Requirements

Honors students know their courses will offer challenges and opportunities not found in other classrooms. Professors are re-designing their courses to create seminar-style class meetings and intensive research projects that provoke students to use their critical thinking skills and creativity. Students can expect to have an honors course at every step during their time in the program from Honors Core Courses in the early years to Departmental and College Honors Courses as they prepare to write their Honors Thesis.

All students also must complete one Experiential Learning Activity each year they are in the program. Students who enter the program as incoming freshmen will complete the project as part of their FYE classes, while sophomores, juniors, and seniors will choose from a list of available opportunities.

Students must maintain an Institutional (Georgia Southern) GPA of 3.3 or higher. Additionally, they must pass all honors courses.

Below are the requirements expected of honors students, whether they enter as traditional first-year students or join the program as a current student or transfer student.

Honors Courses and Requirements

Beginning fall 2018, traditional first-year students entering the program with fewer than 15 credit hours of earned college credit have the following requirements:

1. FYE: Honors FYE 1220, Honors First-Year Seminar (fall)
2. Core: Four Honors Core Courses*
3. Experiential Learning: One Experiential Learning Activity per year (four total)
4. College Departmental Honors: Completion of College and/or Departmental Honors Courses
5. Honors Thesis: includes proposal submitted one year before graduation and presentation at the Honors Research Symposium prior to graduation

* Note on Honors Core Courses for incoming first-year students with credit hours:

• Students entering with 15-29 hours need three honors core courses.
• Students entering with 30-44 hours need two honors core courses.
• Students entering with 45-59 hours need one honors core course.
• Students entering with 60+ hours are not required to take honors core courses.
  • The number of credits earned will be determined based on the calculation of hours earned prior to matriculation at Georgia Southern as they appear in a student’s DegreeWorks audit.

Beginning fall 2018, current students and transfer students who join the program will have the following requirements based on their credit hours:

1. FYE: Students who join the program as current or transfer students do not have to take Honors FYE 1220.
2. Core: Students entering with 15-29 hours need three honors core courses; Students entering with 30-44 hours need two honors core courses; Students entering with 45-59 hours need one honors core course; Students entering with 60+ hours are not required to take honors core courses. (The number of credits earned will be determined based on the calculation of hours earned prior to matriculation at Georgia Southern as they appear in a student’s DegreeWorks audit.)
3. Experiential Learning: One Experiential Learning Activity per year: three for those entering as sophomores, two for those entering as juniors, one for those entering as seniors
4. College Departmental Honors: Completion of College and/or Departmental Honors Courses
5. Honors Thesis: Includes proposal submitted one year before graduation and presentation at the Honors Research Symposium prior to graduation

College/Departmental Honors Requirements and Thesis details

The College/Departmental requirements vary by major. Find your major by clicking on your college below for links to your particular requirements.

See the Honors Thesis Handbook for details, formatting guidelines, and deadlines for the Honors Thesis.

Last updated: 11/19/2020