Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences: Charles A. McAdams
Director of the Honors Program: Thomas M. Spencer
Honors Faculty: Joel Benson, Rebecca Dunnell, Matthew Engel, James Eiswert, Dawn Gilley, Tom Hardee, Brian Hesse, Bayo Oludaja, Brenda Ryan, Thomas Spencer, Linda Sterling, Jeffry Thornsberry, David Vlieger and Nancy Zeliff
Statement of Mission
The Honors Program provides motivated and talented students with an enriched educational experience. Through limited class size and close interactions with faculty, the program provides talented students with a deeper understanding of content and an opportunity to develop critical thinking and discussion skills that prepare them for a dynamic world. In the Honors Program, a commitment to learning is combined with a spirit of inquiry and a critical understanding of the responsibilities of global citizenship. By bringing together the ideas from diverse traditions of knowledge, the Honors Program helps prepare creative and innovative leaders to meet emerging challenges in our global community.
The Honors Program Curriculum
Northwest Missouri State University’s General Education Requirements are outlined on pages 68-71. The Honors Program requires a minimum of 21 credit hours in Honors sections of General Education courses. Honors sections will be designated with an “H” in the course title as listed online and on the student transcript. By the 2011-2012 academic year, Honors sections existed for 16 different GenEd or Institutional Requirements courses: Freshman Seminar, Accelerated Composition, Fundamentals of Oral Communication, Statistics, Introduction to American Government, America: A Historical Survey, General Biology, General Geology, Introduction to Literature, Western Civilization II, Introduction to Philosophy, The Enjoyment of Music, Introduction to Geography, General Psychology, People and Cultures of the World, and Computers and Information Technology.
Honors Program Policies, Expectations and Requirements
The Honors Program is designed for motivated and capable students. During the first trimester, the Honors student typically enrolls in two Honors classes. These classes are sections of existing courses enhanced for the Honors students. Class size limits for Honors sections provide ample opportunity for students to express themselves and interact more with professors and classmates:
Honors sections will typically involve:
- more extensive reading and/or more ambitious laboratory work
- in-depth conversation
- connections within and among disciplines
- relationship of course material to a diverse global society
- challenging educational experiences beyond the classroom
- opportunities for research and capstone experiences
Eligibility and Admission
- To be considered for entrance into the Honors program, a first-time/entering student must have a minimum ACT composite score of 26 and a minimum high school GPA of 3.50.
- Students will be selected from among eligible applicants.
Program Continuation Requirements
- Honors students must maintain a 3.50 Northwest cumulative grade point average to remain in the Honors Program. If a student falls below a 3.50 GPA after the first academic year, the student is placed on academic probation in the Honors Program. If after the following academic year, the student has not regained a 3.50 cumulative GPA, the student will be suspended from the Honors Program. The suspended student can apply for readmission to the program once their Northwest cumulative GPA is at or above 3.50.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate with honors, a student must:
- complete at least 21 hours in Honors sections of the required General Education courses or through honors credit agreements
- maintain a 3.50 cumulative GPA
Co-Curricular Activities
- Special colloquia, field trips, etc. are available for enrichment and limited to Honors students.
- Honors students have the privilege of an early preregistration for classes.
Honors Program