University Honors Program
Students who aspire to graduate with honors from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor without participation in the University Honors Program must complete a minimum of 60 hours in residence at UMHB and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.6000 to 3.7499 for cum laude designation, a cumulative grade point average of 3.7500 to 3.8999 for magna cum laude designation, or a cumulative grade point average of 3.9000 or better for summa cum laude designation. Otherwise, students aspiring to graduate with honors from UMHB must participate in the University Honors Program as described here.
Purpose
The purpose of the University Honors Program is to stimulate intellectual curiosity and social awareness, to investigate relevant moral and ethical systems, and to enhance aesthetic awareness. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the University Honors Program also attempts to give students an understanding of the relationships which unite all scholarly disciplines.
Administration
A committee composed of faculty members called the Honors Committee administers the University Honors Program in coordination with the Honors Program Director and Assistant Director.
Admissions Requirements
A student may enter the University Honors Program at two different points of his or her UMHB academic career.
- Students may apply for the lower division Honors Program if they have an ACT Composite Score of 25 or SAT Composite Score of 1200, and be in the top 15% of their graduating class. Priority consideration will be given to those with an ACT Composite Score of 27 or SAT Composite Score of 1280 and in the top 10% of graduating class. Application deadline is April 1. Acceptance into the program allows the student to take any of the designated lower division honor courses for credit toward a degree and for honors credit toward University Honors at graduation.
- A student may apply for the upper division University Honors Program any time after completing 60 semester hours (must include a minimum of 12 semester hours at UMHB) and maintaining a GPA of 3.50 or higher.
- Students may also enter the University Honors Program at the invitation of the Honors Committee.
Admission Procedure
Students who are eligible to participate in the lower division University Honors Program are typically invited to apply during the general admissions process. Others may initiate the application if they meet the admissions requirements.
Students wishing to participate in the upper division University Honors Program will submit the following to the Honors Program Director for approval.
- A written application for admission
- A written recommendation by a faculty member
- A conference with the Honors Committee (if required by the committee)
Scholarships
A limited number of Honors Program scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis each academic year. The scholarships will be renewable for up to two years and will be awarded to assist students in completing the requirements of the upper-level honors program.
The following criteria will be followed in determining scholarship recipients:
- Membership in the Honors Program and a 3.5 G.P.A. or higher
- Completion of 60 hours or junior standing by the fall semester
- Preference will be given to applicants that have completed all of the requirements of the lower-level program
- G.P.A., personal statement, and program participation (both academic and non-academic) will be evaluated
- The faculty reference may be contacted to provide information about student’s academic performance and other qualifications
If a scholarship is awarded and accepted, the student will agree to:
- register for and complete HNRS 3110, 3120, 4010,4020, and any required contract courses, and complete and submit a senior honors project application during the junior year;
- complete and submit a senior honors project prospectus and present senior honors project research during the senior year; and
- participate in Honors Program events and activities.
Program Requirements
The University Honors Program is administered at two levels: lower division and upper division.
I. Lower Division Requirements:
a. Students must take the following courses during their freshman and/or sophomore years:
All sections must be Honors.
b. Plus, two of the following must be taken during the freshman and/or sophomore years:
c. One general education class contracted as an honors class must be taken during the first two years of student enrollment.
II. Upper Division Requirements:
Students must:
a. Successfully complete both HNRS 3110, 3120, 4010 and 4020.
b. Students who complete all the lower-level requirements must contract one course in their majors. Students who do not participate in the lower-level program must contract their courses in their majors.
c. Honors students who have maintained at least a 3.5 G.P.A. and who aspire to graduate magna cum laude or summa cum laude through participation in the Honors Program must undertake a senior research project in his or her major subject or teaching field.
The project is carried out under the direction of a faculty member conversant with the topic under investigation. When completed, the research project will be submitted to a committee composed of the members of the University Honors Committee and the supervising faculty member. In addition, the student will present the paper orally to the same committee and other faculty wishing to attend. The student will receive three hours credit in his or her major subject or teaching field for the research project, if he or she enrolls in an Independent Study course or a Research course.
Honors (HNRS) Courses
I. Lower Division Courses:
II. Upper Division Courses
HNRS 3110 Content of the senior seminar will vary to include (but not limited to) historical perspectives and contemporary social issues, great works of literature, philosophy, and theory of science. Students will be responsible for guiding the discussion in most meetings. Emphasis will be placed on analysis, interpretation, and application to living and thinking in the world today.
HNRS 3120: Seminar designed to expose students to some of the major challenges facing humanity as a whole and the student as an individual. One of the primary course objectives is the exploration of the tensions and possibility that exist for Christian faith and values in the society permeated with individualism, materialism, and despair. Deals with moral philosophy in the context of the development of a Christian world view and its application to the students’ vocation by considering specific social issues and moral problems from the vantage point of individual ethics and responsibility.
HNRS 4010: Honors Research I This course is designed to provide guidance to upper-level honors students undertaking the senior honors project. Requirements include attendance at relevant honors research sessions and submission of a successful senior honors project application. Upper-level honors students must enroll in this course during the second semester of their junior year.
HNRS 4020: Honors Research II This course is designed to provide guidance to upper-level honors students undertaking the senior honors project. Requirements include attendance at relevant honors research sessions and submission of a successful senior honors project prospectus. Upper-level honors students must enroll in this course during the first semester of their senior year.
Honors Program Probation and Withdrawal
Transcripts of UMHB Honors students will be evaluated at the end of each academic year. Honors students must maintain a 3.5 cumulative G.P.A. to remain in good standing. Students that fall below a 3.5, but not below a 3.0, will be placed on probation. Probation status may be extended up to one year during which time a student may continue to participate in the Honors Program. Students on Honors Program probation must raise their G.P.A.’s to at least a 3.5 by the end of the probation period. Otherwise, they will be automatically withdrawn from the program.
Students whose G.P.A.’s fall below a 3.0 will be automatically withdrawn from the program.
Reinstatement
Students that have been withdrawn from the Honors Program may submit a formal written petition for readmission to the program director. The petition, which must include an explanation and rationale for reinstatement, will be considered once the student achieves at least one semester of 3.5 or higher academic work.
Recognition
Any student, who has successfully completed the requirements for three designated honors courses in his or her major subject (or the equivalent), HNRS 3110, 3120, 4010, 4020, and who has maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher will graduate from Mary Hardin-Baylor cum laude. Any student, who aspires to graduate magna cum laude or summa cum laude through the Honors Program and who has maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50, must complete a senior research project. The level of recognition awarded a student aspiring to graduate magna cum laude or summa cum laude will be determined by the University Honors Committee, based upon the evaluations of the student’s performance in the honors seminar, the quality of the senior research project, the student’s final grade point average, and an evaluation of the student by the faculty in his/her major.
For more information, contact:
Dr. David Holcomb, Director