Honors Program

Students in the Honors Program are expected to:

• complete at least three Honors seminars;
• design and carry out an independent research project in the junior or senior year;
• design and carry out a semester-long service project or off-campus service experience;
• incorporate an overseas or international experience;
• present results of the independent research project, overseas experience, and service project at a public forum on campus or publish an article in the Battler Columns.

Among the benefits students will receive are:

• stimulating classes and scholarly experiences with other academically superior students;
• international engagement and broader global perspective;
• service experience and community engagement;
• public speaking or media experience;
• recognition as Honors Program graduates on their diplomas and transcripts;
• inscription of their names as Honors Program graduates on a plaque displayed in a prominent place on campus.

All students invited to participate in the Honors Program will write an essay in response to a subject proposed by the Honors Program Advisory Committee. The committee will evaluate the essays interview the applicants, and then decide whether to admit them to the program.

Incoming Freshmen

High school students identified as potential Honors students based on markedly superior performance in high school and on national college entrance examinations will be invited to apply to the Honors Program.

Minimum Criteria:

• ACT composite score of 26 or SAT combined score of 1140.
• Placement in the top 10% of graduating class or a high school GPA of 3.5.

Any qualified transfer student who has completed 60 or fewer credit hours OR who will be a full-time student at Alderson Broaddus University for at least four semesters may apply for admission to the Honors Program.

Minimum Criteria:

• ACT composite score of 26 or SAT combined score of 1140.
• 3.40 cumulative GPA from the previous institution.

Transfer students who participated in the Honors Program at the previous institution and wished to join the Honors Program at Alderson Broaddus need to:

• meet AB acceptance requirements
• submit an application essay
• request the syllabi of previously taken Honors classes to be credited towards AB Honors requirements.

Any qualified student currently enrolled at Alderson Broaddus University who has completed 39 or fewer hours may apply for admission to the Honors Program.

Minimum Criterion:

• 3.40 cumulative GPA at Alderson Broaddus.

The Honors Program is a four-year program for students from all academic and professional majors. To be designated an Honors Program graduate, a student in the Honors Program must complete three 3-hour interdisciplinary Honors seminars, incorporate overseas or international experience, and design and carry out a semester-long service project and an independent research project during the junior or senior year.

Since Honors courses may be used to meet the requirements of the liberal studies program, students in the Honors Programs are not required to take more hours for graduation than other students. Also, the independent research project may, in some cases, be considered as a 3-hour independent study course in fulfillment of a requirement in a student’s major

Both Honors 200 and Honors 400 are taught in a seminar format that encourages students’ regular participation in exchanging ideas and diverse viewpoints. Each seminar focuses on a different theme, exploring that theme from the perspectives of several academic disciplines. All Honors courses involve intensive reading and discussion, with presentations by guest lecturers when appropriate. In addition, students learn the methods of scholarly research and writing through semester-long research projects that allow them to explore topics in-depth. They also make oral class presentations of their research.

• Honors 200 is open to students in the Honors Program and students with at least a 3.5 GPS (excluding remedial courses.)
• Honors 400, a more advanced seminar that emphasizes significant independent research by students, is open to Honors Program students and students with at least a 3.5 GPS (excluding remedial courses.)

Both courses carry 3 semester hours of credit, and both may be repeated once for credit.

The Honors Seminars are intended to help students:

1. Perceive the histories, intentions, and methodologies of the different academic disciplines and their relationships.
2. Achieve a better understanding of the nature of evidence.
3. Exercise critical thinking in response to written and spoken information, ideas, and opinions.
4. Engage in a productive discussion of subjects based on a reasoned evaluation of evidence.

The ultimate focus of the Honors Program is significant independent or guided research by its participants.

Each Honors student will design and carry out a research project during his or her junior or senior year. The project will culminate in an Honors senior project that will be evaluated by the Honors Program Director and the Honors Program Advisory Committee.

Students frequently can use as their Honors Program senior project a research paper already completed, or currently being completed, to fulfill requirements in their majors. Students must consult with the Honors Program Director in advance as to the acceptability of their project in fulfilling Honors Program requirements.

After the Honors Program Director has approved his or her senior project, the student will present the results of the project in a public forum on campus, open to the entire campus community of faculty, staff, and students, as well as the general public. Presentations of the research projects to national, state, or regional conferences or symposia will also fulfill this requirement.

In place of an Honors research paper, students may substitute other major senior-level accomplishments, such as portfolio readings for writing majors or art gallery exhibits and talks for art majors. It is the responsibility of the students to have these projects approved in advance by the Honors Program Director.

The goal of the service project is to gain first-hand experience and a more in-depth understanding of social or environmental issues and their effects on communities. Students should find, contact, and offer help to a local community, church, or government organization that serves underprivileged or at-risk populations or attempts to solve specific environmental problems. After the Honors Program Director has approved the student’s plan of engagement with the organization, the student should work with this organization regularly for at least one semester and provide a written report and a presentation/article based on this experience.

In lieu of working with a local organization and with the approval of the Honors Program Director, students can participate in an off-campus service activity, such as a mission trip, in another city in the United States.

Students will submit to the Program Director written reports of the service project and overseas experience. In addition, to benefit not only the Honors students but also the Alderson Broaddus community, all activities required for the completion of the Honors Program will culminate in a presentation at a public forum on campus open to the entire campus community of faculty, staff, and students, as well as the general public or in an article published in the Battler Columns. The presentation/article must explain the goals of the project, provide engaging details, and draw conclusions.

A student must maintain at least a 3.4 cumulative GPA to remain in the Honors Program.

A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.4 but not below 3.0 will be placed on Honors probation for one semester but will be permitted to take an Honors seminar during the probationary period.

At the end of the probationary period, a student whose cumulative GPA has risen to 3.4 or above will be returned to normal status in the program.

A student whose cumulative GPA is still below 3.4 but not below 3.0 at the end of the probationary semester will continue on probation for an additional semester but will not be permitted to enroll in an Honors seminar.

If at the end of a second probationary semester, a student’s cumulative GPA is still below 3.4, the student will be dismissed from the program.

A student whose cumulative GPA at any time falls below 3.0 will be dismissed from the program without a probationary period.

Regardless of cumulative GPA, a student whose semester GPA for any semester falls below 2.6 will be placed on Honors probation for one semester and will not be permitted to take an Honors seminar during the probationary period. If, for the probationary semester, the student’s semester GPA is again below 2.6, he or she will be dismissed from the program regardless of cumulative GPA.

A student may voluntarily withdraw from the Honors Program at any time upon notifying the Honors Program Director.