Honors Program

Resources

Student Resources

In order to make the Honors Program forms more accessible, we have a Microsoft SharePoint site dedicated to Honors Students. On this site, you will find forms such as Honors Academic Grant Applications, Professor-Contracted (Stacked) Course Applications, Student-Contracted (Contract) Course Applications, Study Abroad for Honors Credit Applications, among others.

Please use the following links to navigate. Note that you will need to sign in using your Etown login to access these resources.

- Honors Progress Reports can be found through JayWeb under Student → Honors Program .
- Honors Program SharePoint Site
- Honors Program Canvas Page

Faculty & Staff Resources

In order to make the Honors Program forms more accessible, we have a Microsoft SharePoint page dedicated to Honors Faculty. On this page, you will find information and forms such as New Honors Course Proposal Forms, Professor-Contracted (Stacked) Application for New Stacked Course Offerings, Honors Advisor Information, among others.

We have also created a SharePoint page dedicated to the Honors Curriculum which is a catalog of our Honors Courses and Honors Professor-Contracted courses that have been approved.

Please use the following links to navigate. Note that you will need to sign in using your Etown login to access these resources.

- Honors Program SharePoint Site (Fauclty/Advisor Resources)
- Honors Program SharePoint Site (Honors Curriculum)
- Honors Student Progress Reports can be found through JayWeb under Faculty → Online Forms → Honors Program .

Handbook

2024-2025 Online Honors Program Handbook:

Advice to Elizabethtown College Honors Students

The most important thing that you should keep in mind throughout your college career is this: You’re here to receive an education, not just a degree. A degree is simply a credential, but an education will serve you in both your professional and personal life. The purpose of a liberal arts curriculum is to shape the whole person, thereby ensuring that you are well-equipped to think, analyze, and reason, to ensure that you can address all of life’s challenges for years and years to come. Of course, your education will be important in preparing you for a career in the not-too-distant future, but it’s so much more than just that. So, let me offer some additional pointers for your college career:

- As you plan your courses and co-curricular activities, ask yourself how this will prepare you for the challenges that lie ahead. Don’t just select a course to fulfill a requirement on a check sheet – be intentional in crafting your course of study and Elizabethtown College experience.
- Talk with people – lots of people – especially people who are different than you. Discussions with your peers, professors, guest speakers, and community members may not only result in an enlightening conversation, but it may very well forge personal bonds that will last well beyond your years at Etown. I know this from personal experience. And along with that, listen to others. Get to know their perspectives, even if you disagree with what they may say.
- Work hard and give it your all. If you fail or discover that you’re not good at something, that’s perfectly fine. In fact, that’s great. Learning about your strengths and weaknesses is one of the best lessons to learn while in college, and it will prepare you for what’s to come in life.
- If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Following through with promises, whether in a student club or an internship or a class project, will earn you a lot of respect and it’s rewarded in “the real world.” You’ll be surprised at how far you can go with follow-through.
- Treat others as you would like to be treated. Following the “Golden Rule” is sage advice. All of us are members of the Etown community, and that membership is permanent. From this day forward, even after graduation, we are all Blue Jays. Because our community is so small, what you say and do matters . . . a lot. We have this community because of the actions of previous generations of students. Strive to be stewards of our community for future generations; they’re counting on you.

I wish you the very best during your studies at Elizabethtown College. Enjoy every moment of the journey!

Dr. Kyle C. Kopko’05, Honors Program Director, 2015-2018

Always have an open mind and aspire to broaden your horizons! Have empathy! Enjoy the close-knit community that the Honors Program offers! It is something to be cherished for a lifetime… And remember, we are here to make sure that you get the most out of your Honors Program experience!

Dr. Oya Dursun-Ozkanca, Honors Program Director

Program Mission

The mission of the Elizabethtown College Honors Program is to provide enhanced learning opportunities for students with excellent academic records, superior academic abilities, intellectual promise, and demonstrated initiative. Academic excellence has been identified as a core value of the college and is a hallmark of the Honors Program. Consistent with the mission of the college, the Honors Program promotes high standards of scholarship, leadership, and service among those students selected for the Program.

Program Diversity Statement

The Elizabethtown College Honors Program is a community of scholars comprising a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. Our supportive network of Honors students, alumni, faculty, and staff approach scholarship and service with interdisciplinary, international, and cross-cultural approaches. Consistent with our commitment to the College’s mission of peacemaking and social justice, we are a community of learners celebrating the full range of human diversity, including gender, race, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and genetic information.

History of the Elizabethtown College Honors Program

In 1997, when sociologist Dr. Theodore Long was president of Elizabethtown College, contact was made with the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) for guidance on establishing an Honors Program. In 1998 the Academic Council recommended developing an Honors Program to attract a higher quality student profile, improve college retention rates, contribute to a more dynamic curriculum and academic environment, and enhance faculty development and satisfaction. In October 1998 the proposal for a college-wide Honors Program was defined as one of the 22 primary objectives of the Strategic Plan approved by the Board of Trustees. To this end, two members of the Academic Council attended the NCHC’s 1998 annual meeting in Chicago for the purposes of developing the program. In 1999 the Faculty Assembly unanimously approved the Honors Program proposal and Dr. Ronald McAllister, Provost of Elizabethtown College, asked Dr. Conrad L. Kanagy to direct the newly named Hershey Foods Honors Program. The name reflected a major donation to the Honors Program’s endowment by the Hershey Foods Corporation. In the fall semester of 2000 the program enrolled its first class of forty-two Honors students. The Honors students were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class, and the cohort had an average SAT score of 1300. The program has continued to grow to an average annual size of 250 students and an average annual class size of 60-80 students. In 2005, the Hershey Foods Company changed its name, and subsequently the program was renamed the Elizabethtown College Honors Program. In 2005, Dr. Dana G. Mead was named Program Director. In 2015, Dr. Kyle C. Kopko was named Program Director. In 2018, Dr. Brian Newsome was named Dean for Curriculum and Honors. In 2020, Dr. Oya Dursun-Ozkanca was named Interim Director of the Honors Program. In July 2021, Dr. Dursun-Ozkanca was named Director of the Honors Program. Dr. Dursun-Ozkanca will be on a sabbatical in Fall 2021. In Fall 2021, Prof. Jean-Paul Benowitz will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the Honors Program, including the processing of Fall Academic Grant applications and Honors stacked and contract course applications, advising Honors students, and coordinating with the Honors Council. Dr. Dursun-Ozkanca will still be responsible for chairing the Honors Committee and providing leadership on strategic/longer-term issues with regards to the Honors Program.

Program Personnel

Director of the Honors Program

Dr. Oya Dursun-Ozkanca serves as the Director of the Honors Program. The Director of the Honors Program is responsible to the College’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (SVPAA). The SVPAA oversees the development of the Program’s annual budget. The Director provides the SVPAA with annual reports of the Honors Program activities. This report is summarized and included by the SVPAA in a periodic report to the Board of Trustees. The Director is also a member of the SVPAA’s staff and meets with other members of the staff at the SVPAA’s request.

