Honors

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Undergraduate students receiving a baccalaureate degree with a grade point average of 3.50 or above will have the degree conferred with University Honors. Announcement of these honors will be published in the commencement program and the diplomas of the honorees shall be inscribed to indicate the honor received. University Honor graduates will wear special insignia 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 with General Honors and Departmental Honors will also be published in the commencement program. (Refer to “Honors Programs” section of this Catalog below for the criteria to receive honors).

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 field. 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.

General honors in arts and sciences shall be awarded to graduating seniors who have completed five approved courses, with at least one course from each of the areas of mathematics, science, humanities, and social science, and with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5. Only grades of “A” and “B” may count toward the General Honors grade point average requirement of at least 3.5 in those five courses and students must have an overall grade point average of 3.5. Also, only courses with three or more hours of credit may count toward General Honors.

Students who complete a single undergraduate major may not satisfy general honors 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 General Honors requirements.)

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

No credit toward General Honors shall be given for high school courses or transfer courses (including AP, CLEP, Study Abroad credit or substitutions) unless approved by the General Honors Committee.

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

See the General Honors in Arts & Sciences 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 will have their transcript annotated.

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

College of Arts and Sciences:
Agricultural Science
Art: Studio Art
Art: Visual Communications
Art History
Biology
Chemistry
Classics
Communication
Computer Science
English
German
History
Linguistics
Mathematics
Music: General Concentration with Emphasis Groups
Music: Liberal Arts
Music: Performance
Philosophy and Religion
Physics
Spanish

School of Health Sciences and Education:
Exercise Science
Health Science
Nursing