Honors

Dr. D. Niler Pyeatt, Honors Program Director

Purpose

The Honors Program offered by Wayland is designed to challenge the academically superior student to develop initiative and abilities beyond what is expected in a normal course of study. Electing an Honors program offers breadth and depth of content through independent study and research, aiding the student in preparation for entering a career upon graduation or attending graduate school in a field of choice. Honors work represents the highest level of academic work available at Wayland on the undergraduate level.

Honors Programs, Awards and Recognition

Students admitted to the Honors Program are eligible for scholarship assistance. The Honors Council bases individual awards on information furnished by each candidate. These awards continue provided the student maintains the proper grade point average and makes steady progress in completing seminar, tutorial, and thesis hours. Honors students on scholarship receive half-tuition remission for each of three Honors seminars they complete and full-tuition remission for twelve hours of tutorial and thesis courses.

Upon the student’s successful completion of Honors work, the Honors Council awards the student a certificate and medallion. The medallion is to be worn with academic regalia and the Honors student will be given special recognition during the graduation ceremony.

Admission to the Honors Program

The Honors Program is designed for the student whose entering test scores and personal essay indicate capability, high academic potential, and the desire for a more demanding course of study than the regular one. The requirements for admission to Honors are:

First-year or freshman standing,
Top quarter of high school graduating class,
Minimum B average in high school work,
Minimum ACT/SAT scores to qualify for Pioneer Scholarship at 1/3 level,
Approval of Honors Council.

To continue in Honors, a grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 must be maintained.

Admission to the Honors Program for students who, within their first two years of college work, discover an interest in a particular discipline that they desire to pursue in more depth than regular curriculum demands, are:

Sophomore or advanced standing,
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.6,
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.65 within the major or specific discipline,
A letter of application by the student to the Honors Council Chairperson that sets forth reasons for desiring entry into the program and a proposed outline for a thesis. This letter must have the signature of the professor willing to direct two tutorials and two or three thesis courses, the dean of the school, and the vice president for academic services and graduate services. This application must be approved by the Honors
Advisory Council.

Application for admission should occur during the sophomore year, or no later than the first six weeks of the first long term as a junior.

Successful Completion of the Honors Program

Any major field of study coupled with the Honors program will be considered a composite major. Honors courses in the research/tutorial and thesis areas will be added to the major to complete the composite classification. During the freshman and sophomore years, students must complete 6 hours in the Honors seminar courses (HONO 1395 , HONO 1396 , HONO 1397 , HONO 3394 ). All seminar work must be completed before beginning the thesis.

In the junior and senior years, all Honors students are required to work closely with a professor in their major field of choice to complete the following courses that lead to the finalization of the thesis. Depending on the major field of study, the Honors Student will take 3 hours from tutorial or research courses (HONO 3395 or HONO 3397 ); 3 hours from thesis courses (HONO 4395 ); and 6 hours from seminar, tutorial, research, or thesis courses (including HONO 3396 , HONO 3398 , and HONO 4396 ) or, with the approval of the Honors Council, an upper-level elective closely related to the thesis but outside of the student’s major.