University Honors Program

Contact Information

Program Description

Keeping Sights Upward (KSU) Journey Honors College programs offer a community within the university for academically talented, highly motivated students who enjoy lively discussion, creative expression, and intellectual challenge. KSU Journey Honors College offers colloquia, interdisciplinary honors seminars and special topics courses, opportunities for undergraduate research, domestic and international travel experiences, community service, and other innovative experiences designed especially for motivated and high-achieving Honors students. The Honors College collaborates with other academic colleges to offer small honors sections of core courses in seminar-style classes. Graduation as an Honors Scholar requires completion of the University Honors Program, below, as well as a KSU adjusted GPA of 3.25 or better. A secondary designation, Honors in the Major, is described below. Incoming Honors students have the option of applying for the Great Books Honors cohort or the President’s Emerging Global Scholars (PEGS) program. Both programs integrate seamlessly into the Honors Scholar or Honors Research Scholar tracks of the University Honors Program.  To remain in the PEGS cohort, a student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5.

For information about the University Honors Program’s admission criteria, application process, and first-year President’s Emerging Global Scholar or Great Books cohorts, please visit http://honors.kennesaw.edu.

Honors Student Expectations

Honors students are expected to represent the Honors College honorably. Membership in the Honors College is a privilege, not a right. Students who are members of the Honors College are expected to be role models and to strive to exceed standards set by the Kennesaw State University Student Code of Conduct, all other college policies, and of the Honors College. As a result, the standards of behavior for Honors students are higher than those for other students at Kennesaw State University.

These expectations apply to Honors student behavior while in Honors courses and while participating in Honors activities such as meetings, events, service, and travel programs. If misbehavior occurs outside of Honors events, but the Dean, Director, or other member of the Honors College administration determines that the behavior violates the Honors College expectations or adversely affects the program or its reputation, students may be dismissed from the University Honors Program. Behavior that violates the Kennesaw State University Student Code of Conduct will be referred to KSU’s Department of Conduct and Academic Integrity as appropriate, in addition to being addressed through the Honors College. Disruptive behavior is defined in the Student Code of Conduct. As the Honors College values academic integrity in particular, any academic dishonesty by an Honors College participant may be grounds for removal from the University Honors Program.

Failure to live up to the behavior expectations of the Honors College can result in a range of consequences. For example, students may be removed or suspended from the University Honors Program, or they may be placed on a probationary status. The consequences will be decided by the Honors Dean and Director, in consultation with other members of the Honors team.

Note:

To remain in good standing in the Honors program, students must complete an approved Honors Learning Experience (HLE) each semester, participate in Honors Advising each Fall and Spring semester, and maintain an adjusted KSU GPA of 3.25. Honors Learning Experiences are defined elsewhere in this document. Students may complete more than one HLE in a semester, and an additional HLE can be banked for a future semester. Only one additional HLE can be placed in the bank at a time; however, students may make up needed HLEs when they enter the program later in their academic career in order to meet the required number for the designation they wish to earn.  Honors students must complete the introduction to Honors requirement (HON 1000 or HON 1100) within the first two semesters of joining the University Honors Program.

Honors Research Scholar

To graduate as an Honors Research Scholar, an Honors student must be in good standing with the University Honors Program, satisfy the introduction to Honors requirement (HON 1000 or 1100), complete 6 total HLEs, and submit a fully-approved Honors thesis or other major capstone product that merits a grade of A or B. A student whose major requirements include a senior capstone course or senior seminar may work with the instructor to significantly enhance the thesis or other capstone product for the class, taking HON 4497 and 4499 for zero credit hours. A student seeking to earn Honors Research Scholar who does NOT have a required capstone course or senior seminar may take HON 4497 and HON 4499 for 0-3 credit hours.

Honors Scholar

To graduate as an Honors Scholar, an Honors student must be in good standing with the University Honors Program, satisfy the introduction to Honors requirement (HON 1000 or 1100), and complete 8 total HLEs.

Honors in the Major

There are two pathways to earn the designation of Honors in the Major. In Pathway 1, students must be in good standing in the University Honors Program, satisfy the introduction to Honors requirement (HON 1000 or 1100), and complete a minimum of two of three required HLEs in their major plus an approved capstone. For Pathway 2, students must be in good standing in the University Honors Program, satisfy the introduction to Honors requirement (HON 1000 or 1100), and complete 5 HLEs to earn this designation, at least three of which HLEs must be related to the major. Departments/Schools may specify additional requirements.