The Director advises students throughout their four years of Honors involvement to ensure that they are receiving the quality of educational experiences they anticipated when coming to Elizabethtown College. The Director works with students to develop a satisfactory four-year plan for completing Honors requirements, and also assists in preparing students for prestigious awards and scholarships (i.e., Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, etc.). Dr. Dursun-Ozkanca may be reached at dursuno@etown.edu.

Honors Committee

The Honors Committee consists of faculty members and one student representative. They advise the Director of the Honors Program in overseeing the Honors Program, including the selection and ongoing evaluation of Honors Program participants, determining criteria for Honors credits and courses, selecting and evaluating Honors courses, and making policy decisions.

Honors Council

The Honors Council acts as the student governance body for the Honors Program. The Honors Council Executive Board consists of the Executive Cabinet and representatives from all Honors cohorts. The Executive Cabinet helps to coordinate activities in the Living Learning Community, social events, and special guest speakers. It also works closely with the Director of the Honors Program to coordinate Honors Programing, including first-year orientation activities.

Assistant Director of the Honors Program

Luke Mackey serves as the Assistant Director of the Honors Program. He provides administrative support to the Director of the Honors Program, manages student records, assists students in processing forms, coordinates office activity, purchases office supplies, and supervises student assistants. The Assistant Director also manages correspondence with current and prospective students and coordinates special events sponsored by the Honors Program. Mr. Mackey may be reached at mackeyl@etown.edu.

Student Assistants

The Student Assistants help maintain the function of the Honors Center. They aid in the recruitment of the next class of Honors students. Student Assistants are good sources of information and should be knowledgeable about upcoming events and all aspects of an Honors education.

Honors Connections Alumni Board

Honors Connections Alumni Board comprises of five to seven Honors Alumni and the Director of the Honors Program. The Honors Program Alumni members of the Board volunteer to serve a 1-, 2-, or 3-year tiered terms, sharing their time and talent, working directly with the Honors Program Director and staff, committed to the Honors Program realizing its motto, Learn, Serve, and Lead, and helping develop student mentorship, alumni-student networking, and fundraising opportunities throughout the year.

The mission of the Honors Connections Alumni Board is to foster mentoring relationships between Honors students and alumni and help Honors students in their chosen academic concentration and professional aspirations. The Honors Connections Alumni Board also helps keep strong the relationships Honors alumni nurtured with Honors faculty, staff, and other Honors alumni through organizing a Homecoming event for the Honors Program.

The Board convenes twice a year (once a semester) through meetings held via Zoom to deliberate on the ways Honors students can connect with Honors alumni, ideas for enhancing the Honors community, and suggestions for supporting the Honors co-curricular opportunities on community engagement, service, and leadership. Board members demonstrate leadership and commitment to the College through their advice and counsel of the Honors Program Director and staff, mentorship of current students, sponsoring internships, and through personal philanthropy.

Board members demonstrate commitment to the Program through their advice and counsel of the Honors Program Director and staff, mentorship of current students, by sponsoring panels and discussions where they share their expertise with our current students, building connections with our alumni network, supporting development, marketing, and outreach initiatives, and offering leadership and community connections/ engagement projects for them, including service opportunities and internships. In its Spring meeting, the Honors Connections Alumni Board decides on the Honors Alumni who will receive the Annual Outstanding Honors Alumni Award.

Academic Research Grants

The Honors Program’s Academic Research Grants are competitive grants awarded to Honors students in good standing who have applied and whose application has been approved. There is a limited budget each year for these competitive grants, so application approval is not guaranteed.

Honors students in good standing who have completed 16 credit hours of Honors curriculum requirements may apply for Academic Grants for up to $1,000 for the duration of their undergraduate career to cover expenses related to the student’s Honors education. The Honors Program Director along with help from the Honors Committee evaluates Academic Grant Applications twice a year. Deadlines for application submission are November 15 and April 15. Academic Grant applications will not be approved until after the semester’s application deadline, and applications must be approved before funds will be disbursed. Please click here for the Academic Grants Application Form.

Eligibility:

Expenses must be incurred during the student’s enrollment as an undergraduate student at the College.
Student must be in good standing with the Honors Program: 3.50 minimum GPA and no judicial infractions, including those from the Academic Standing Committee and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Student must complete the required annual 15-hour co-curricular activity log and reflection paper by each respective deadline prior to the Academic Grant application submission.
Student must have completed 16 Honors credits.

Typical Covered Expenses:

Purchase of items directly related to the student’s senior thesis research not normally covered by departmental budgets
Conference travel to present student research
Travel expenses for study abroad (students should seek pre-approval of the eligibility of their study abroad related expenses with the Director of the Honors Program, and if pre-approved, they will be reimbursed upon their return from the study abroad program and submission of receipts)
Exam fees for graduate school entrance or professional licensing exams: Actuarial Exam, GRE (general and advanced), GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc.
Tuition for GRE, LSAT, MCAT preparation courses
Partial payment of non-traditional semester tuition during the Winter Online Semester, Summer Online Semester, and May Term at Elizabethtown College. Students should seek the pre-approval of the Honors Program Director prior to the Honors Academic Grant application semesterly deadline before taking the non-traditional semester course. Upon successful completion of the course with a passing grade, students may submit their receipt for reimbursement of the pre-approved amount.

Limitations:

Students not applying for the entire $1,000 at one time may apply for the balance in a subsequent application.
Students may apply for and receive multiple grants, the total not to exceed $1,000.
Students may only use Academic Grant funds to pay for one exam administration of any given graduate entrance or professional licensing exam. Students taking multiple exams (LSAT and GMAT, for example) may submit an application for both exams.
Grants to pay partial tuition for GRE, LSAT, MCAT preparation courses will be funded only if there is remaining grant money after all other grants are funded that year.
Cost estimates may be used in an application for approval, but no funds will be disbursed without actual receipts submitted to the Honors Center.
Academic Grant funds may not be used to cover the following items:
- College tuition and fees during the traditional academic year (Fall and Spring Semesters)
- Travel not related to an undergraduate academic program or conference
- Computer hardware/software
- Copying or binding of thesis

To access these funds, students must complete an Honors Academic Grant Request form and submit it with receipts from a credit card, etc. Students must also include a statement describing how the project supports collegiate/professional development. All requests will be reviewed and approved by the Director of the Honors Program.

Academic Grant Application Forms are available on the Honors Program Current Student Resources website. Please refer to the section on Academic Integrity and Conduct Violation for further eligibility criteria for Academic Research Grants.

Priority Registration & Course Overload

Honors students are able to register for their next semester’s courses before the remainder of their cohort's registration times. This is especially helpful to ensure enrollment into preferred course sections/times and avoid being waitlisted for courses in high demand. Honors students are required to complete a pre-registration check-in via Canvas during the academic advising period prior to course registration week to equip Honors students with necessary resources needed to register for courses for their next semester.

