Honors Program

The Honors Program provides students with opportunities to advance their education through challenge, innovation, and community. Honors is ideal for students wishing to maximize their competitiveness for top-tier graduate programs or employers and to develop confidence and the whole-person skills needed for professional success.

Honors students have succeeded in dramatic fashion, with University Honors graduates admitted to the graduate school of their top choice for either master’s, doctoral, or J.D. programs and often with sizable scholarships/fellowships. Their schools range from The George Washington University’s Department of Political Science, the University of Rochester’s Department of History, Educational Neuroscience at Gallaudet University, and George Mason University’s Public History (Museum Studies) program to the Pacific School of Religion (Social Transformation program), Yale Divinity School, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, the University of Maryland School of Library Science, the University of Virginia School of Law, the Columbia University School of Social Work, and Texas A&M (Statistics), University of Texas, Austin (Accounting), and The College of William and Mary (American Studies).

We seek out students who are driven to succeed academically and professionally and who commit to personal and social transformation leading to a global society of inclusive diversity. To these ends, students may apply for opportunities for funding for academic development and may join in leadership or service activities both on and off campus including presentations at conferences. Students who are accepted into the Honors Program are eligible for one of the top two merit scholarships, President’s Honors and President’s Distinguished Honors.

Additional details are available on the Honors Program website.

Mission

The Gallaudet University Honors Program provides advanced teaching and mentoring to a diverse group of motivated and capable students. Our program integrates in-depth academic preparation, individualized academic offerings, and professionalism. Each student in Honors is a part of a larger community of scholars seeking continual improvement. In that spirit, our program cultivates personal and systemic transformation contributing to a diverse national and global society. Students who complete the University Honors Capstone demonstrate they are best prepared for a complex and changing world. University Honors graduates possess the advanced skills, knowledge, and integrity conducive to life-long learning, creativity, and civic-minded service.

Honors Requirements

Good Standing

The Gallaudet Honors Program is a learning community for the most academically capable and motivated students. The overall goal is to foster skills, work habits, and attitudes conducive to future achievement and lifelong learning. To this end, the program focuses on rigorous, challenging, and innovative interdisciplinary curricular offerings as well as connections between curricular and co-curricular activities such as service learning and civic life. The successes of the program’s innovations may be replicated for all students. Students are considered in good standing in the Honors
Program if they have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater or a semester GPA of 3.2 or greater for those returning to good standing.

Students in good standing have active status. New students also are considered active during their first semester although they do not have a GPA yet. Students who are on probation for one semester because their cumulative GPA has fallen below 3.2 are still considered to have active status for this purpose.

To graduate with University Capstone Honors, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 is needed.

General Education Honors

General Education Honors requires completion of all Honors requirements to be taken with a grade of B or better; if not, courses must be retaken assuming good standing in the program remains intact.

Core: EXPERIENCE (total of 18 credits – see Core curriculum page for details)

For Honors students, 6 of the 18 Core: EXPERIENCE credits must be specific honors courses:

Honors students take VEE 102H instead of VEE 102 and ENG 175H instead of GSR 102.

(ENG 175H is the required English pathway for Honors students. A waiver of GSR/ENG 102 for English placement or transfer credit does not waive ENG 175H for Honors students as ENG 175H includes more advanced course content than GSR/ENG 102; material here is also specific to Honors. However, completion of ENG 175H allows for taking courses that have GSR/ENG 102 as a prerequisite.)

Core: EXPLORE (total of 24 credits, 6 from each Area of Inquiry – see Core curriculum page for details)

For Honors students, 6 of the 24 Core: EXPLORE credits must be taken as either an Honors section, as designated by an H with the course number, or with an Honors Option Contract adding additional depth and instructional contact to a regular course as well as cultivating an Honors ethos of giving back to the class as they share their research. These 6 honors Core: EXPLORE credits must come from two different Areas of Inquiry.

Core: ENGAGE (participation milestones and 1 credit – see Core curriculum page for details)

Honors students will fulfill their engagement requirements in regular offerings from the Core: EXPLORE Curriculum. While this will not require a separate Honors section or Honors Option Contract, Honors students will be advised and expected to contribute to their engagement courses with the depth of their knowledge and experience as part of the Honors ethos of using their experience and research to give back to the community.

