AUGUSTA STATE UNIVERSITY
HONORS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
In order for a student to complete program requirements without taking several additional courses, students should seek acceptance into the program and begin taking honors courses early in their careers.
The ASU Honors Program offers superior
students the opportunity to pursue a program of study that leads to
recognition as an Augusta State University Honors Program Graduate.
Balancing breadth and depth, the ASU Honors Program includes sections
of core courses specifically designed for able and energetic learners,
seminars that cross the boundaries of disciplines and/or culture, a
thesis, and the possibility of additional honors work in the major field.
The Honors Program is not a separate degree program, but is designed
to augment the course work required for a degree. In most cases, honors
courses can be substituted for required credits. The Honors Program
offices are housed in University Hall 331 (706-729-2083).
The ASU Honors Program is affiliated with the National
Collegiate Honors Council, the Southern Regional Honors Council, and
the Georgia Honors Council, making available to interested ASU students
a variety of honors opportunities nationwide.
Honors Program Classes
Honors classes differ in kind from other classes. They are usually smaller; they involve more interaction with the instructor; they encourage independent work and collaboration among students and between students and professors. Often professors in honors courses see themselves more as facilitators than instructors or lecturers, and when possible, guide students to work with primary materials. Honors classes ask students to explore course work more actively and intensively, but students are not evaluated on a more demanding grading scale than in other courses.
Recognition
Honors Program Graduates are honored with a certificate at ASU's Honors
Night, and their diplomas and transcripts carry the designation Honors
Program Graduate.
Program Requirements
To earn recognition as an Honors Program Graduate, a student accepted
into the program must complete the requirements below and have an overall
GPA of 3.3. Should the GPA drop below the required 3.3, the student
will be allowed to continue in the program on a probationary status
as long as the GPA does not drop below 3.2. Students will not be allowed
to begin work on a thesis proposal (HONR 3999) or thesis (HONR 4000)
with a GPA below 3.3.
Freshman/Sophomore Requirements: 5 Courses
- 15 semester hours
HONR 1010: Honors Introductory Seminar; The Nature of Inquiry along
with 4 Honors Sections of Core Courses. A section of HONR 1900 can
count as one of these four. One of the four must be multicultural
or interdisciplinary.
Junior/Senior Requirements:
HONR 3900: Honors Seminar: Breaking Boundaries - 3 semester hours.
One upper division honors elective to be selected from the following:
- a second section of HONR 3900
- a departmental honors course (departmentally approved independent
study or a regular offering with an additional honors component),
- an approved honors alternative - 3 semester hours
The HONR 3999 - 4000 sequence
(begun in the junior year and completed by the end of the
student's penultimate term)
HONR 3999: Thesis Prospectus - 1 semester hour
HONR 4000: Honors Thesis - 2-3 semester hours
HONR 4500: Honors Capstone - 1 semester hour
Taken in the senior year, ideally in student's last term.
Eligibility and Admissions
Students may seek entry into the Honors Program by submitting a completed
application to the Honors Program Director. Application forms are available
in the Honors Program office or at http://www.aug.edu/honors_program/Forms.htm.
An Entering Freshman who meets one of the following
criteria is invited to join the Honors Program:
- Combined SAT scores of 1160 or more and a
cumulative
high school
GPA of 3.2 or better.
- Combined SAT scores of 1100 or more and a
cumulative
high school
GPA of 3.5 or better.
Students Already Enrolled at ASU are invited to join
the Honors Program if they are not simultaneously in Learning Support,
have completed 9 semester hours of academic work at ASU, and have an
overall GPA of 3.4.
Transfer students who bring in an unadjusted 3.4 GPA
on at least 9 semester hours of course work from another institution
and have SAT scores at least equivalent to those required of entering
freshmen will be eligible to register immediately for honors courses
on a space available basis. They will be eligible to apply for admission
to the Honors Program after they have completed 6 semester hours at
ASU with an overall GPA of 3.4. Honors courses taken
before a student is formally admitted to the program may count toward
Honors Program Graduation.
Students transferring from another institution's Honors Program are
subject to the general transfer policy defined above, but, once admitted
to the Honors Program, will be able to count Honors Program hours completed
at their previous institution(s) toward completing Honors Program Requirements
at ASU.
ASU students who are not simultaneously in Learning Support, and who
have completed 6 or more semester hours at ASU with an unadjusted GPA
of 3.4 may take Honors Program courses on a space available basis.