Honors students in good standing and have no judicial infractions from the Academic Standing Committee and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and who have completed their annual 15-hour co-curricular activity logs and reflection papers are allowed to overload their class schedule up to 20 credits for two semesters without paying the customary fee required by Elizabethtown College. To overload for a given semester, students must complete an overload petition available from the Office of Registration and Records website. Once filled out, overload petitions being funded by the Honors Program should be sent to honors@etown.edu. Upon approval by the Honors Program Director, the Honors Program will send the approved overload petitions to the Registration and Records on behalf of the students. Please refer to the section on Academic Integrity and Conduct Violation for further eligibility criteria for Course Overload.

Study Abroad for Honors Credit

Honors students are encouraged, but not required, to study abroad during their time at Etown. Students who study abroad for at least six weeks up to a semester may petition to waive a 4-credit Honors course requirement (except the senior thesis requirement), provided they fulfill the requirements: Honors Credit Waiver Application, Study Abroad Presentation, and Reflective Paper. Students who study abroad for two full semesters may petition to waive 8 credits of Honors requirements (except the senior thesis requirement), provided they fulfill the requirements: Honors Credit Waiver Application, Study Abroad Presentation, and Reflective Paper.

Student Learning Outcomes

Throughout their immersion in the Honors Program, our students will:

- Have an enriched experience focused on curricular and co-curricular components that encourage scholarship, service, and leadership at the highest level
- Collaborate with others, such as faculty scholars, campus leaders, prominent guest speakers, and visiting scholars
- Demonstrate initiative and leadership through exploring and crafting unique learning opportunities
- Engage in interdisciplinary work and foster a curiosity for looking at things from different perspectives
- Experience ample enrichment opportunities and receive additional support, such as supplemental advising, field trips, guest speakers, community living, and assistance for applying to prestigious scholarships and fellowships and post-graduate service opportunities.

Honors Center, Events & Honors Living Learning Community

In 2019, the Elizabethtown College Honors Program moved from the lower level of Wenger Center to Myer Hall. The new facility includes a classroom, student lounge, study rooms, and staff offices. The Honors Center is typically open 24 hours a day, seven days per week during the fall and spring semesters. Honors students have access to the Honors Center with the use of their campus ID card. Many Honors Program events are held within the Honors Center to provide an additional Honors community feeling.

All Honors students are invited to take part in the Honors Living Learning Community (LLC) in the Schlosser Residence Hall and Founders Hall Tower A 1st Floor. The LLC provides Honors students an opportunity to build a vibrant residential community. The Honors Program, RAs, and Honors Council Executive Cabinet also plan several social and educational events for LLC members throughout the semester.

Recognition and Graduation with Honors

Honors Program participants are recognized in special ways during the school year. Often Honors students have opportunities to attend special functions on campus not open to other students. To be recognized as Honors scholars at graduation, students are required to successfully complete 24 credits of Honors courses (including an Honors thesis) and to maintain a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average. Additionally, Honors courses are designated as such on the graduate’s transcript, and the transcript notes that the student is an Elizabethtown College Honors graduate.

Honors students are strongly encouraged to consider involvement with other offices and organizations on campus, including the Office of Prestigious Scholarship and Fellowships, Student Senate, the Called to Lead Program, and more. Students should feel free to meet with the Director of the Honors Program and discuss how they might benefit from other programs and co-curricular opportunities on campus.

Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships: Do Something Amazing!

With our strong liberal arts Core curriculum and Signature Learning Experiences, Elizabethtown students are excellent candidates for prestigious scholarships and fellowships. Over the years, Elizabethtown students have earned Rhodes, Fulbright, Davies-Jackson, and Goldwater Scholarships.

Prestigious scholarships and fellowships can provide funding for a wide range of activities:

Full tuition, fees, and a living stipend to earn a graduate degree abroad.
Undergraduate or graduate study in the US.
Conducting a research project abroad.
Teaching English abroad.
Internships abroad.
Social engagement projects in the US or abroad.

Applying for prestigious national and international scholarships and fellowships can empower one’s dreams, providing resources to enhance scholarship, inform worldview, and sharpen leadership skills.

The Office of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships, located in the Honors Center, helps students discern the most appropriate awards for which to apply and mentors students as they develop their applications.

Crafting a competitive application takes a significant amount of time, so starting early is important. For more information, please contact Prof. Jean-Paul Benowitz, Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships (benowitzjp@etown.edu).

The list of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships and more information are available here.

Useful Links to Campus Resources:

Admission for Incoming Students

Generally, to be admitted to the Honors Program, students must meet the minimum program eligibility requirements:

Unweighted GPA of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale (evidence of AP and Honors courses preferred).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Honors Program has a test-optional policy until further notice.
Essay submission on the following topic (optional but strongly encouraged):
- Elizabethtown College is strongly committed to peacemaking and social justice, and our mission is rooted in international and cross-cultural perspectives, hands-on/experiential learning, civic engagement, and purposeful life work. In 300-500 words, please share an example from your own experience where you put all or some of these elements into action and how it has informed your perspective on the world.
Honors interview by invitation only. Virtual or in-person interviews to be completed preferably by January 15*, with a final deadline of March 31**.
- *By meeting the Preferred deadline, applicants accepted as an Honors student are more likely to secure a position within the Program before it reaches capacity.
- ** Decisions to the Honors Program will be released on a rolling basis and students are encouraged to reserve their spot and deposit early. Once the Program reaches capacity, students who have been invited to participate, but have not deposited, will be placed on a waitlist.

If you have not been invited to interview and wish to appeal, please contact your admissions counselor or the admissions office at admissions@etown.edu or 717-361-1400.

Application Process

- Apply to Elizabethtown College via the Common Application or our own application here.
- Upon review of your application, you will be sent an invitation to interview provided you meet the eligibility requirements. Interviews must be completed before March 31 and can be scheduled through your student portal.
- Submit your optional essay to admissions@etown.edu. Although prospective honors students are not required to submit the 300-500-word essay, it is strongly encouraged. Below is the essay prompt:
  
  Elizabethtown College is strongly committed to peacemaking and social justice, and our mission is rooted in international and cross-cultural perspectives, hands-on/experiential learning, civic engagement, and purposeful life work. Please share an example from your own experience where you put all or some of these elements into action and how it has informed your perspective on the world.

