Honors Program
Mission
ÏãåúÖ±²¥â€™s Honors Program is an interdisciplinary program that examines the world around us, explores diversity, advances research, promotes civic engagement, and prepares leaders for the 21st century.
Overview
The ÏãåúÖ±²¥ State University Honors Program brings together students who have demonstrated academic excellence and are seeking an academically stimulating environment to explore their interests with expert faculty who will encourage and challenge them to create innovative and meaningful work in college and beyond.
The Honors Program helps prepare students for graduate-level study and their careers. Members of the Honors Program work with academics and professionals to begin making intellectual contributions to those fields even before they graduate college. Recent and current Honors Program students have researched evolutionary biology alongside faculty in Panama, written a young adult novel, mapped and surveyed private family cemeteries throughout local counties, studied the effectiveness of elementary-school summer-enrichment programs, and analyzed the emerging role of artificial intelligence in accounting.
![logo for national collegiate honors council](/sites/default/files/styles/directory_thumbnail/public/nchc.jpeg?itok=i2J5xQz0)
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If you are looking to challenge yourself academically and have some fun doing so, we encourage you to apply to the ÏãåúÖ±²¥ Honors Program!
Qualifications
High school students applying to ÏãåúÖ±²¥ may apply directly to the Honors Program. Applicants must have a minimum high school GPA of 3.7. Qualified high school applicants should review the admissions information below and submit an application form. Are you a first-time freshman at GSU who did not apply as a high school student but would have qualified? Click here for further information.
Admission
Potential Honors Program applicants must:
- Complete the
- Please address the following questions in an essay of at least 750 words:
In your experience, what problem—academic, cultural, social, psychological, etc.—would you identify as the most significant one facing current high school students? How would you propose that we as a society solve this problem? Why do you believe that is the optimal choice? Be sure to identify the problem specifically, demonstrate that it is a problem, and articulate the significance and usefulness of your proposed solution.
- Provide a list of extracurricular/community activities that relate to leadership, service, and/or diversity
- Take part in an interview with the Honors Program screening committee
- Submit a recommendation letter from a school official that speaks to the applicant’s leadership and community service
Description
The Honors Program is a four-year program designed to help select students develop scholarship, creativity, and critical thinking skills necessary for the leaders and citizens of tomorrow.
Honors Program students complete 12 credit hours of honors coursework, which includes three honors seminars, one each in their first, second, and third years, and an independent study completed with the Honors Program Director and faculty mentor in their final year. The Honors Program seminars provide distinctive and engaging coursework centered on the Program’s commitment to studying diversity, ethics, leadership, and more. Honors Program students also complete 12 credit hours of honors-enriched coursework in their general education classes, their upper-division courses in their major and minor, or their study abroad experiences.
Other Rewards
Accepted Honors Program students who maintain program requirements (3.50 GPA and a B or better in all Honors Program coursework) receive the following benefits:
- $1,500/year ($750/semester) scholarship for up to four years
- $500/year ($250/semester) housing allotment if living in campus housing for up to four years
- Parking permit fee waiver
- Honors Program parking permit (same privileges as commuter permits)
- Access to special events, field trips, and study abroad opportunities
- Priority registration for classes
Program Requirements
Honors Program students must maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA at the end of each academic year and must complete Honors Program Seminars and general honors credit requirements in accordance with the plan of study found in the catalog. Honors Program students may receive a one-semester probation if their GPA declines below a 3.5 or if they fail to meet curricular milestones on time, at the discretion of the Honors Program Steering Committee. Failure to regain a 3.5 cumulative GPA or meet curricular milestones at the end of that probationary period may result in removal from the Honors Program and the rescinding of all member privileges.
Contact
Dr. Schuyler J. Chapman
Associate Professor of English
402 Harry B. Heflin Administration Building
304-462-6326
Send email