The School of Engineering’s Honors Program offers students of exceptional promise an enriched educational experience that extends beyond the traditional classroom environment. Learning takes place in a collaborative manner, where students are encouraged to critically reflect on their coursework by dialoging with various constituencies at the school. The program offers a superior educational experience by fostering critical thinking and creativity. Its depth and breadth are comprehensive and individualized.
Rigorous intellectual development through active learning and faculty mentoring combine with an interdisciplinary focus and global awareness prepares students to become leaders in engineering, science, technology and entrepreneurship. As rising scholars, Honors students are a highly enthusiastic and prominent part of the University’s alumni population and enhance the overall reputation of the University for delivering excellence in education.
Admission and Application Procedures
The Honors Program has a referral-only admissions process. Selected individuals who are admitted to the School of Engineering as first-year students will be referred to the Honors Program by the Admissions Office. Those students referred to the Honors Program will then be asked to complete a short application and personal statement. Applications are reviewed by the Honors Program Admissions Committee. Preference is given to students with outstanding high school GPA and SAT scores; however, files are reviewed in a comprehensive manner and other important criteria are given serious consideration. Among these are the difficulty of course work (AP courses), written submissions such as the personal statement, receipt of prizes and awards, leadership positions, participation in academic clubs, and evidence of self-discipline and persistence as confirmed in the letters of recommendation. Some applicants will be asked to participate in an interview with a member of the Honors Program Admissions Committee.
Students who were not referred to the Honors Program during their initial application to SOE are not eligible for the Honors Program; there is no transferring into the program. Additionally, transfer students are not eligible for the Honors Program.
Requirements
Students admitted to the Honors Program are required to satisfy the following requirements to remain in the program:
- Maintain a minimum required cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) each academic year:
- Freshman - 3.5
- Sophomore - 3.5
- Junior - 3.4
- Senior - 3.4
- Earn a specified amount of credits by the end of each academic year:
- Freshman - 32
- Sophomore - 64
- Junior - 96
- Senior - 128
At the end of each semester, the Honors Program will review each student’s academic record. If the student’s cumulative GPA and/or credit amount is below the minimum requirement, as outlined above, the student is placed on a one-semester probation to improve his or her academic standing. If the student’s cumulative GPA and/or credit amount is still below minimum requirements after the one-semester probationary period, the student will be dismissed from the Honors Program.
To graduate with the “Graduate of the Honors Program” designation,* students must fulfill the BS requirements of the Honors Program. This condition generally requires satisfactory completion of at least three credits of BS thesis in the student’s major. Students must submit a bound BS thesis to the Office of Undergraduate Academics, no later than two weeks before graduation, formatted as outlined in the document entitled: “Regulations on Format, Duplication & Publication of Reports, Theses & Dissertations,” available in the Office of Undergraduate Academics.
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