Admission for Transfer Students

- Transfer students are welcome to apply to Honors. If you want to be considered for admission to the Honors Program, please notify our transfer coordinator at admissions@etown.edu or 717-361-1400.
- We accept students who were members of Honors Programs at their previous institutions and whose cumulative GPA matches or exceeds the Honors Program minimum cut-off for the number of credits earned. The program accepts honors credits from the transferring institution with a grade of B or higher. These credits will be applied toward a student’s honors requirements at Elizabethtown College.
- Members of Phi Theta Kappa, as well as students who were members of Honors Programs at their previous 4-year institution, are automatically accepted to our Honors Program. Honors credits with a grade of B or higher will be applied to the student’s Honors requirements at Etown.
- Transfer students with no prior collegiate Honors experience, should have a 3.5 cumulative GPA for college-level work and submit a 300 to 500-word essay through their Student Status Portal.
  Topic: Elizabethtown College is strongly committed to peacemaking and social justice, and our mission is rooted in international and cross-cultural perspectives, hands-on/experiential learning, civic engagement, and purposeful life work.
  Please share an example from your own experience where you put all or some of these elements into action and how it has informed your perspective on the world.
- Eligible transfer students, who have submitted their application and essay will be invited to interview with an admissions counselor as part of the final selection process for the Honors Program.

For more information about the admissions process, please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@etown.edu or 717-361-1400.

Transferring Honors Courses from Other Institutions

Students that are currently enrolled in the Honors Program at Elizabethtown College may transfer in Honors credits from 1) a summer Honors course taken at another higher education institution, and/or 2) Honors credits taken while studying abroad, as long as they receive a grade of a B or higher.

Admission for Current Elizabethtown College Students

First-year or first-semester sophomore-year students at Elizabethtown College who are not members of the Honors Program may apply for admission to the program after receiving their first-semester grades. To be admitted to the Honors Program as a first- or second-year student, one must:

Attain a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Submit a letter of recommendation from the FYS instructor or another professor.
Submit a personal statement outlining why you wish to join the Honors Program.
Successfully complete an interview with the Director of the Honors Program.

Students who enter the Honors Program during the second semester of the first year or the first semester of the sophomore year will also be required to take at least 24 credits in Honors courses. They do not have to repeat the First-Year Seminar, but they will have to substitute another Honors course for the First-Year Seminar.

The Honors Program requirements are broken into four categories: GPA benchmark requirements, co-curricular requirements, academic integrity and student conduct requirements, and credit/curriculum requirements.

Honors students complete 24 Honors credits (typically six 4-credit courses) over four years, including an Honors First-Year Seminar and Honors Thesis in their major and/or minor. Please refer to the Honors Curriculum Overview section of this Handbook below.

GPA Requirements

The minimum grade point average required to remain in the Elizabethtown College Honors Program is as follows:

End of first year (30-59 credits): 3.00

End of sophomore year (60-89 credits): 3.25

End of junior year (90+ credits): 3.45

End of senior year (upon graduation credits): 3.50

As the Honors Program requires a minimum cumulative GPA to stay in the program, students who earn a GPA between the semester minimum and 3.5 will be on probation. Students on probation are ineligible to apply for academic grant funds. Students who drop below the semester minimum will be removed from the program.

To be recognized as an Honors Program graduate, all students must achieve an overall 3.50 cumulative grade point average by graduation. The Honors Program Committee and the Director of the Honors Program will monitor student performance. Students who fall below the respective minimum threshold will be released from the program. Advisors will assist such students to mitigate any difficulties created by the transition. Any student withdrawn from the Honors Program for inadequate GPA and desiring to reenter the program must first schedule a meeting with the Honors Program Director by sending an email to honors@etown.edu and then petition the Honors Committee for readmission to the Honors Program once the required GPA for the student’s current class status has been attained. Rising seniors, however, may email the Honors Program Director at honors@etown.edu and petition the committee immediately (before meeting the required GPA for their current class status) so that they may start their senior theses. A rising senior petitioning for readmission should provide the committee with a plan indicating how the student will reach the required 3.50 GPA by the end of the senior year.

Co-Curricular Requirements

Honors students regularly uphold the College's motto -- Educate for Service -- and the Honors Program’s motto -- Learn, Serve, and Lead -- throughout their college experience. Most Honors Program students actively engage in volunteer service, community engagement, and leadership experiences each year. The co-curricular requirement allows students to record and share those experiences and helps the program recognize the meaningful contributions Honors students make to their communities, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Effective Fall 2021, Honors students are required to record their 15 hours of volunteer service, community engagement, and leadership each year throughout their undergraduate education. Starting in Fall 2022, all Honors students will submit a diary of those activities as well as a reflection paper every year. Students should submit their log and reflection paper at the beginning of their sophomore, junior, and senior years on the Honors Program Canvas page. Senior students are exempt from the co-curricular requirements. Students that fail to submit their required annual co-curricular logs and reflection papers will be ineligible to apply for Academic Grants and Course Overload for free for two semesters.

Annual Requirements for Students

- Log of 15 hours/year of community engagement, personal volunteer or community service, leadership and/or experiential learning and engagement activities submitted through Canvas
- 3-5 page, double-spaced yearly reflection paper submitted through Canvas by the end of the Drop Period each Fall Semester

Types of services and experiences that count for co-curricular hours

- Community-based Learning (CBL) courses, such as HON 201
- Opportunities through the Center for Community and Civic Engagement at Etown
- Attending all US Foreign Policymaking Leadership Sessions with Ambassador John Craig (moderated by Dr. Ozkanca) throughout the academic year
- And many more volunteering and/or community engagement and/or leadership opportunities (to be pre-approved by the Director of the Honors Program)

Benefits for students

- Recognizing and celebrating the significant and impactful service conducted by students.
- Helping students develop inter-group friendships on deeper levels.
- Enhancing their identities as engaged citizens providing students with a way to purposefully organize and demonstrate their community engagement, volunteer service, and leadership activities, which will help in preparing applications for graduate schools, prestigious scholarships and fellowships, and career opportunities.

Academic Integrity

Elizabethtown College assumes that students will act honorably. Students are expected to adhere to the Pledge of Integrity adopted by both the students and the faculty in 1995 and revised in 2014:

“I pledge to respect all members of the Elizabethtown College community, and to act as a responsible member of the College community. I pledge to respect the free exchange of ideas both inside and outside the classroom. I pledge to represent as my work only that which is indeed my own, refraining from all forms of lying, plagiarizing, cheating, and academic dishonesty.”

As members of the Elizabethtown College community, we hold each other responsible in the maintaining of these values.

Reflecting commitment to the pledge, new students are expected to sign a pledge stating, “I pledge to be honest and to uphold integrity.” For more information about the Elizabethtown College Standards of Academic Integrity, please see the Academic Policies portion of the College Catalog.

In case of a first instance of citation for academic integrity violation received from the Academic Standing Committee, the student will be ineligible to apply for the Honors Program Academic Grants and to overload for free. In case of a second citation for academic integrity violation, the student will be dismissed from the Honors Program.

Effective Spring 2022, in the event of an Honors student's alleged conduct violation, the Honors Program Director will be notified by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Honors students directed to participate in a conduct process are expected to comply with the directives issued by the conduct hearing officer. Honors students found responsible and sanctioned to Disciplinary Probation will be notified by the Honors Program Director of their loss of access to Academic Grants and will be ineligible to overload for free. Honors students found responsible and sanctioned to Disciplinary Suspension or Disciplinary Expulsion will be notified by the Honors Program Director of their removal from the Honors Program and loss of all privileges associated with the Program.

