Honors Program

What does Honors offer me?

Great classes, some of Marshall’s best professors, a community of learning, access to helpful staff in a welcoming office, a social network of other honors students who also are bright and motivated, the prestige and feeling of accomplishment that graduation in honors will bring.

How Hard Are Honors Courses? (Will Honors affect my GPA?)

Honors courses differ from courses in the regular curriculum because they ask students to take an active interest in the educational process itself and they cover different topics. You may find that honors courses, rather than requiring more work, involve work of a different kind--more conceptually sophisticated material, an emphasis on primary/original materials, more self-directed learning outside of the classroom, etc. Or, Honors courses may be accelerated--cover more material than a regular course; or they may engage the material in more depth. Honors courses organized as seminars have a low student-professor ratio and an emphasis on active learning. The style of teaching as well as content will interest and engage you more than some other classes. You also will be among students like you--intelligent, hard-working, engaged. In the end, creatively designed courses with innovative subject matter also may open new interests, new avenues in study and in life.

If there is some risk involved with taking Honors courses, why should I take on that risk? Isn’t college enough of a challenge already?

Graduate and professional schools as well as potential employers will look for candidates that have pushed themselves, accepted challenges, and taken risks. The skills, habits, and dispositions that you develop as a result of studying in honors and exceeding the expectations that you have set for yourself will serve you well in whatever direction life takes you. The honors program is designed with this in mind. You are not on your own here. We offer a support system of people and resources to help you meet challenges successfully.

What do I have to do to get in the University Honors Program?

Entering freshmen who have a 3.30 GPA and a 26 ACT (1170 SAT) are eligible for the program. Applications can be found on the CAE website or picked up at Old Main 230. Transfer students may apply if they have earned a 3.30 GPA. If transfer students are interested in graduating in University Honors, they should pay special attention to credit hour requirements to determine if it is possible to meet these requirements during their time at Marshall.

How do I take a regular class for honors credit?

Use the H-Option form that allows you to enroll in a regular class but perform honors work while in that class. Find the form on this web-site and follow its instructions LINK. The Honors Program requires that the form be submitted by the end of the first three weeks of the semester. The University Honors Program does not routinely approve courses for honors credit unless the quality of work differs significantly from the usual course requirements and shows the hallmarks of honors work indicated in this web-site's discussion of what honors is at Marshall.

What is the difference between graduating "in University Honors" and "with honors"?

Graduation "with honors" is solely determined by the final cumulative GPA: cum laude (3.3 to 3.59), magna cum laude (3.6 to 3.84), and summa cum laude (3.85 and above). A student graduating "in University Honors" has completed all of the requirements for the University Honors Program including the required number of honors credit hours (24) and GPA (3.30).

What if I am a John Marshall Scholar who does not make a 3.5 GPA my first semester, as required by the terms of my scholarship?

You have until the end of the spring semester to bring the GPA up to a 3.50. If you fail to meet the 3.50 GPA requirement, you may appeal to the Director of the CAE. Submit an appeal in writing and be aware that the CAE will accept your appeal only if you can demonstrate the possibility of reaching a 3.50 by the end of the spring semester of the sophomore year.

Is a class like HON 196 (The American Experience), for example, the same class each year?

Not necessarily. The CAE assigns all Honors seminars to standing numbers like HON 196 or HON 395, for example. But the content of those courses can vary from year to year, so that HON 196 might one year look at the American Experience in the Vietnam War and during the next year look at the evolution of American Music. So pay careful attention to the subtitles in the course catalog or see the extended course descriptions available in the Honors office to be sure about a seminar’s topic.

Is there an honors student association? What is MUHSA?

Yes. The Marshall University Honors Students Association is an organization of active honors students who meet regularly to discuss and plan activities and events supportive of the honors program mission and of campus life. Some activities will highlight the life of the mind; others provide social contacts among the honors students; still others serve the broader campus community. The organization has two seats on the University Honors Council, a faculty committee that governs the honors program. All Honors students elect the MUHSA Board members who plan activities for the year. Students can nominate themselves or others in a process that begins early each academic year.

Center for Academic Excellence

Marshall University Honors College