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Interested in Honors?
The Honors Program is a two-tier program, offering students a variety of ways to explore the world. We offer General Studies Honors (where students work towards Honors during their General Studies Requirements) and Capstone Honors (where students work towards an Honors degree during their last two years and complete an Honors Capstone). We recommend that students interested in Honors express their interest in Honors to either the Capstone Coordinator or the Director no later than July 1st. Please note: Students seeking admission for Fall 2009 must have completed their interview no later than July 15th.
Admissions Criteria
Students are admitted to either the General Studies Honors or Capstone Honors. Students who are seeking to graduate with full University Honors may choose to complete both General Studies and Capstone Honors. Transfer and current second or third year students typically enter the University Capstone Honors program, but they may take Honors General Studies courses as well.
The Honors Program takes a holistic view of the admissions process. We do not base our admissions process solely on a student's scores on an achievement test and/or their G.P.A. However, students are best qualified for Honors Honors if they have a score of 24+ on both the ACT English and Composite, and a G.P.A. of 3.5 from their previous institution. Students who have received scores of 22 on the ACT Reading and English and feel they have something to contribute to the Honors Program, should still contact us and schedule an interview. Students may also be considered for admission to the Honors Program on a math specialty track. These applications and admissions are reviewed on an individual basis. Students will be given one of four decisions following their interview:
1.) Accepted into Honors
2.) Accepted into Bridge
3.) Placement pending participation in the summer discussion board and Honors Retreat
4.) Not Accepted
Again, we fully recognize that such scores cannot be an adequate mechanism for making decisions on admissions, and we encourage anyone who is interested to apply.
Admissions Procedures: How do I get in?
The admissions process is designed to be as simple for the student as possible. There are 5 basic steps a student needs to take to complete the admissions process:
1. Contact Geoff Whitebread to express interest and learn more information.
2. Submit your transcripts and test scores to the University.
3. Interview with the Honors Program through AOL Instant Messenger.
4. If you are tentatively admitted to Honors, Bridge to Honors, or invited to participate in the summer discussion, you are required to participate in the Honors summer reading and the online discussion.
5. Students are required to attend and participate in the Honors Retreat that occurs immediately before regular New Student Orientation begins.
*Completion of the Honors summer reading and participation in the online discussion of that reading, and participation in the Honors Retreat (for exceptions or alternative means of participation, the student should notify the Honors Director as soon as possible) is a required to retain an Honors or Bridge placement. Students who fail to meet expectations of the discussion board or the Honors Retreat will be removed from consideration for Honors. After meeting established criteria and performing well academically the first semester (as determined by first semester Honors faculty and the Honors Director), new students may move from provisional to full status as Honors students.
A Bit More Information . . .
1) Interview
The interview gives us a chance to know students better. During the interview, we will ask questions geared towards measuring a potential students' intellectual curiosity, their academic ability, and their motivation for course work. We will also ask questions to help us get to know students better. The interviews, in most cases, will be conducted through AOL Instant Messenger. This is a medium that is accessible to the vast majority of our students. The interview will last from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2) Summer Reading and Discussion Board
The Summer Reading online discussion forum is designed to help the program gauge the students critical thinking and analytical writing skills. This provides us with important information regarding where you are as students. It also provides us with an opportunity to start connecting and building a community before students arrive on campus. The books for the Summer Reading are selected by the instructors of the Honors courses that students will take in the fall. The texts are then woven into the semester's work to provide a more in-depth and exciting learning experience.
3) Honors Orientation and the Honors Retreat
The Honors Retreat is an annual event for the Honors Program. During the Honors Retreat, the Honors faculty and staff take students to a location off-campus for two-to-three days of fun, games, lectures, and discussions. These retreats are a formative experience for incoming Honors students and are critical to the continuing development of the Honors community. For more on this year's Orientation and Retreat, please view this page.
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Honors Requirements
Good Standing
The Gallaudet Honors Program is a learning community for the most academically capable and motivated students. The overall goal is to foster skills, work habits, and attitudes conducive to future achievement and lifelong learning. To this end, the program currently focuses on rigorous, challenging, and innovative interdisciplinary curricular offerings as well as connections between curricular and co-curricular activities such as service learning and civic life. The successes of the program's innovations may be replicated for all students. Students are considered in good standing in the Honors Program if they have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater or a semester GPA of 3.2 or greater for those returning to good standing. A student also must have completed all Honors courses with a grade of B or above.
A Two-Tier University Honors Program
General Studies Honors
To complete General Studies Honors, students must take the fall learning community of GSR 101/102 for Honors (6 hours) plus three of the four to six 200-level courses (12 hours, 14 hours if one involves service learning) plus the General Studies Capstone course (4 hours) for a total mini-mum of 24 Honors GSR credits. Those entering Honors after the first semester of the fall learning community, must take a mix of four 200-level Hon¬ors sections of GSR integrative courses totaling 24 credits.
Note: Those completing these requirements will have "General Studies Honors" noted on their transcripts.
Capstone Honors
To graduate with University Capstone Honors, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 and a grade of B or better in the following courses:
- Three upper-level Honors courses (9 credits) chosen from either upper-level interdisciplinary seminars, Honors Options in major courses, cross-listed graduate courses, Consortium courses, or independent study courses.
- HON 487 (3 credits) (during spring of junior year)
- HON 488 (1 credit) (during fall of senior year)
- HON 489 (2 credits) (during spring of senior year)
Total: 15 credits
Note: Students graduating with University Capstone Honors will also be expected to give a presentation to the campus community on their Capstone project. Those students who have met the requirements will also have "University Capstone Honors" noted on their transcripts.
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