Honors Curriculum Requirements Overview

The Elizabethtown College Honors Program curriculum is modeled in large part on our current Core curriculum to ensure that the program poses no complication to the timely completion of graduation requirements. Several features make the Honors experience unique. The 24 required Honors credits are designed to seamlessly fulfill Core curriculum requirements and requirements for the student’s academic major(s) and minor(s).

All students entering the Honors Program will complete a minimum of 24 credit hours to fulfill the requirements and graduate as recognized Honors students. However, students are encouraged to take more than 24 credits in Honors if their schedules allow. There is no limit to the number of Honors courses per semester that students may take, or to the number they may take during their college career. Courses designated as Honors courses may carry between one and four credits.

Honors courses are typically comprised only of Honors students. Expectations for engagement and scholarship will be higher than for traditional Elizabethtown College courses. Courses are limited in size to facilitate greater interaction with faculty members. All students who successfully complete an Honors course will receive an “Honors” designation on their transcripts, regardless of whether they are or remain an Honors student.

Honors Curriculum Overview

Effective in Fall 2019, for all incoming Honors students, the Honors Program requirements are organized into three “nests”. The nest system encourages students to take a variety of Honors courses and facilitates the successful completion of the 24-credit requirement. 4 credits are reserved for Nest 3 for the student’s senior thesis. 4 credits are reserved for Nest 2 for the student to take an Honors Elective course or courses built from the ground-up uniquely and solely for Honors students. Nest 1 is the core elective nest that includes courses that were contracted or stacked, study abroad waiver credits, Honors English (if taken), and Honors First-Year Seminar (if taken).

Nest 1: A La Carte Nest - at least 16 credits which may consist of any combination of

Honors First-Year Seminar (FYS)
Honors English (HEN 100)
One Honors Student-Contracted Course*
Honors Professor-Contracted (stacked) Courses
Study abroad reflection/presentation waiver (from six weeks to a full year)
“Extra” Senior Thesis credit **

Nest 2: Honors Elective Nest - at least 4 credits which must consist of

Honors Elective course(s) other than Honors FYS and HEN 100
Any credits above the 4-credit requirement can be counted toward Nest 1.

Nest 3: Honors Thesis Contract Nest - at least 4 credits which must consist of

Senior Thesis within the major or minor field of study (any “extra” senior thesis credits count toward Nest 1)

Effective in Fall 2019 for all Honors students:

There is no GPA minimum for contract courses.
There is no interdisciplinary course requirement.
Appeals for curricular exceptions may be directed to the Director of the Honors Program.

Students may elect to enroll in Honors courses that meet Core Area of Understanding requirements, major or minor requirements, or electives. Students may also pursue an off-campus Honors experience such as a semester abroad. All proposals for alternative Honors coursework must be approved by the Director of the Honors Program.

Students must complete at least 12 Honors credits by the end of their sophomore year. If they do not, they must submit a written plan to the Director of the Honors Program by the start of their junior year (first week of classes) detailing how they will complete the Honors Program course requirements. If students do not submit such a plan, they may be removed from the Honors Program.

Students must complete at least 16 Honors credits by the end of their junior year. If they do not, they must submit a written plan to the Director of the Honors Program by the start of their senior year (first week of classes) detailing how they will complete the Honors Program course requirements. If students do not submit such a plan, they may be removed from the Honors Program.

Students who are not progressing with Honors requirements for more than two consecutive semesters will be considered inactive. Chronically inactive students are removed from the program.

Recommended Sequence of Honors Courses

Honors Progress Reports can be found through JayWeb (Elizabethtown College Web Portal) under Student → Honors Program . If you have any questions regarding your Honors Progress Report, or if any information on it appears to be incorrect, please let us know of any errors or discrepancies immediately. Questions or corrections should be sent to honors@etown.edu attention of Luke Mackey. Audits of Honors student records are done prior to the advising period each semester and eligibility audits are done yearly at the close of the Spring semester. If you have any questions regarding Honors academic records, please email honors@etown.edu. In addition, official records of completed requirements are retained in the Honors Center.

The following is a recommended sequence for students planning on completing four years at Etown. Not every student is able to follow this model, due to 3+ programs (see next section) or early graduation. Each student’s educational path is different, and we encourage students to schedule an advising appointment with the Honors Program Director to review their plan for completing their Honors requirements. The Honors Assistant Director can also aid with any procedural requirement questions students may have.

First Year:
- Recommended: 8-credits of Honors Courses

- Honors First-Year Seminar (4-credits)
- Honors HEN 100 or Professor-Contracted (Stacked) Course or Honors Elective Course (4-credits)

Second Year:

- Recommended: 8-credits of Honors Courses

- 12-credits of Honors Courses Required by End of Sophomore Year

- Professor-Contracted (Stacked) Course or Student-Contracted (Contract) Course (4-credits)
- Honors Elective Course (4-credits)

Third Year:

- Recommended: 4-credits of Honors Courses

- 16-credits of Honors Courses Required by End of Junior Year

- Professor-Contracted (Stacked) Course or Student-Contracted (Contract) Course or Honors Elective Course (4-credits)

Fourth Year:

- Recommended: 4-credits of Honors Senior Thesis

- Honors Senior Thesis (Fall Semester) (2-credits)
- Honors Senior Thesis (Spring Semester) (2-credits)

Honors Curriculum Overview for Students Who Are Accepted Into 3+ Programs

Honors Students and 3+2, 3+3, and 3+4 Programs: All Honors Program students are required to complete 24 Honors credits during their three years on campus. However, students participating in 3+2, 3+3, and 3+4 Programs have the option to petition the Director of the Honors Program for waiving up to 4 Honors course requirements towards Nest #1. There are no changes in Nest #2 and Nest #3 requirements for such students. Students who waive 4 Honors credits through this special arrangement are not eligible to use a study abroad experience to fulfill the requirements of the Honors Program. Students in a 3+ program need to fulfill their Honors Thesis requirement as part of their undergraduate graduation credits. Students need to consult with their respective programs to determine whether the thesis is completed in the junior and/or senior year. The minimum GPA requirements are adjusted accordingly for students in 3+ programs in the following way:

- End 2nd semester = 3.00
- End 4th semester = 3.45
- End 6th semester = 3.50

As the Honors Program requires a minimum cumulative GPA to stay in the program, students who earn a GPA between the semester minimum (see below) and 3.5 will be on probation. Students on probation are ineligible to apply for academic grant funds. Students who drop below the semester minimum will be removed from the program.

