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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
(Effective September 29, 2005)
G
GEEOORRGGIIAA SSTTAATTEE U
UNNIIVVEERRSSIITTYY
428 UNIVERSITY CENTER
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303
404-651-2924
ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM
All students who wish to enter the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program should
complete an application form, copies of which are available from the Honors Program
Office or can be downloaded from the Honors website. One does not have to be a major
in the College of Arts and Sciences to apply and to participate in the program. Upon
receipt of the completed form, an interview will be scheduled with an Honors staff
member. Typically, the admission decision is made at that time.
Admission Requirements:
 Incoming Freshmen should have a 3.5 or above high school average. Combined
SAT's should be 1200 (1800 on the three-section version of the SAT) or 26 on the
ACT or above.
 GSU Students already matriculated should have completed at least 12 credit hours
at Georgia State with a GPA of 3.3 or above.
 Transfer Students should have completed at least 12 hours of transfer credit with a
GPA of 3.3 or above.
Note: Some exceptions to the above requirements may be made based on the individual
interview.
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REQUIREMENTS FOR GOOD STANDING
IN THE HONORS PROGRAM
Honors students must maintain a 3.3 GPA. If the overall GPA drops below 3.3, the
student may not take Honors classes until a 3.3 is achieved. Students charged with or
found guilty of violating academic, university or other policies or laws may be suspended
or permanently removed from the Honors Program.
ACTIVE – INACTIVE SATUS
Students who are in good standing in the Program (see above) and who have taken at
least 1 Honors course in the past 3 semesters (including summer semester) will be
considered Active in the Program. Students newly admitted to the Program will be
counted as Active during their first 3 semesters. All others will be considered Inactive.
Only Active students are eligible for priority registration and Honors Program
scholarships.
ONE-SEMESTER PARTICIPATION
Students may take one class in the Honors Program without being formally admitted to
the Program. This is done on a space available basis by recommendation of an instructor
or a member of the Honors Program staff. Students must have a minimum Georgia State
GPA of 3.0 to take advantage of this opportunity.
HONORS PROGRAM RECOGNITIONS
Requirements for Honors recognitions are:
All Honors recognitions require 3.3 grade-point averages overall at the time of
graduation. They also require 3.3 grade-point averages in Honors coursework counting
toward the recognitions. Courses in which a student earns a D or F cannot be applied
toward any Honors recognition.
GENERAL HONORS: granted to students who successfully complete at least
12 credit hours of coursework in lower-division (i.e., 1000- and 2000-level)
Honors classes at Georgia State University, plus two honors forums or colloquia.
The 12 hours of coursework must be taken in classes selected from at least three
major areas of study with no more than two classes in any one area. (See Honors
Program Office for listing of major areas.)
ADVANCED HONORS: granted to students who complete at least 12 credit
hours of Honors coursework at the upper division (i.e., 3000-level and above
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courses), plus two Honors colloquia or forums. A maximum of 3 semester hours
thesis coursework, a maximum of 9 hours of Honors dimensions, and a maximum
of 9 hours of graduate courses may be applied toward this recognition. Courses
that are applied toward the 12 hours of Advanced Honors may not be applied
toward Research Honors.
RESEARCH HONORS: granted to students who complete at least 12 credit
hours of Honors coursework at the upper division (i.e., 3000-level and above
coursework) which includes at least 6 and not more than 9 semester hours of
Honors thesis coursework, plus two Honors colloquia or forums. A maximum of
6 hours of Honors dimensions and 6 hours of graduate courses may be applied
toward this recognition. Courses that are applied toward the 12 hours of Research
Honors may not be applied toward Advanced Honors.
General Honors, Advanced Honors, and Research Honors are recorded on the student's
diploma with a seal. Individual Honors courses are designated by a "Hon" prefix on the
transcript. The title of the Honors thesis or creative project is hand-entered on the
transcript.
Students completing Honors recognition requirements at the end of fall and summer
semesters will receive their recognition medallions at the following spring semester
awards ceremony of the college in which they are enrolled. If the requirements are
completed at the end of spring semester, the medallions will be presented at the next
year's ceremonies.
HONORS COURSE OFFERINGS
Honors sections of core curriculum and upper-level courses are offered throughout the
year. Contact the Honors office or the Honors website for specific schedules.
