Honors Guidelines

COURSE COMPLETION STANDARDS

1. Students must pass a minimum of eight (8) Honors courses with a grade of C or higher, ideally including four (4) interdisciplinary courses and/or Honors courses outside one’s major.
2. Honors classes are pro-rated so transfer students (internal & external) and those graduating early are not penalized; the total is calculated at a rate of one Honors class per semester with a minimum requirement of four (4).
3. Students must take at least one (1) Honors course the first semester they enter the Concentration.
4. Alternative course experiences (e.g., Internships, Study Abroad, Research, Senior Privilege) may be counted toward Honors course requirements with prior approval through an application process. A reflection paper is required at the conclusion of the experience.
5. Students who do not continue to progress toward meeting course requirements will be contacted by the Assistant Dean, who will request a plan for course completion. If the plan is either not feasible or no plan is submitted, the student will be removed from the Concentration.
6. Students are required to enroll in Honors sections of Comp I, Comp II, & Public Speaking (Honors FEC I & II as well as SEC I & II [for Engineers]) unless they have placed out of the course, have transferred the credit, or have received permission from the Honors Advisor or the Assistant Dean to enroll in another section.

  PARTICIPATION STANDARDS

1. Honors students must participate in two (2) types of extracurricular activities each semester.
   1. Service: Students fulfill at least fourteen (14) service hours where they volunteer time, talent, or resources to aid another person, cause, or organization of their choice. This may be performed on- or off-campus.
   2. Participation: Students take part in at least fourteen (14) hours of Honors recommended activities. These include field trips, speakers, events, Honors groups, etc., and enhance students’ classroom experiences.
      1. Education, Arts & Culture, and the Wider World: As part of their participation hours, students must annually attend at least one (1) educational speaker event; one (1) art/theater/musical event; and one (1) event focused on global or multicultural issues (e.g., a lecture on the Lost Boys of Sudan would fulfill both the educational speaker and the wider world requirements).
2. Students must provide an account of taking part in these activities at the end of each semester.
3. Students who have not completed their participation requirements will not be considered for funding for research assistantships, study abroad, conferences, or service activities.
4. One (1) semester of an incomplete, loss of, or late participation submission will result in forfeiture of priority registration for classes. Two (2) semesters without meeting participation requirements will result in removal from the Concentration.

*** If a student has extenuating circumstances that might explain their unsatisfactory performance, they can appeal to the Assistant Dean, who may bring the matter before the Dean and Honors Faculty Advisory Board.

  GPA STANDARDS

1. Students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.33 and a GPA 3.45 in their Honors courses.
2. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 to remain in good standing with the Honors Concentration, keeping in mind the graduation standards.
   1. Honors offers first-semester GPA forgiveness. Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.75 at the end of their first semester in the Concentration will be placed on probation and receive email notification. Probationary students must meet with the Honors Advisor or the Assistant Dean to come up with an academic success plan.
   2. Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.00 at the end of their second semester will be removed from the Concentration. These students will receive a dismissal email.
   3. Students who earn a cumulative GPA above a 3.00 but below a 3.33 and/or an Honors GPA below a 3.45 will receive reminders of the graduation standards. If students cannot achieve either or both GPA requirements by graduation, they should have the Concentration removed before applying to graduate.

*** If a student has extenuating circumstances that might explain their unsatisfactory performance, they can appeal to the Assistant Dean, who may bring the matter before the Dean and Honors Faculty Advisory Board.

ETHICAL BEHAVIOR STANDARDS

1. Honors students are expected to uphold ethical standards of behavior.
2. Academic integrity and Student Code of Conduct violations serve as a cause for dismissal from the Honors Concentration.
   1. Academic Integrity
      1. When violations are Levels I and II, as defined by the University’s Academic Integrity Policy, the student may appeal to the Honors Faculty Advisory Board. The final decision will be made by the Assistant Dean and Dean of Honors.
      2. When violations are Level III or IV, the student will be immediately dismissed from Honors without the right of appeal.
   2. Student Code of Conduct
      1. Violations that pose a risk to the safety and well-being of others in the University and/or Glassboro community will result in dismissal from the Concentration.
3. Faculty may request that a student be removed from Honors as a result of unethical behavior. These requests will be discussed by the Assistant Dean, Dean, and Honors Faculty Advisory Board on an individual basis.

HONORS BENEFITS

1. Priority registration
2. Honors housing
3. Having the Honors Concentration listed on the student’s diploma
4. Enrolling in educationally enhanced and/or unique Honors classes
5. Use of the Honors lounges and the Whitney Center’s computer lab (includes free printing)*
6. Funding to attend theater, art exhibitions, concerts, and invited speaker presentations
7. Funding to participate in unique all-Honors activities
8. Partial funding to attend and/or present at academic conferences
9. Funding for educational activities abroad
10. Competitive funding for Research Assistantships for independent research projects with Rowan faculty
11. Competitive funding to travel to conferences, approved research and service activities (e.g., alternate spring break activities) within the United States

Download our Honors Guidelines.