Effective Fall 2021, Honors students in the School of Sciences who are enrolled in 3+ programs have the additional possibility of counting their approved SCARP projects for 2 credits, provided that they complete an individualized SCARP experience that is directly related to their future Senior Honors Thesis project and they seek a pre-approval for the 2-credit SCARP waiver from the Honors Program Director, as soon as they hear their SCARP project approval from the College.

Students in Graduate Programs at Elizabethtown College

Students are members of the Elizabethtown College Honors Program only during their undergraduate experience (generally the first four years). Honors students who are enrolled in graduate programs at Elizabethtown College are invited to participate in Honors Program activities and events but do not have any obligations or requirements to fulfill during their graduate program. Graduate students are ineligible to apply for academic grants since they have graduated from the Honors Program as undergraduate students.

* Students in a major, double major, or combination of major or minor that requires 70 or more credits are eligible to petition for a second Honors contract course and count it towards Nest 1.
** Students pursuing double majors often complete senior theses in both disciplines and earn 8 credits of senior thesis credit rather than 4.

Students may apply Student-Contracted (contract) courses, Professor-Contracted (stacked) courses, and study abroad semesters (six-week minimum), or a combination thereof toward Nest 1. As noted in the previous section, students in designated academic programs may waive up to two of their Honors course requirements (excluding the senior thesis requirement), but if a student waives two Honors courses, they cannot count Honors contracts or study abroad experiences toward the 24 credits needed to graduate from the Honors Program.

Student-Contracted (Contract) Courses

Honors students may enroll in a non-Honors course and contract with the professor to convert it to Honors level and to earn Honors credit to fulfill Honors elective requirements. In order for the contract course to merit Honors credit, the student must complete Honors-level work in addition to that already required by the non-Honors class. The character and quality of the regular work should also reflect greater expectations of learning and intellectual rigor. Simply adding more written work or more reading is insufficient for Honors credit. To compensate for the loss of high-level student discussion in small seminars of only Honors students in a traditional Honors class, the nature of contracted Honors work includes frequent and regular meetings and close work with the professor. Students must fill out a Student-Contracted Course Application with their professor’s guidance to have their course considered to be converted to Honors level.

Required Substantive Elements of the Contract:

- Critical thinking
- Use of primary and/or secondary sources for the field of study
- Use of multiple pedagogies and enrichment opportunities such as field trips, lab experiences, films, lectures, guest speakers, experiential-learning, cooperative-learning, and service-learning experiences
- Clear specification of how the additional work will be graded and incorporated into the syllabus requirements
- Regular and frequent meetings with the professor in addition to regularly scheduled class meetings

Desirable Substantive Elements of the Contract :

- Use of a variety of evaluation methods and products: written assignments, exams, oral presentations, and experiential components
- An interdisciplinary perspective
- A comparative perspective
- Inclusion of issues of diversity and differences in values

Procedural Requirements:

- Honors students may only submit one student-contracted course application for Honors credit , unless they are in a major, double major, or combination of major or minor that requires 70 or more credits. Students in a major, double major, or combination of major or minor that requires 70 or more credits are eligible to petition for a second student-contracted course.
- Student-contracted courses require the permission of the course instructor and the Director of the Honors Program.
- Students may not ordinarily contract 100-level courses.
- Students may not contract courses offered as Honors electives.
- Contracts will not be awarded retroactively. Completed Honors Student-Contracted Course Applications should be submitted by the opening day of classes for the semester. Earlier submission is strongly encouraged. Student-Contracted Course Applications must be completed, signed, and approved by the add deadline for classes each semester. Upon approval, a copy of the contract will be issued to the professor and the student.
- Once approved, the course will be designated as Honors on the student's transcript by the Add deadline (5th day of classes).
- Students may void the contract Honors designation/drop the contract for the course (and remain in the regular course) only up until the 4th week of the semester without it appearing on the transcript. To do so students must complete an Honors Program Contract Revocation Form. After the 4th week, the student must drop the entire class to avoid the contract, and it will appear on the transcript as W. Students failing to complete contracted work will be graded accordingly.
- Additional credit may only be added to courses originally awarding three or fewer credits. One credit = 15 hours class time plus outside work. Applications must specify how the extra hours/credit will be earned.
- Once the contract has been fulfilled and both the student and the professor have evaluated the experience, the Honors Center staff will send a copy of the contract to the Office of Registration and Records and request that the student’s transcript be amended to note the Honors credit.
- Student-Contracted courses must be letter graded.
- Student-Contracted courses may not be ordinarily taught by part-time faculty members of the College. Exceptions to this policy may be considered by the Honors Committee.

The Student-Contracted course application form is available here.

Professor-Contracted (Stacked) Courses

Professor-Contracted courses (formerly referred to ask “Stacked Courses”) are similar to student-contracted courses, in the sense that students will engage in Honors-level activities to elevate a non-Honors course to Honors status. However, unlike a Student-Contracted course in which a student initiates the proposal, the design for a Professor-Contracted course is determined by the professor in advance. These courses are approved by both the Honors Committee and the Director of the Honors Program. Students wishing to take part in a Professor-Contracted course must sign a Professor-Contracted course application and adhere to all the requirements and deadlines contained in the contract. The Professor-Contracted courses that are offered each semester will vary, and any member of the Honors Program may enroll in a Professor-Contracted course on a space-available basis (registrations are taken first-come, first-served). Please complete the appropriate application to before the first day of classes for the semester. There is no limit to the number of Professor-Contracted courses an Honors student may take. For the list of Professor-Contracted courses available for the upcoming semester and links to approved Professor-Contracted course applications, visit the Honors Program SharePoint website.

Procedural Requirements:

- Honors students may submit as many professor-contracted course applications for Honors credit as they would like to count toward Nest 1 .
- Not all Professor-Contracted courses are offered every semester.
- Contracts will not be awarded retroactively. Professor-Contracted Course Applications must be completed and approved by the add deadline for classes each semester. Upon approval, a copy of the contract will be issued to the professor and the student.
- Once approved, the course will be designated as Honors on the student's transcript by the Add deadline (5th day of classes).
- Students may void the contract Honors designation/drop the contract for the course (and remain in the regular course) only up until the 4th week of the semester without it appearing on the transcript. To do so students must complete an Honors Program Contract Revocation Form. After the 4th week, the student must drop the entire class to avoid the contract, and it will appear on the transcript as W. Students failing to complete contracted work will be graded accordingly.
- Additional credit may only be added to courses originally awarding three or fewer credits. One credit = 15 hours class time plus outside work. Applications must specify how the extra hours/credit will be earned.
- Once the contract has been fulfilled and both the student and the professor have evaluated the experience, the Honors Center staff will send a copy of the contract to the Office of Registration and Records and request that the student’s transcript be amended to note the Honors credit.
- Professor-Contracted courses must be letter graded.
- Professor-Contracted courses may not be ordinarily taught by part-time faculty members of the College. Exceptions to this policy may be considered by the Honors Committee.

The Professor-Contracted course application forms are available here.

