I. General
The Honors Program serves motivated, accomplished
students by nurturing creativity, critical
thinking, and scholarship beyond the usual
academic frameworks. Through classes, co-curricular
activities, service projects, and advisement,
the Honors Program creates a learning community
that emphasizes intellectual exploration.
Students may participate in the Honors
Program throughout their undergraduate
career. High school graduates are encouraged
to apply at the time of their initial registration
at the University. Students may also enter
the Program after the first year, and inquiries
from interested students are welcome. Please
phone (701) 777-2219 or email: honors@sage.und.nodak.edu.
Students in any college of the University
may enroll in the Honors Program.
II. Administration
The Program is administered by a Director and a University Honors Committee.
The Honors Program can adjust its academic program to fit the needs and
goals of individual students. In response to this flexibility, Honors Program
students are expected to demonstrate intellectual excellence and to pursue
learning independently. Opportunities to do so are offered in Honors colloquia,
other special classes, Honors sections of regular courses, and regular
courses taken in Honors mode. Most students graduate from the Program as “Scholars
in the Honors Program” while also fulfilling a major in the Colleges,
but the Honors Program also offers the option of creating an individually
designed program of study through Honors. This option may result in either
a B.A. or a B.S. degree earned through the College of Arts and Sciences.
III. Means
For beginning students, special introductory
courses are available to familiarize students
with the nature of the Program and to acquaint
Honors faculty with students. Advanced
courses and colloquia introduce students
to the full range of the disciplines which
make up the University.
The requirements to graduate
as a Scholar in the Honors Program are: (a)
a minimum of
24 credits in Honors work including 8 credits
of colloquia; (b) a Sophomore Honors Portfolio;
and (c) a senior thesis and oral presentation
(with a grade no lower than “B”)
in a chosen field. After successful completion
of 9 Honors credit hours and submission of
the Sophomore Honors Portfolio, the student
will be considered for full membership in the
Honors Program. Students who complete all Honors
requirements may substitute Honors requirements
for the General Education Requirements. To
graduate without a major in the Colleges, students
are additionally required to develop, in conjunction
with an Honors advisor, an academic program
based around individual needs. This program
of study must be approved by the Honors Program.
The colloquia mentioned above are topical and,
usually, interdisciplinary discussion courses,
one semester in length, on topics chosen according
to student and faculty interests. The Honors
mode entails an extra credit of work in a regular
course so a greater than usual depth and/or
breadth of knowledge can be achieved in that
course.
In addition, Honors Program students are expected
to maintain a solid academic performance. The
present criterion is that a student should
attain a 3.2 average by the sophomore year
and maintain it. If this does not occur, the
Honors Committee reviews the standing of the
student.
IV. Advantages
Students in the Honors Program have many opportunities
to develop their own ideas and their writing
and research skills; they also benefit
from close association with faculty and
other students who share their intellectual
interests. Honors Program courses encourage
students to think independently, creatively,
and critically; to express their thoughts
clearly, orally and in writing; to expand
their perspectives on the world; to develop
as citizens; to understand the nature of
scholarly inquiry; and to forge connections
among disciplines. Successful completion
of the Program is a clear signal to prospective
employees and graduate schools that the
graduate is a serious, well-prepared, accomplished
student.
In
the Senior Honors System (formerly known
as Departmental Honors), students of marked
ability may pursue, in their senior year, a
voluntary program of supervised independent
study, leading to the bachelor’s degree
with honors in the major field of study. The
purpose of this program is twofold: first,
to give public recognition to the superior
student; and second, to enable the student
to broaden, deepen, and enrich the educational
experience.
In order to be eligible, a student must have
completed 75 credit hours by the end of the
first semester of the junior year with a general
grade point average of at least 3.2. Students
must apply for admission to honors work by
April 1 of their junior year. If he or she
is certified by the chairperson of his or her
major department, Academic Dean, and the Honors
Committee, the student and his or her supervisor
will then plan a course of independent study
for the following year.
The
credits in independent study shall total
nine credits. At the discretion of the department
and of the Honors Committee these credits
may be either in addition to major requirements
or in place of some requirements. Such a
study may consist of honors courses, tutorial
readings, projects of research, seminars,
creative work, a thesis, or any combination
of these which the department and the Committee
may approve. This study, whatever its nature
may be, will appear on the student’s
record with the number 489 and the title “Senior
Honors.” The study may be either departmental
or interdepartmental. To qualify for Senior
Honors, the student must receive a grade
no lower than a “B” for this
work. Theses will be bound and deposited
in the University Library. The student will
be expected to meet the nominal charge involved.
The
credits in independent study shall total
nine credits. At the discretion of the department
and of the Honors Committee, these credits
may be either in addition to major requirements
or in place of some requirements. Such a study
may consist of honors courses, tutorial readings,
projects of research, seminars, creative work,
a thesis, or any combination of these which
the department and the Committee may approve.
This study, whatever its nature may be, will
appear on the student’s record with the
number 489 and the title “Senior Honors.” The
study may be either departmental or interdepartmental.
To qualify for Senior Honors, the student must
receive a grade no lower than a “B” for
this work. Theses will be bound and deposited
in the University Library. The student will
be expected to meet the nominal charge involved.
The
student must maintain a GPA of at least 3.2,
make satisfactory progress in his or her
course of independent study, and submit a progress
report to the supervisor at the end of the
first semester of the senior year. At that
time, the student, the department, or the Committee
may decide to terminate the student’s
honors work. At or near the end of the senior
year, if the work is continued, the student
will participate in the Honors Undergraduate
Research Conference or take a comprehensive
oral examination at which a member of the Honors
Committee shall be present.
An
unsuccessful candidate for Senior Honors
will receive the bachelor’s degree with
the usual General Honors if his or her record
meets the grade-point requirements. A successful
candidate for Senior (Departmental) Honors
will receive the same distinction; the additional
notation “with honors in (the major field)” will
appear on the Commencement program and transcript.
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