Forms for Students

The following list includes forms (and supplementary materials) needed by students to make specific requests of the Honors College. Please direct any questions regarding their use to honorscollege@marshall.edu.

Curricular Substitutions

Contracted Honors Credits

In what are generally limited circumstances, students are permitted to propose projects that will allow them to earn honors credits. This may be through contracted work in non-honors courses, through an approved internship experience, or through independent work under supervision by the Dean of the Honors College.

Note
Students interested in any of these options should contact the college well in advance of the start of the semester in which academic credit is sought.

This is an overview of required elements of the proposal and administrative requirements for h-options. The guide here (and linked above) should be used by students planning an h-option with a Faculty Mentor before submitting the online form (via the link below). Students are very strongly encouraged to know their professor and to have worked with them well in advance of the semester in which a student seeks to submit a proposal to complete an h-option in a regularly scheduled course being offered by this professor.

    • H-Option Contract Proposal FormOptional to assist preparation of the contract proposal offline to later complete online submission.
    • The proposal (last of three steps) is DUE every semester on the second Friday in the same semester as the proposed h-option. While faculty will need to work with the honors student to develop the H-option, the student is expected to submit ALL materials. Incomplete proposals or those lacking required detail as described in the instructions above may require re-submission upon notification by the Honors College. Be sure to check your MU email account for updates.
    • NOTES:
      • You must contact the Honors College before submitting a proposal. This is Step Two below. Once you have permission, you may proceed to Step Three and submit your proposal. H-options are intended to serve in limited cases where a student may be unable to complete the General Honors portion of our curriculum with honors-designated courses.
      • Students are expected to initiate planing with their proposed faculty mentor, develop the contract proposal with this faculty, and then personally submit the required materials to the submission link above.
      • Please be aware of the following policies regarding h-options: “All proposals for h-options must be approved by the Honors College. No more than one h-option may be arranged per semester and no more than two may be completed with the same professor. Online and summer school courses are not eligible for h-options” (Honors College Policy Handbook).
      • The proposal must make clear how the work done for the honors option is distinct from what students are already doing in the course. What makes this work worthy of earning honors credit in addition to the grade that a student will receive on the non-honors course? Also, a “service” element must be part of the assessed work under contract in the semester the honors option is completed.
      • Students will receive notification regarding approval or revision of their contract proposal no later than the third Friday of the semester. If you believe that you have not received a notice by email, you should contact the Honors College.
      • Here are three different illustrations of successful proposals: Sample 01; Sample 02; and, Sample 03. Note that the college learning outcomes have been updated since these were submitted.
1st READ: Guide to Honors Option Contracts 2nd CONTACT: Email the Honors College 3rd SUBMIT: Honors Contract Proposal

Certain internships may be contracted for between 1-3 credits under the designation of HON 489. The college also permits students to earn credit in the required honors curriculum for enrollment in a departmental-specific internship course. Either way, the honors student must submit an Honors Internship Contract with the same expectations for the experience in order to receive honors-designated academic credit. The Honors Internship allows students to complete some of their requirements in the Honors College through a rewarding co-curricular experience.

1st READ: Honors Internship Contract Guide 2nd REQUEST: Honors Internship Application
These are arranged in exceptional circumstances and must approved and conducted by the Dean.

Honors Independent Study Form

Honors Credits Obtained by “Waiver”

No more than 6 credit-hours total (for any reason for any student) can be waived from requirements in the Honors Curriculum.

The Office of Study Abroad (OSA) at Marshall University can provide students with information on sponsored international experiences for which they can receive academic credit at Marshall University. Students can find information regarding scholarships that may support their experience on the OSA website as well as through the Honors College in the Office of National Scholarships.

In recognition of the value of study abroad experience, the Honors College will waive up to 6 of the required General Honors credit hours for study abroad experiences for which the student receives academic credit through Marshall. To receive a waiver of 3 honors credits, students must earn a minimum of 3 transfer credits and the study abroad experience must have a duration of at least 3 weeks. A total of 6 credits of waived honors credit can be awarded for a semester abroad with full time enrollment of 12 credits or more. Students must request the waiver by submitting the Study Abroad Honors Credit Waiver Petition form available on the Student Forms page. In order to receive a waiver of General Honors credits, students must submit the form to describe enhanced academic experiences that they expect to have before they leave and another after they return to provide justification for why these credits deserve an honors credit waiver after they return.

Study Abroad Honors Credit Waiver

Part I, Pre-Travel Form Part II, Post-Travel Form
Incoming Honors College students who have earned 15 or more college credits while in high school may appeal to have up to 6 of their General Honors credits waived. The number of hours earned will determine how many General Honors credits will be waived. Earned credits may include those completed through Advanced Placement, Dual Credit, or International Baccalaureate classes. Grades of A or B are required for dual credit or college hours to apply and AP and IB test scores must qualify for credit at Marshall University.

Note
Please consider that by requesting this waiver, you may be limiting your options to take Honors courses later, even when these will benefit you due to CPOS calculations. Basically, you might be closing off the opportunity to add up to 6 hours of honors courses to the General Honors section of your Honors College block in DegreeWorks–unless the waiver/exception is not added to your DegreeWorks or, if added, is removed. If you find after requesting the waiver that it will affect your ability to take an course designated as Honors, please let the college know.
Waiver Appeal for AP/DC/IB Credits

Special Requests

This form is to be used by Honors students requesting an exception to the established curricular requirements of the Honors College. Please discuss your request with an Honors College advisor before submitting your form.

Submit Exception Request
Appeal for Reinstatement.

Download Reinstatement Appeal

Student Achievement Notifications

Congratulations on your achievement as a student in the Marshall University Honors College. We would like to hear about it. You can help us by submitting the form above. If you’d like to let us know and, potentially, to let others know as well (e.g., through our website, social media accounts, the Honors College student-publication “The Honors Oracle,” and/or by referral to MU Communications), please fill out the information in the online form as requested. Achievements should be within the past three months or pending. You will be asked to categorize your achievement, consider a “title” for it, describe it, and provide optional materials and images. You’ll also be asked if there is a faculty member who should be recognized for having mentored you.

This form is also used to apply for the Albarran Scholarship, which has a deadline. You can see the Scholarships page for more information.

Honors Student Achievement Form