Study Abroad for Honors Credit

Students who study abroad for at least six weeks up to a semester or study away for a traditional (Fall/Spring) semester may petition to waive a 4-credit Honors course requirement (except the senior thesis requirement), provided they fulfill the requirements: Honors Credit Waiver Application, Public Presentation, and Reflective Paper. Students who study abroad for two full semesters may petition to waive 8 credits of Honors requirements (except the senior thesis requirement), provided they fulfill the requirements: Honors Credit Waiver Application, Public Presentation, and Reflective Paper. Students who are studying abroad for Honors credit should fill out the Honors Study Abroad Credit Waiver Application form and also submit their reflection paper through the application form.

Honors Study Abroad Presentation and Reflective Paper Guidelines

Honors students will create a formal presentation on their study abroad experience that moves fully around David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. The presentation will be open to all students in the Honors Program and scheduled in cooperation with the Director of the Honors Program. The presentation should be ten-to-fifteen minutes in length and employ the use of visual aids or other appropriate media for audience members. Students must also submit a written report of approximately five-to-seven pages in length that discusses their study abroad experience in relation to the Kolb cycle. All papers must use 12-point Times New Roman font, margins no larger than 1.25 inches, and employ the use of an appropriate citation method (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.). Citations do not count toward the suggested page length.

About one quarter of the paper/presentation on Concrete Experience: Present a factual and concrete description of the situation. Be very concise like a news reporter—who, what, when, where, how, why. Who went? Where? What happened while you were there, both inside and outside the classroom? Describe the country, the city, the locals, etc. What classes did you take? What were classes, professors, and students like? How and what did you eat? What did you see and do when you were not in class?

About one quarter of the paper/presentation on Reflective Observation: Take a step back, reflect and make some observations about your time abroad. What did you think of the country, the people, the school, the classes, the other students, the politics, the infrastructure, the culture, the art, the music, etc.? What happened to you as a result of being there? What happened to others because you were there? What will really linger with you about this study abroad ten years from now? What still concerns you about this study abroad time? How does your study abroad relate to your past experiences? How does your study abroad relate to who you are now on campus? How has your study abroad influenced your plans for the future?

About one quarter of the paper/presentation on Abstract Conceptualization: Connect some theories, models, categories, concepts, theories, or ideas from any of your academic coursework or textbooks (from Etown or while abroad) to several aspects of your study abroad experience. Choose several things about yourself, the country, the politics, the education, the people, a new sense of purposeful life work, or something else you experienced during your study abroad time. Try to think about them in the way someone writing a textbook for your classes would study, categorize, theorize, or apply models to explain things. What additional resources do you need to consult to make sense of your study abroad experience, including doing additional scholarly research, spending time with a mentor, finding a graduate school, locating a specific organization you might like to work for, etc.?

About one quarter of the paper/presentation on Active Experimentation: What new skills, preferences, insights, knowledge, or dispositions have you gained from your study abroad experience? What might you change in your current or future life goals because of experiences while studying abroad? What options do you see for leading, serving, working, and living in new ways?

Other Things to Consider:

During the presentation, you are encouraged to offer advice and recommendations for other students who might consider a similar study abroad experience in the future. A question and answer session will follow the presentation and student presenters must address those questions in an informed manner.

Submission of Materials:

The reflection paper and presentation will be due by the eighth week of the semester following the study abroad experience. Copies of presentation materials and the reflection paper must be submitted via the Honors Study Abroad Credit Waiver Application form two days prior to the student presentation.

Please contact the Honors Program Director at honors@etown.edu, with any questions you may have about this assignment.

To graduate from the Elizabethtown College Honors Program, each student must contract a thesis for a minimum of four credits. The thesis is designed to provide a challenging and rewarding educational experience. A student needs a 3.5 to graduate from the Honors Program and must have at least a 3.45 to begin the senior thesis project. A student who has a GPA below 3.45 and who believes that the requisite 3.5 GPA can be met by graduation should make an appointment with the Honors Program Director. The thesis can be completed through the Honors in the Discipline (HID) thesis, the student’s major and/or minor senior thesis/capstone course, or Independent Study (IS). If a student is invited by their major department to complete an HID thesis project, they may count it for the Honors Program requirement. In this situation, students are required to meet all deadlines required by their department and the Honors Program. The same is true for deadlines for academic program senior thesis/capstone courses or Independent Study (IS). Students must adhere to all Honors Program deadlines in addition to required deadlines within their respective method of completion.

Thesis Contract & Proposal Submission

Honors Thesis Contracts & Proposals are due by December 1st or May 1st prior to enrolling in any courses for thesis credits. Honors Thesis Contracts should have all necessary approvals, including the Honors Program Director’s approval prior to enrolling in any thesis courses. This process cannot be done retroactively because it would invalidate any previously issued official transcripts such as those you send in graduate school, professional school, grant, scholarship, or other applications.

Honors Program Students may fulfill their 4-credit thesis contract requirement in a number of ways:

Traditional primary research in the lab (usually natural and social sciences); or
Major creative or translation projects (usually Fine and Performing Arts, English, or Modern Languages); or
Synthesizing research or applying theory to analyze texts, data, or other phenomena to develop one’s own conclusions (often Humanities and Social Sciences).

Students with majors that have a senior course that assigns a team project should consult with the Honors Program Director by emailing honors@etown.edu to create a plan to successfully fulfill their Honors Senior Thesis requirement.

Honors 301 Thesis Preparation (1 thesis credit, P/NP) is offered every spring and may be taken in the junior year. For most students this course is optional, but it is highly recommended for those who struggle with writing, those intimidated by planning and completing a year-long major project, or those who know (or suspect) they do not meet qualifications to be invited to Honors in the Discipline in their major department.

Thesis Contracts stipulate the agreed-upon details of a student’s coursework to fulfill the thesis requirement. In all cases, contracts must be signed prior to submission. Contracts with incorrect information may invalidate the student's Honors credits. All contracts must be filed prior to enrolling in the thesis credits to ensure proper Honors designation on the transcript and credit for completion of requirements. The Honors Thesis Contract must include at least a primary advisor and a secondary advisor.

Thesis Proposals outline research questions to be considered, the methodology to be employed, a brief literature review, etc. They run anywhere from 2-3 pages or longer depending on the level of detail required by the discipline. Some departments have later proposal deadlines, so students in such departments may submit the contract and a provisional (1-page) proposal to the Honors Program in May and the final proposal (to both department and the Honors Program) by their department deadline.

For most projects, including laboratory, field, historical document, textual, theoretical, or statistical research projects, the proposals include:

A brief background of the issue/texts/theory you are planning to examine/analyze/apply, etc., including the fundamentals of the scholarly debate about it
A clear statement of the purpose, objective, or goals of your thesis project
Research questions and/or hypotheses
A statement of the rationale for your conducting this work
The proposed design, plan, or methodology of your project: if appropriate, how will you analyze your data and present the results?
Intended outcome(s) of your research: what results do you anticipate?