Upper-division course offerings are either special Honors sections of existing courses or
seminars designed for Honors students only. In addition, four other kinds of courses are
offered: Honors Colloquia and Forums, Honors Dimension courses, Honors Independent
Study and Thesis courses, and graduate courses in the College of Arts and Sciences.
HONORS COLLOQUIA AND FORUMS: Successful completion of two Honors
interdisciplinary seminars called the Honors Colloquium (HON 3260) and the Honors
Forum (3750) is required for all Honors recognitions. The Colloquium typically centers
on current topics, whereas the Forum focuses on classical readings in the liberal arts.
Students are encouraged to propose topics or readings for these courses or for other
Honors classes.
HONORS DIMENSION COURSES: Students wishing to earn Honors credit in an
upper division course not offered as an Honors course may do so by proposing and
gaining approval for an Honors Dimension. A typical Honors Dimension would require
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some readings in addition to those assigned to non-Honors students, meeting with the
instructor individually one hour each week to discuss topics covered in more depth, and
some additional written/graded component to the course. No more than 9 hours of
Honors Dimension work can be used towards Advanced Honors recognition. Note: The
proposed Honors dimension must be approved by the instructor of the course and also by
the Honors Executive Committee. Proposals are submitted by the student and the
professor, and they must be submitted to the Honors Program Office by 5:15 p.m. on the
last day to withdraw from classes ("W" Day) of the semester prior to the semester in
which the class will be taken.
HONORS THESIS: Juniors and seniors who have completed a minimum of three upper
division courses (some specifics may apply: see department and/or Honors Program
office) may propose and complete a research project resulting in a substantial paper
called an Honors thesis. The Honors thesis is required of all students who desire
Research Honors. Most typically, the Honors thesis is completed in a student's academic
major over the course of two consecutive semesters and results in the student's earning 6
hours of upper-division course credit.
Procedures for the Honors Thesis are as follows:
1. At least one semester before the project is to begin, the instructor who will
direct the project should be identified.
2. A proposal stating questions that the project will investigate and research
procedures to be followed should be submitted. This should include a
proposed bibliography of readings. There are forms and guidelines for
proposals in the Honors Program Office.
3. So that it can be reviewed by the Honors Executive Committee for approval,
the proposal should be submitted to the Honors Program Office by 5:15 p.m.
on the last day to withdraw from classes ("W" Day) of the semester prior to
the semester in which the research class will be taken.
4. The student will be asked to attend the next meeting of the Honors Executive
Committee, where she/he will make a two-minute oral presentation of the
proposed research project and will answer questions from the Council.
5. If required by the Honors Executive Committee, revisions to the proposal are
made and approved by the Director.
6. The student enrolls, typically in consecutive semesters, in Honors Thesis
Research and Honors Thesis Writing courses within his or her department.
The Honors staff will provide course and computer numbers.
Honors thesis projects are produced over two semesters for at total of 6 hours credit.
Typically, the first course is a readings/research course, and the second is spent writing
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the thesis. Upon completion, the thesis is submitted to the thesis director, the department,
and the Honors Program Director for approval. Four copies are then bound – one for
Georgia State's Pullen Library, one for the Honors Program Office, one for the directing
professor, and one for the student.
HONORS GRADUATE COURSE ENROLLMENT: Students enrolled in good
academic standing in the Honors Program who have completed at least 18 semester hours
of credit at Georgia State University and who are in their senior year (89 semester hours
or more earned) may enroll in graduate courses in the College of Arts and Sciences,
provided they meet all course prerequisites and have obtained the permission of the
instructor, the Director of the Honors Program, and (where required by the department)
the Graduate Director of the appropriate department. Forms for applying for such
permission are available in the Honors Program office (428 UC). Up to 9 hours of course
credit obtained in these courses may be applied toward Advanced Honors recognition,
and up to 6 hours of such credit may be applied toward Research Honors.
ADVISEMENT
The majority of Honors classes are offered at most once in an academic year, so students
are urged to plan their programs of study very carefully. A schedule showing expected
course offerings for the academic year is available in the Honors Program office. An
advising packet, listing specific courses and times, and providing descriptions of the
courses, is posted on the Honors website prior to registration each semester. See
www.gsu.edu/honors.
