Council (HFC) includes the Honors Program Director, two faculty representatives from each of the four colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts, College of Nursing and Health Professions, the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, and the Romain College of Business鈥攐ne representative from University Division, and three student representatives from the Honors Student Council, typically the President, Vice-President, and Secretary. The Honors Program Director serves as the chair of the HFC. Other members of the campus community may be invited as ex-officio representatives when needed.
Faculty and staff representatives to the HFC typically serve two-year terms and are selected by the Deans of the Colleges and the Assistant Vice President for Student Success. Student representatives serve during their elected term in the Honors Student Council. The HFC meets at least twice a semester and may meet as often as monthly.
All major changes to the Honors Program must be discussed and approved by the HFC.
The Honors Program Director has the ability to make exceptions to all policies based on exceptional circumstances. Students who wish to discuss an exception with the Director should email to make an appointment. If students wish to appeal the Director鈥檚 decision, they should contact the Office of the Provost.
Additional Questions?
Contact us for more information at聽812-464-1833听辞谤听honorsprogram@usi.edu.