University Honors Program
University Honors ProgramIn keeping with the university's commitment to provide educational opportunities consistent with the ability of the individual student, Virginia Tech invites a select group of students to enroll in Honors. University Honors provides a combination of special sections of regular courses, honors seminars and colloquia, tutorials, independent study, and undergraduate research. Honors courses enable students of superior academic talent to be challenged to their full intellectual capacity. The honors faculty includes Alumni Distinguished Professors, University Distinguished Professors, and members of the university's Academy of Teaching Excellence. University Honors represents a combination of study within departments and course work cutting across departmental lines. The program is designed both to broaden and deepen the student's intellectual life. ParticipationIncoming freshmen are invited to apply for University Honors on the basis of their standardized test scores and high school records. Transfer students and continuing Virginia Tech students who achieve a GPA of 3.50 or greater are invited to apply. Students remain in the program on the basis of their continued high academic performance and the pursuit of one of five honors degrees. Course SelectionCourse selection is not necessarily tied to the student's major field of study. Lower division honors students may participate in honors reading groups, honors colloquia and honors sections of regular courses. Normally, honors sections of regular academic courses are offered in biology, political science, history, economics, chemistry, english, mathematics, and psychology. Occasionally, honors sections are offered in other subject areas as well. Upper division honors students also are eligible for these options, as well as, honors undergraduate research, honors tutorials, honors agreements, graduate courses. Honors DegreeAn honors degree is a designation to the undergraduate degree. One University Honors degree would not suffice at a University such as Virginia Tech. We have created five Honors options for the students eligible for Honors. They are of increasing difficulty in requirements. Students must declare which degree they seek at the beginning of the second year, and while they can change, most do not.
Throughout the course of an Honors student’s career there are several benchmarks for obtaining the various degrees. Following the freshman year, students declare their degree intention. Declaring candidacy occurs in the junior year. As a senior, University Honors students order their honors degrees. Graduation Requirements
Honors AdvisingEach University Honors student is assigned a staff member in the Honors office for Honors advising once he/she has declared candidacy for a University Honors degree. Additional Honors Advisors in each major department work specifically with University Honors students. These Honors Advisors act as an extension of the University Honors office to help students with exceptional advanced opportunities within their chosen field of study. Advising for major national scholarships like Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright Scholarships are available through University Honors for all Virginia Tech students. Advising for professional programs in medicine and dentistry is available through University Honors. Interested students must complete requirements of that program. See the following link: http://www.univhonors.vt.edu/. Undergraduate Course Descriptions2004H: CAREERS IN MEDICINE |
