Bulletin 2000-2002
 
Introduction to IUPUI

Honors Program

The IUPUI Undergraduate Honors Program: Philosophy/Requirements

The IUPUI Undergraduate Honors Program, housed in University College, challenges students to strengthen and enrich their university education. The program raises student academic achievement and increases intellectual vitality throughout the campus, the Indianapolis community, the state, and beyond. The Honors Program accomplishes this by being highly inclusive and offering students a number of different access points. Unlike most traditional honors programs, IUPUI’s accommodates the educational needs of beginning traditional and nontraditional students, returning students, and part-time students, while consistently maintaining an emphasis upon academic excellence. The Honors Learning Communities, Interdisciplinary Integrator courses, and Honors Capstone experiences are also available across campus to students from the liberal arts and sciences to those in a wide array of professional and health sciences centers on the IUPUI campus.

Participation in Honors

The Honors Program is available to students at all levels of university study. All qualified undergraduates, including entering freshmen, may take courses offered through the Honors Program. Students receive permission to register for honors work based on merit criteria, which stress aptitude, motivation, and past attainment.

Freshmen

Entering freshmen are automatically invited to participate in the Honors Program when they have a minimum combined SAT score of 1180 or ACT of 26 or have graduated in the upper 15 percent of their high school class. Entering students who have been unconditionally admitted to University College are eligible to participate in honors courses. To be considered for participation, all entering students must complete an application and an interview with an Honors Program counselor. All full-time entering students are required to participate in a learning community. Those qualifying as honors students will, insofar as is possible, be placed in honors learning communities that are designed to attract and retain incoming honors candidates.

Continuing Students

Continuing students automatically qualify for participation in honors courses if they have earned a minimum of 12 credit hours with a GPA of at least 3.0. This makes them eligible to enroll in honors classes, earn honors credits by completing H-options, specially tailored work attached to a non-honors course, and participate in honors activities. Students who do not meet the criteria for automatic participation in honors courses, but who are seriously interested in the Honors Program, are encouraged to speak directly with one of the Honors Program’s advisors. The Honors Program recognizes that motivation, enthusiasm, and interest are often much more accurate indicators of success than simple numerical criteria. This flexibility assures that honors opportunities are available to all those students who wish to benefit from them or to contribute to them.

Honors Students and Bachelor’s Degrees

It is important to note that while all qualified students may participate in the Honors Program, not all will qualify to earn honors degrees. The Honors Program offers students the opportunity to earn honors credit that can lead to completing their degree “with honors.” Those students enrolled in honors courses who maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.3 and at least a 3.5 in honors courses are eligible to earn “honors” degrees. Additionally, students must complete one 3 credit hour “Honors Integrative Experience” course. Honors students are distinguished by having completed their degree “with honors,” signifying not only that they have performed at a very distinguished level of academic achievement but also that they have been exposed to the principles of undergraduate learning and to interdisciplinary course work.

In order to complete a bachelor’s degree with honors, students must fulfill their degree requirements and specific honors requirements and specific honors requirements in either of the tracks below.

  1. Honors First-Year Seminar or the Equivalent (1-3 cr.)
  2. Honors Undergraduate Research Project or Equivalent (3 cr.)
  3. Honors Integrative Experience (3 cr.)
  4. Honors Senior Thesis/Project (3-6 cr.)
  5. t least two additional honors courses, selected in consultation with an honors advisor (6 cr.)
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS—With Senior Thesis, 21 credit hour minimum.

Students who decide against doing the Senior Thesis/Project must replace number 4 above with three other approved honors courses or H-options. They need 24 credit hours in all.

Honors Associate Degrees

Candidates for the honors associate degree must complete the Honors Undergraduate Research Project (3 cr.), the Honors Integrator Experience (3 cr.), and two additional honors courses (6 cr.), in addition to completing all regular associate degree requirements with a minimum overall GPA of 3.3 and at least a 3.5 GPA in honors courses.

Departmental or School Honors Programs

In addition to the general Honors Program that is opened to all qualified students, there are now honors programs in ten departments, each with its own requirements: Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Communication Studies, French, Geology, German, Occupational Therapy, Philosophy, Political Science, and Psychology. Honors degrees also are offered by the Kelley School of Business, the School of Nursing, and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. For information on the requirements for these programs, see each school’s section in this bulletin.