Students are urged to arrange for advisement in their departments and in the Honors
Program regularly in order to be able to take full advantage of Honors offerings.
Scheduling resources are tight: under-enrolled Honors classes are likely to be cancelled,
sometimes permanently. Honors Colloquia and Forums usually generate waiting lists, so
students should sign up for them early.
HONORS PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS
& PAPER/PROJECT COMPETITION
Each spring a number of scholarships are awarded on a merit basis to students enrolled in
the Honors Program. Application forms are made available to all students in early spring
semester, and the selection of recipients is made by a faculty subcommittee of the Honors
Executive Committee. Each Spring, Honors students are invited to submit their best
work produced for any Honors course to the programs’ Paper/Project competition
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SUMMER STUDY
The Honors Program offers a limited number of courses during the summer semester.
Students may also choose to initiate Honors thesis work or take an Honors Dimension
course during the summer. To do so, they must submit their proposal(s) by the "W" day
of the preceding spring semester.
HONORS STAFF
The Honors Program Office is open 8:30-5:15 p.m. Monday through Friday, in Room
428 of the University Center. The telephone number is (404) 651-2924, the fax number
is (404) 651-4890, and the mailing address is:
Honors Program
P.O. Box 3966
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3966
The website is at www.gsu.edu/honors. Dr. Robert D. Sattelmeyer is Director of the
Program. Ms. April Lawhorn is the Honors Academic Specialist. Ms. Shundra Presti is
the Administrative Coordinator.
HONORS FACULTY AFFILIATES
Distinguished faculty from throughout the College of Arts and Sciences will, at times,
serve as Honors faculty affiliates. Upon the agreement of the Honors director, the Dean
of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the chair or director of the department from
which the faculty member hails, faculty affiliates will be appointed to two-year terms.
During their period of service, faculty affiliates will teach some of their courses for the
Honors Program, as well as serve on the Honors Executive Committee and in other
administrative capacities for the Honors Program.
HONORS PROGRAM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Honors Program Executive Committee is the policy-making body of the Honors
Program. The Executive Committee oversees the review of Honors thesis proposals,
selects the recipients of Honors scholarships, develops policies impacting the program,
and serves in a general advisory capacity to the Honors director. The committee is
chaired by the Honors director and consists of four Honors faculty affiliates (each
appointed to staggered two-year terms), two faculty members elected from the A & S
Undergraduate Council (two-year terms), the Honors Lecturer, and two Honors students
(appointed by the director of Honors for one-year terms). If deemed appropriate by the
Dean of Arts & Sciences, the dean of the college in question, and the Honors director, up
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to two faculty members from colleges other than Arts & Sciences (but no more than one
from a single college) may be appointed to two-year terms.
HONORS LOUNGE and COMPUTER LAB
The Honors student lounge is located within the Honors Program suite of offices. It is
available from 8:30-5:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, for Honors students' use for
study, meetings, and quiet conversation that does not interfere with the ability of other
students to study. At times, special talks and seminars are held in the lounge, as well as
Honors social gatherings. Announcements of Honors Program activities are often posted
in the lounge.
The Honors computer lab is available for use by Honors students in good academic
standing during Honors operating hours. The lab is located in the Honors suite, Room
426 University Center. Web access and printers are provided for students wishing to use
these facilities on a walk-in basis. A nominal fee is charged for paper. Students are
requested to respect the fact that they are in a study area and are asked to keep
conversations to a minimum (both in length and volume) and to refrain from cell-phone
conversations while using the Honors computer lab.
LISTSERV
All Honors students are required to subscribe to the Honors listserv. The listserv
provides timely and important official announcements from the Honors Program.
Signing up for Listserv is easy. Students should go to:
http://mailbox.gsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/honors
and simply follow the instructions. The whole process takes about a minute.
HONORS WEBSITE
A primary source of information and news about the Honors Program is the website at
www.gsu.edu/honors.
STUDENT INPUT
The Honors Program is here for the benefit of you, the student. The Program encourages
students to get involved, visit the lounge, suggest and help design Honors Colloquium
and Forum courses, propose a thesis, and take advantage of the many opportunities
offered. Drop by the offices with ideas or suggestions, or e-mail Dr. Sattelmeyer directly
at engrds@langate.gsu.edu.
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