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Honors Program

Mission Statement

“The Honors program at West Virginia State University (WVSU) offers enriched academic opportunities for students with high academic achievements. This program shall identify and recruit students in order to offer them academic challenges that enhance their skills and creativity. The Program will enable students to continue their pursuit of excellence.”

Upon Graduation with the Honors Program Distinction, the Student will:

Perform literature and original research
Discuss different disciplines and reflect upon the relation between these disciplines
Articulate the historical importance of a defined topic and its value to the community

Please use the links provided in the menu bar above to learn more about the program, the admissions process, the Honors Program curriculum, Honors advising, and much more. The Honors Program Facebook page is also a useful resource to learn about the program.

This website is intended to provide prospective students, current honors students, faculty and staff with information and resources about the Honors Program at WVSU.

Academic Requirements

To graduate with the Honors Program Distinction students must complete the following requirements:

Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3
Complete 15 credits of General Education Honors courses
Complete HON 301
Complete a research or creative Thesis
Complete two professional and/or cultural activities each semester

Admission

To qualify for acceptance to the Honors Program:

Prospective students or First-time Freshman: 3.5 GPA and 26+ composite ACT
Existing and Transfer students: 12-30 credit hours with 3.5 GPA

Candidates that do not meet the above requirements can submit an application letter to be considered for acceptance. This application letter should include your purpose in participating in the Honors Program at WVSU as well as your future career goals.

Please note that entry into the Honors Program as a first semester, first-time Freshman is not your only opportunity to apply for admission to the Honors Program, it is just the first opportunity. We offer rolling admissions for continuing students and transfer students who have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5.

Advising

The Honors Program Director advises all the students participating in the Honors Program in regard to Honors Program requirements. In addition, all Honors Program students have academic advisors in their respective majors and are eligible for early registration.

Events

Advising and Registration for fall 2017 semester is ongoing! Please remember to contact Dr. Ruhnke to be advised at ruhnketr@wvstateu.edu.

Information for Students

The following General Education Honors sections will be offered in Fall 2016 semester:

BIOL 101H - Principles of Biology
1097/BIOL/101H/01
COMM 140H - Film Appreciation
1259/COMM/140H/03

HIST 101H - World History
1492/HIST/201H/04
HON 301 - Philosophy of Research
1508/HON/301/01

Resources for Faculty

GUIDELINES FOR HONORS GENERAL EDUCATION SECTIONS

-          The Honors section will follow the general outline of the corresponding General Education course with additional depth and extension. The extension can be in the form of additional experiment (lab), additional chapter/s, writing/research assignment, etc.

-          The credit hours for the Honors section will be the same as the regular sections, and therefore we recommend that the assignments will not exceed 120% of the regular sections.

-          A copy of the syllabus of the regular GE section should be attached to the syllabus of the Honors section when it is submitted to the committee.

-          Please, add an additional document that lays out and pedagogically justifies the rationale behind the additional assignments in the Honors section.

         Rationale for English 150H

         Rationale for Biology 101H

For more information contact
Academic Affairs Office
(304) 766-3146
ruhnketr@wvstateu.edu

Honors Program Application Form

Honors Program

Mission Statement

Events Calendar