Honors Scholarships

The honors programs provide scholarships for highly qualified individuals who participate in the Honors Program.

University College Honors Scholars $1,250 renewable for one year. Students who meet one of the qualifications for the IUPUI Academic Excellence Scholarships may compete for an honors scholarship. Applications are available in the Scholarship Office or in the Honors Program Office. An essay is required. Honors scholarship recipients may choose a laptop computer rather than a monetary award in the first year. Students must attend full time (minimum of 12 credit hours) and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA each semester. March 1 is the admission and application deadline.

IUPUI Honors Scholars $1,250 renewable for three years. Students who qualify for the IUPUI Academic Excellence Scholarship may compete for a four-year honors scholarship. Applications are available in the Scholarship Office or in the Honors Program Office. An essay is required. Honors scholarship recipients may choose a laptop computer rather than a monetary award in the first year. Students must attend full time (minimum of 12 credit hours) and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA each semester. March 1 is the admission and application deadline.

IUPUI Honors Upperclass Scholars $1,250 for one year full time; $625 for one year part time Recipients may reapply and receive this scholarship for a maximum of three years. Talented and motivated students who have demonstrated their academic abilities either by distinguishing themselves in honors courses or by completing at least 12 credit hours with a 3.0 GPA or higher are eligible for this scholarship. Applications are available in the Scholarship Office or in the Honors Program Office. An essay is required. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA each semester. This scholarship is available to both full- and part-time students.

Check with the Honors Program Office for forms, application deadlines, and additional information about these scholarships.

Honors Club

The Honors Club is dedicated to uniting people interested in maximizing their educational opportunities. The club provides social, educational, and community service opportunities for the student body and faculty that enhance the learning environment at IUPUI and in the community. Membership is open to all university students, faculty, and staff. Monthly meetings, along with specially planned activities, offer students, faculty, and staff numerous opportunities for enhancing their educational endeavors. For more information, contact the Honors Program Office at (317) 274-2660.

School Honors

Dean’s Lists

All schools recognize outstanding academic achievement through the undergraduate Dean’s Lists. Each school’s requirements may vary for full- and part-time students but are based on students’ work for one regular semester. Students should check their own school’s materials in this bulletin for more information.

Graduation with Distinction (IU and PU Versions)

In the Indiana University schools, students in the top 10 percent of their class are awarded bachelor’s degrees with three levels of distinction: distinction (3.5 GPA); high distinction (3.75 GPA); and highest distinction (3.9 GPA). The level of distinction is determined by the overall Indiana University GPA. Students must have taken 60 graded credit hours at Indiana University. The level of distinction is printed on both the final transcript and the diploma. At Commencement ceremonies, these graduates wear cream and/or crimson cords, depending on the level of distinction.

In the Purdue schools, students receiving Purdue degrees receive high and highest distinction, while geology students who receive IU degrees may be awarded distinction, high distinction, and highest distinction. To be eligible, candidates must complete all their degree programs’ requirements and meet the following conditions: (1) a minimum of 65 credit hours of course work from Purdue University or Indiana University applicable to the graduation index (degree grade point average) must be on record; (2) the minimum graduation index for distinction (Purdue and IU degrees) shall be no less than the 90th percentile of the graduation indexes of all the graduates in the school for the spring semester, provided that the index is at least 3.30. The minimum graduation indexes determined for the spring semester for graduation with distinction, high distinction, and highest distinction shall be applied for graduation with those respective levels of distinction for the subsequent summer sessions and fall semester. At Commencement ceremonies, these graduates wear black and/or gold cords.

Consult the sections for the Schools of Engineering and Technology and Science for more information.

University College Honoraries

University College sponsors two freshman honoraries, Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma. Students from any unit of the university are eligible for membership in these honoraries if they earn a minimum GPA of 3.5 in their first semester or first year of college, are registered as full-time students, and are pursuing a four-year degree. University College also sponsors Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honorary for part-time adult students.

Discipline-Based Honoraries

Many professions and disciplines at IUPUI have chapters of the undergraduate national honoraries associated with their field of study and regularly induct outstanding students majoring in their fields into these organizations.
 

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