Students have the option of ending their Honors Program experience at this point should they wish to not continue to University Capstone Honors requirements; they will receive General Education Curriculum Honors on their transcript but not University Capstone Honors.

Transfer students with high credits that waive a large number of their Core Curriculum requirements may opt to begin their Honors Program experience by pursuing only University Capstone Honors. In most cases, if students are taking two or more Core: EXPLORE electives at Gallaudet, they will be required to do Honors Options Contracts or Honors designated sections with those courses.

University Capstone Honors

Upper Level Honors Option Contracts (minimum 6 Honors Credits):

Honors students must complete Honors Option Contracts in two upper level courses. These are typically 300 or 400 level courses with some exceptions made for courses at the 200 level that are not introductory courses. Upper level contracts will be taken in courses related to disciplines supporting their eventual capstone project goals. Courses taken at other Consortium member institutions or Graduate courses may be substituted for these requirements with the approval of the Honors Director. A grade of B or better is required in all of the HON courses listed below; if not, courses must be retaken assuming good standing. For graduation, a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.4 is required.

University Honors Capstone Courses (6 Honors Credits):

The following sequence of courses should be taken starting the Spring semester the year before anticipated graduation in order to complete the Honors Capstone. Honors Capstone completion includes a public presentation and final approval by the Honors Council.

HON 487 – Proposal for University Honors Capstone – 3 credits
HON 488 – University Honors Capstone Progress – 1 credit
HON 489 – University Honors Capstone Completion – 2 credits
Total: 12 University Capstone Honors Credits.

Note: Students graduating with University Honors will also be expected to give a presentation to the campus community on their Capstone project. Those students who have met the requirements will have “University Honors” noted on their transcripts and a gold seal placed on their diplomas.

Sample Four Year Plan:

University Capstone Honors for Online Degree Completion Program

The Gallaudet Honors Program is a learning community for the most academically capable and motivated students. The overall goal is to foster skills, work habits, and attitudes conducive to future achievement and lifelong learning. To this end, the program focuses on rigorous, challenging, and innovative interdisciplinary curricular offerings as well as connections between curricular and co-curricular activities such as service learning and civic life. The successes of the program’s innovations may be replicated for all students. Students are considered in good standing in the Honors Program if they have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater or a semester GPA of 3.2 or greater for those returning to good standing. A cumulative GPA of 3.4 is required for graduation.

Students in good standing have active status. New students also are considered active during their first semester although they do not have a GPA yet. Students who are on probation for one semester because their cumulative GPA has fallen below 3.2 are still considered to have active status for this purpose.

ODCP students are eligible for University Capstone Honors.

University Capstone Honors (12 credits)

Upper Level Honors Option Contracts (minimum 6 Honors Credits):

Honors students must complete Honors Option Contracts in two upper level courses. These are typically 300 or 400 level courses with some exceptions made for courses at the 200 level that are not introductory courses. Upper level contracts will be taken in courses related to disciplines supporting their eventual capstone project goals. Courses taken at other Consortium member institutions or Graduate courses may be substituted for these requirements with the approval of the Honors Director. A grade of B or better is required in all of the HON courses listed below; if not, courses must be retaken assuming good standing. For graduation, a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.4 is required.

University Honors Capstone Courses (6 Honors Credits):

The following sequence of courses should be taken starting the Spring semester the year before anticipated graduation in order to complete the Honors Capstone. Honors Capstone completion includes a public presentation and final approval by the Honors Council.

HON 487 – Proposal for University Honors Capstone – 3 credits
HON 488 – University Honors Capstone Progress – 1 credit
HON 489 – University Honors Capstone Completion – 2 credits
Total: 12 University Capstone Honors Credits.

Note: Students graduating with University Honors will also be expected to give a presentation to the campus community on their Capstone project. Those students who have met the requirements will have “University Honors” noted on their transcripts and a gold seal placed on their diplomas.

Sample Plan:

Admissions to the Honors Program:

Students will be asked to interview with the program director and will be asked to supply information to justify their admission to the program.  For more information, contact honors@gallaudet.edu.