Honors Advising
The Honors College conducts regular, scheduled advising sessions with our students. These come in two basic forms: We have the First-Year Check-In and our regular Honors Advising sessions. Each form of advising session is arranged by invitation from the Honors Advisor to students (by email) at the appropriate point in a given semester and a student’s studies at Marshall.
First-Year Check-In is an opportunity for students to sit down with an advisor in the College to discuss the Honors Curriculum (as seen below under) and identify the best and most efficient way to complete it given the specific situation of each student. Students have their mandatory appointment during their first semester. Incoming student schedules are arranged by university advisors. The Honors College does not create student schedules. First-Year Check-In is also a chance to learn the College’s expectations for students to stay in Good Standing and continue making Satisfactory Progress toward graduation with University Honors (as described below). First-Year Check-In is held in the last two weeks of September and first two weeks of October. Sessions are booked by students by rolling invitation (alphabetically by student last name) and are 30 minute appointments. For more information or to book an appointment upon invitation.
Honors Advising is an opportunity for students to meet with advisors in the College to discuss options for fulfilling the requirement that students complete 6 hours of approved upper-division courses (HON 480, HON 300, or HON 483) as part of the Honors Curriculum (as seen below). Every student must take at least 3 hours of HON 480. Each semester there are several of these small, interdisciplinary seminars offered through the College by outstanding faculty from across the University offered as sections of HON 480. Most students in the college will complete their upper-division requirements through taking two sections of HON 480, but may substitute 3-hours of HON 300 or HON 483 for one of the sections of HON 480. Students are permitted to enroll in these courses by the college. Those students who are nearest to graduation are given priority to complete these seminars or one of our other options for upper-division credits. These Honors Advising sessions also allow the college to continue to “check-in” with students along the way and for them to ask honors-related questions. Students may also request to be permitted to enroll in either HON 484 (the Honors Oracle news) or HON 488 (the Steering Committee of the Honors College Student Association). Honors Advising begins after the coming semester schedule is released and goes “live” for students. Sessions are booked by students by rolling invitation (based on total student credit hours earned) and are 15 minute appointments. For more information or to book an appointment upon invitation.
Honors Curriculum and Graduation Requirements
The official MU transcript for a student successfully completing these requirements will state that s/he has graduated with University Honors through the Honors College.
Honors students are required to complete a total of 24 credit hours in Honors as seen below. For many students, as many as 15 hours of the required curriculum can be earned while also fulfilling requirements that they have as students in a degree program at Marshall–typically as General Education courses that would also carry Honors credits.
Lower and Upper-Division Seminar and Experiential Learning Requirements (total of 12 credit hours)
- Lower-Division Seminars (6 credit hours)
- FYS 100H – First-Year Seminar (a General Education course)
- HON 200 – Second-Year Seminar
- Upper-Division Seminars & Selected Experiential Learning Courses (6 credit hours)
All students must complete at least ONE section of HON 480 and may take either one section of HON 300 or two sections (total of 3 credits in sequence) of HON 483 as an alternative to a second section of HON 480.
- HON 300 – Honors Peer Mentoring
- HON 480 – Special Topics Honors Seminars
- HON 483 – TEDxMarshallU Internship (requires taking two semesters for a total of 3 credit hours)
General Honors Requirements (total of 12 credit hours)
12 credit hours must be achieved through some combination of the following:
- Departmental, honors-designated [H] courses – Courses offered by various departments to honors students (typically as General Education courses), e.g., ANT 201H
- Additional sections of HON 300, HON 480, or HON 483 that are not being counted toward upper-division requirements.
- Other experiential learning and collaborative courses, including:
- HON 484 – The Honors Oracle (newsletter)
- HON 488 – Honors College Student Association (HCSA) Steering Committee (an MU SGA recognized organization)
- Study abroad (may be substituted for 3-6 credit hours through arrangement with the Honors College). See the Forms page for details.
- H-options – In contract with a Faculty Mentor to enhance a non-Honors course (proposal for h-option must be approved by Honors College). See the Forms page for details.
Honors Academic Standing
Students who receive an overall GPA below 3.00 in their first semester at Marshall will be dismissed from the Honors College. Students who have an overall GPA between 2.70 and 2.99 in their first semester courses may appeal for a maximum of two semesters of Academic Probation to return to a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher. Approval will be at the Dean’s discretion. Students must earn a C or better in a course to receive Honors credit. A student whose overall GPA falls below 3.30 after their first semester will be placed on probation in the Honors College and notified by university email. If the overall GPA is 3.30 or above at the end of the probation semester, the student will return to Good Standing in the Honors College. If the overall GPA is not 3.30 or higher at the end of the probation semester, the student will be dismissed from the college and forfeit any future Honors College benefits.
Students on Academic Probation in the Honors College must meet with the Honors Advisor to discuss plans for returning to Good Standing in the College. Failure to do so within the specified time will result in loss of Priority Registration privileges. Honors College students on probation who do not register for classes for the following term will be dismissed from the Honors College. If such students return to Marshall and desire to return to the Honors College, they must complete the Appeal for Reinstatement form found on the Honors College website. All decisions about reinstatement are made by the Dean and are final.
To remain in Good Standing in the Honors College a student is required to:
- be enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at Marshall University
- maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher (see above for detailed information)
- complete 6 honors credits within the first 2 semesters in the Honors College
- register for HON 200 in the Spring of their second year at Marshall
- complete a minimum of 3 Honors credit hours per academic year until the curriculum has been completed.
Students who fail to meet these standards will be dismissed from the Honors College and forfeit any future Honors College benefits. Exceptions to any of these standards must be approved by the Dean upon submission of the Honors College Exception Request form by a student.
The Honors Advisor will review all honors students’ academic records after grades are posted each semester. Students on probation and students who are being dismissed from the Honors College will be notified about their status by university e-mail after the records review is complete.
A student who is dismissed from the Honors College may appeal the dismissal. The appeals process begins with a letter to the Dean of the Honors College outlining the basis for requesting reinstatement. Decisions regarding reinstatement will be made at the Dean’s discretion and are final.
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