Academic Honors
Aware that students may achieve high scholarship in a variety of ways, the University faculty has formulated the following programs of recognition:
The University’s Honors Students constitute a community of scholars who have achieved at the highest academic levels and hold outstanding promise for continued academic growth.
Incoming first-year students who have a 3.6 high school GPA at the time of their admission to Ohio Wesleyan will be invited to apply to the Honors program. Students who don’t meet the criteria can be invited to apply based on a review of their application for admission.
Any current OWU student with a GPA of 3.5 or higher who is interested in joining the honors program should express their interest by emailing Dr. Mark Allison at maalliso@owu.edu to receive the application to join the Honors Program.
The Dean’s List
Students who achieve a superior academic average each semester will be placed on the Dean’s List. Academic qualifications for inclusion on the Dean’s List require at least a 3.50 semester grade point average for all courses attempted and a minimum of three full-unit (or 1.25 unit) courses with grades assigned.
Honors in Course
Honors in Course can be earned in any course with permission of the instructor. Some courses have a built-in option to earn Honors in Course with established guidelines for the additional work students must complete to earn honors in the course. In courses without a built-in honors option, students can work with faculty members to develop an individualized plan to achieve Honors in Course. This option works particularly well for a specialized upper level course in the student’s area of interest. To earn Honors in Course, a student will be expected to complete additional work or a creative project that requires repeated effort and contact with the faculty member over the course of the semester. To earn Honors in Course for a course without a built-in option, students can apply to earn Honors in Course by the end of the fifth week of the semester in which the course is being taught. For courses that have a built-in Honors in Course option, students can register for the H option through the regular registration process. The student must earn a B- or higher in the curse to earn ‘H’ in course. Contact Dr. Mark Allison, maalliso@owu.edu for information on how to apply for Honors in Course.
Graduation with University Honors
To graduate with Honors, one must:
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Achieve at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average by graduation.
- Complete at least 4.5 units of work in the Honors Program, including the following:
A. Freshmen/Sophomore Honors Seminars or Honors Tutorials (1 unit)
B. Two additional units chosen from any of the following: Honors Seminar, Honors Course, Honors in Course, Honors Tutorial (2 units)
C. Introduction to Honors Research and Inquiry (0.25 unit, usually taken fall or spring Junior year)
D. Honors Independent Study 490H (1 unit, usually taken spring Junior year or fall/spring Senior year)
E. University Honors Capstone Seminar (0.25 unit taken simultaneously with 490H)
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The student’s Honors project must include a written report, or creative work, or a written reflection. The student must submit the completed project to an Examining Committee no later than two weeks before the end of classes in the semester preceding the student’s graduation. The Examining Committee will also give the students an oral examination of the project. The Examining Committee will determine if the Honors Project meets the standards of Graduation with Honors.
The student’s thesis mentor will be responsible for selecting the Examining Committee, to be approved by the Provost. The committee will consist of at least three faculty members and at least one should be from a department or discipline not closely related to the thesis topic. A copy of the written report or project must be submitted for permanent inclusion in the OWU library.
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Students intending to graduate with Honors must file an “Application to Graduate with Honors” with Academic Affairs no later than the end of the twelfth week in the semester preceding the final semester before graduation (typically fall semester of senior year). If the Examining Committee determines the student has met the requirements for Graduating with Honors, the student must also file a “Certification of Honors Earned” with Academic Affairs by the end of the thirteenth week of the final semester before graduation.
A student who satisfies these conditions will Graduate with Honors. The student’s name will be listed in the commencement program as having Graduated with Honors. The student’s permanent record will also show Graduation with Honors.
To apply to graduate with honors, fill out this form.
Graduation with Departmental Distinction requires an independent project, and an oral exam on the project in a student’s major during their senior year. Additional requirements in line with expectations in the discipline (e.g. a separate exam and/or presentation) may be determined at the department/program’s discretion.
This program is open to any student who meets one of the following criteria:
- The student has attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in the major after the fall semester, junior year, as well as an overall grade point average of 3.00 OR
- The student does not have the grade point averages specified above but does have the support of his or her major department and has successfully petitioned the Committee on Academic Programs.
A project will involve two semesters of work, for which the student may earn up to two units of independent study credit (course 490). The major department has the option of requiring the student to take specific courses or of modifying existing departmental courses or requirements for students seeking Graduation with Departmental Distinction. Any modifications to the requirements (including additional requirements) must be communicated in writing to Academic Affairs, where they will be kept on file so as to ensure continuity.
Students have two possible timetables for pursuing Graduation with Departmental Distinction—the Junior Cycle and the Senior Cycle. Each is designed to accommodate the scheduling variations in a student’s undergraduate academic career: internships, study abroad, independent research project schedules, and the like. Students should select the option that fits their needs as well as the schedule of their supervising professor.
To apply for departmental distinction, students should fill out the form.
Completed applications should reach the office no later than the twelfth week in the fall semester of the student’s junior year for the Junior Cycle, and no later than the twelfth week in the spring semester of the student’s junior year for the Senior Cycle.
The student’s project must include a written report suitable for permanent inclusion in the library. The student must submit the completed project to an Examining Committee no later than one month before the end of classes during the fall semester of the senior year (Junior Cycle) or one month before the end of classes during the spring semester of the senior year (Senior Cycle). The Department/Program will be responsible for selecting this Committee and informing Academic Affairs. Committees must have at least 3 faculty members, including one member from the student’s major and a member from outside the major. After the oral examination on the project, a digital or paper copy of the report and an abstract must be submitted to Academic Affairs and to the OWU library for permanent inclusion.
A student who satisfies these conditions is graduated with distinction in the given major. The student’s name is listed in the commencement program along with the department or program. The student’s permanent record will also show Graduation with Distinction in [name of program or department].
Graduation with Latin Honors
Students who attain the following grade point averages will be graduated with the corresponding recognition:
- 3.90 summa cum laude
- 3.75 magna cum laude
- 3.50 cum laude
This distinction in scholarship is noted both on the diploma and in the commencement program.
Honorary Societies
Alpha Kappa Delta — Sociology
Chi Gamma Nu — Chemistry
Delta Phi Alpha — German
Eta Sigma Phi — Classics
Kappa Delta Pi — Education
Mortar Board — Junior/Senior Scholarship
Mu Phi Epsilon — Music
Omicron Delta Epsilon — Economics
Omicron Delta Kappa — Junior/Senior Scholarship
Phi Alpha Theta — History
Phi Beta Kappa — Senior Scholarship/Character
Phi Eta Sigma — Freshman Scholarship
Phi Sigma — Biological Sciences
Phi Sigma Iota — Foreign Languages, Comparative Literature
Phi Sigma Tau — Philosophy
Phi Society — Sophomore Scholarship
Pi Kappa Lambda — Music
Pi Mu Epsilon — Mathematics
Pi Sigma Alpha — Political Science
Psi Chi — Psychology
Sigma Beta Delta — Business
Sigma Gamma Epsilon — Earth Science
Sigma Iota Rho — International Studies
Sigma Pi Sigma — Physics
Sigma Tau Delta — English
Sigma Xi — Sciences
Theta Alpha Kappa — Religion
Theta Alpha Phi — Theatre
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