For creative projects, performances, and translations, the proposal should address the following:

A narrow theme or topic and approach to the theme (fiction, sculpture, music composition, etc.)
A background statement of your experience with and qualifications in your chosen medium/genre/language
A statement of how you plan to include a component of research or meta-analysis to supplement the creative element
A description of the proposed design, plan, or methodology of your work
A description of the final form of the project

Proposals for all types of projects should also contain the following information:

Working bibliography
What contributions, conclusions, or applications do you anticipate as a result of your thesis?
What plans for dissemination, beyond a library copy of the thesis, do you have publications, exhibits, conference presentations, performances, etc.?
Timetable for completion of the research, writing, and presentation of the thesis.
A rationale for your selection of thesis committee members. You may have more than two members on your committee, but you may have no fewer than two. You should first look to qualified secondary advisors in your department or a relevant department if you are doing an interdisciplinary project. All committee members should be full-time faculty members of the College.

Human subjects research: Make sure to plan for fulfilling the Institutional Review Board requirements, including the timeline of IRB mandatory training, submission, and approvals.

Options for Senior Honors Thesis Requirement Completion (Nest 3 - at least 4 credits)

Honors in the Discipline (HID) of the major department is the simplest and most common vehicle to fulfill the Honors Program requirement. Typically, most departments process invitations to eligible students to participate in Honors in the Discipline in the spring semester of students’ junior year. Departmental qualifying requirements vary, so students should investigate the specifics of their department guidelines in the fall semester of junior year in order to plan accordingly. For example, some departments’ GPA cut off is 3.50; others require 3.60 in both cumulative and major GPAs. If students know or suspect they are not eligible for HID participation, then they should consider enrolling in HON 301 in the spring of their junior year.

Students who are pursuing two majors are not required to complete an Honors Senior Thesis for both of their majors. Students only need to complete one Senior Honors Thesis of 4 credits. Students with double majors may want to pursue Honors in the Discipline for both of their majors. In order to do so, students must work with both of their major advisors to devise an interdisciplinary proposal. If students pursue a second HID, the additional credits (for the second HID) will count towards Nest 1 requirements.
Major/Minor Departmental Senior Thesis/Capstone Courses: Outside of HID, students can choose to write senior honors thesis by registering to courses that are designated as capstone or directed research in their majors and/or minors. They will follow the guidelines provided by their majors and/or minors on the thesis requirements. These departments have Honors Program students run through their research or thesis course while making clear the student will not be eligible for HID. Please check with your academic program advisor to confirm which course(s) are typically used to complete the Honors Thesis requirement. The courses are often a thesis or capstone course within the academic program (with course numbers 490-495).
HON 490 Capstone Directed Research Project in Honors can be taken by students who are not eligible or do not wish to do HID, and who do not wish to fulfill their Honors Thesis through a Major/Minor Thesis/Capstone course or are unable to do so. This course allows the student to fulfill their Honors Thesis requirement through the Honors Program without fulfilling it through an academic program or Major/Minor. Students are able to specify faculty members who will be primary and secondary advisors for the project, based on the topic of the thesis. It is highly recommended students take Honors 301 to develop an Honors Thesis Proposal. Honors 301 Thesis Preparation (1 credit, P/NP) is only offered in the spring of the junior year. Students enrolled in HON 301 complete a proposal as part of the class to submit by the May 1 deadline along with their Honors Thesis Contract.

Independent Study (IS) is an alternative method for students who may not meet the minimum qualifying standards to be invited to participate in HID or do not wish to pursue an Honors Senior Thesis by registering to one of their major/minor senior thesis courses or fulfill it through HON 490. It is highly recommended students take Honors 301 to develop the Independent Study proposal. Honors 301 Thesis Preparation (1 credit, P/NP) is only offered in the spring of the junior year (prior to starting any thesis courses). The remaining 3 credits would form the Independent Study project. Students enrolled in HON 301 complete a proposal as part of the class to submit by the May 1 deadline along with their Honors Thesis Contract. Students completing senior thesis credits through Independent Study must also submit a separate Independent Study form to the Independent Study Committee. Students who would like to register for Independent Study should work with the Faculty to shepherd a proposal through the Independent Study Committee before the Honors Program deadline.

If a student’s academic program/department does not have a course in which to enroll for thesis credit, then the student must work with a professor in the major or minor department and complete an Independent Study (IS) for thesis credit. The student will also have to submit a separate Independent Study form to the Independent Study Committee. Though the Independent Study Committee’s deadline is the first day of the semester in which the Independent Study is to be taken, the Honors Program Thesis Contract and Proposal Form must be completed by the May 1/December 1 Honors Program Deadline

Thesis Submission

After completing the contracted thesis course(s), the student must submit an electronic PDF to the Honors Program using the Thesis Submission form no later than May 1/December 1 (depending on graduation time). If the completed thesis arrives after this date, it will not be considered for the Senior Honors Thesis Award. If the student’s department has a later deadline, then the student may submit a draft by May 1/December 1 for the award consideration and follow up with the final edition after the department deadline. Students should insert the signed title page as the first page of the thesis. Fillable PDF thesis title pages are available on the Honors Program SharePoint website. All Honors theses will be uploaded to JayScholar. When uploading to JayScholar, students will complete the JayScholar agreement and e-signature section.

Public Forum Presentation Requirement

During the semester in which the thesis is completed, the student is required to present it in a public forum. This presentation requirement may be met in one of a number of ways:

Major/Minor Defense or Presentation
Undergraduate Conference
Professional Conference
Scholarship and Creative Arts Day

Students are required to submit the Public Forum Presentation Requirement Form prior to their thesis due date to document the successful completion of this requirement.

Special Academic Program Notices

Education majors must file an Honors thesis contract when enrolling in ED 399 when they have been approved to participate in HID. These students will file their proposal as an addendum to their contract upon completion of ED 399.
Academic Program Thesis Courses: Please check with your academic program advisor to confirm which course(s) are typically used to complete the Honors Thesis requirement. The courses are often a thesis or capstone course within the academic program.
- Sample thesis courses include: Art 400, Anthropology 400, Biology 491-492, Business 400, Chemistry 491-492, Communications 400-401, Economics 400, English 498-499, Engineering 401-402, Music 490, History 400, Interfaith Leadership Studies 490-491, Mathematics 400, Modern Languages (French, German, Japanese, Spanish) 496-497, Occupational Therapy 492-494, Physics 491-492, Philosophy 490, Political Science 490, Psychology 485, Religious Studies 490-491, Sociology 400, Social Work SW 400, Theatre 490

Honors Program Handbook & Resources

Resources

Handbook

Introduction: Mission, Diversity Statement, History, and Personnel

Benefits of Honors Program Membership

Other Opportunities on Campus

Honors Program Admission

Program Requirements

Expanded Course Offerings for Honors Students

Honors Thesis Contract Requirement