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Program Detailshonors diploma

What is Honors?

The undergraduate Honors certificate program seeks to create learning opportunities and an environment of intellectual excitement and discovery through enriched courses of study and activities within a learning community. Honors courses supplement and enrich studies in any academic major. Students can take as many or as few honors courses as they choose. Participation in the Honors Program can help students get jobs and get into graduate programs after graduation. The Honors Certificate can give students a leading edge in today’s tough market. Honors courses are multidisciplinary and tend to be more interactive. Class size is limited to only twenty students, so there is more interaction between students and instructors.

The Honors Program also offers many social and cultural events outside of the classroom in addition to the many classroom benefits. Each semester, a series of social events are planned to build an honors community and to enhance the college experience. There are opportunities to visit museums, view theatrical performances, and attend lectures. There are also parties and receptions that are primarily social events. This gives students an opportunity to get to know each other and faculty members outside of the classroom.

Students may be eligible for the Honors Program as entering first year students, or may become eligible later on. Entering first year students are eligible if they ranked in the upper 10 percent of their high school class, scored 650 verbal or math on the SAT, or had a total SAT score of 1800 (27 ACT composite score) or better. Students who have earned 12 credit hours with GPA-related grades (A, B, C, D, F, IF) at  IPFW are eligible to participate if their cumulative GPA is 3.3 or higher. Transfer students are eligible for the program if they have at least 12 credit hours of GPA-related grades (A, B, C, D, F, IF). The student must have the equivalent of a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale from the transferring institution..

An Honors Pin will be awarded after earning 9 credits of honors work and at least a 3.3 GPA. An Honors Medal and Certificate will be awarded after earning 18 credits of honors work, which must include an honors project, honors courses that represent at least two disciplines, and a 300 level honors course or an H-option course. Honors students are also highly encouraged to earn at least three credits of honors course work through honors courses. Both cumulative and honors GPAs must be maintained at a minimum of 3.5 to receive the certificate and medal. Both the Honors Pin and the Honors Certificate can be obtained without taking any additional classes outside of students’ degree requirements.

Because the Honors Program is an undergraduate program, all of the requirements of the program must be completed while the student is pursuing an undergraduate degree. Upon completion of such a degree, further completion of program requirements will not take effect unless work towards a different undergraduate degree is undertaken.

Students who are not in the Honors Program may enroll in an honors course with the permission of the instructor of that course. In addition to courses offered through the Honors Program, any regularly scheduled course may be converted into an honors course through the H-option contract. However, H-option contracts are limited to honors eligible students.