Honors

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 regalia 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.

President’s List and Vice President for Academic Affairs’ List

Undergraduate students who attain a semester GPA of 4.0 are named to the President’s List and undergraduates who attain a semester GPA of 3.50-3.99 are named to the Vice President for Academic Affairs’ List for that semester, provided the following conditions are met: 1) at least 12 undergraduate credit hours are earned for the fall or spring semester (or 9 hours in the summer), and 2) no grades of F, WF, Z, or IC are earned for that semester. Repeated courses are not considered in the credit hour or grade point average calculation for these lists. Students making the list are notified by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and President’s offices via email.

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. Receipt of the President’s Recognition Award becomes part of a student’s official academic record and is annotated on all future transcripts.

The Honors Scholar program is designed for students who want to add depth, breadth, and academic rigor in the best tradition of the liberal arts and sciences to their undergraduate experience. The hallmarks of the Honors Scholar Program are that an Honors Scholar goes beyond the minimum requirements for graduation and that they engage the material and their fellow students in a deeper, more meaningful way. All Truman students are eligible to participate and need only complete the interest form found on the website http://honors.truman.edu to start the process.

The requirements for becoming an Honors Scholar in the Arts and Sciences are:

1. develop in conjunction with an Honors Scholar advisor, submit, and have accepted by the Honors Scholar committee no later than the semester before the student’s planned graduation a learning plan showing how a student will complete five approved courses in the areas of mathematics, science, humanities, and social science with at least one course from each area,
2. complete the learning plan with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA overall and in the five courses in the learning plan. Only grades of “A” and “B” may count toward the 3.50 minimum grade point average requirement in the five approved Honors Scholar courses.

General Guidelines for Completion of the Learning Plan

1. The approved courses are listed in the catalog and on the website http://honors.truman.edu. Note that only courses with three or more credits may count toward becoming an Honors Scholar, unless linked with another course of three or more credit hours, and that some Honors Scholar courses have prerequisites or corequisites which must be completed. Refer to the individual course descriptions for specific details.
2. Consistent with the ideals of the program, preference will be given for courses offered in a face-to-face modality when an Honors Scholar learning plan is evaluated.
3. Courses in a major field of study or required for a student’s major cannot be used toward the five-course requirement. However, if a student’s major has a required support course that has a more rigorous option, then a student may use the more rigorous course to count for both Honors Scholar and their major.
4. Students who complete two or more majors may use any approved course to satisfy Honors Scholar requirements except for any courses required by both majors, and subject to the required support restriction above. Students pursuing an Interdisciplinary Studies Major should consult with the Honors Scholar Committee as they develop their learning plan.
5. Courses in a minor may be included in an Honors Scholar learning plan, if they are also not used to fulfill a major requirement. Students pursuing an Interdisciplinary Studies Minor should consult with the Honors Scholar Committee as they develop their learning plan.
6. A course used to fulfill a Dialogues Curriculum requirement may be used to fulfill an Honors Scholar requirement if the course has been approved for Honors Scholar credit.
7. No credit toward becoming an Honors Scholar will be given for high school courses (including AP, CLEP, dual enrollment, etc.). Courses not on the approved course list, transfer courses, and Study Abroad programs may be counted toward fulfilling Honors Scholar requirements if a student submits a justification for the substitution when they submit their learning plan, and it is approved by the Honors Scholar committee. Study Abroad courses offered by Truman faculty and those offered in a student’s non-native language are given preference over those conducted by non-Truman faculty or in a student’s native language.

For more information on the Honors Scholar Program, see the website http://honors.truman.edu.

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 and Humanities:
Art (Art History Track only)
Art: Design
Art: Studio Art
Classics
Communication
Criminal Justice Studies
English
History
Linguistics
Modern Languages (except Russian)
Music (General)
Music (Pre-Certification)
Music with concentration in: Liberal Arts
Music with Emphasis Groups
Philosophy and Religion
Political Science and International Relations
Sociology/Anthropology

School of Business and Professional Studies:
Communication Disorders
Economics
Exercise Science
Nursing
Psychology

School of Sciences & Mathematics:
Agricultural Science
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Health Science
Mathematics
Physics
Statistics