Honors Program
The Hood College Honors Program is a four-year program of coursework, co-curricular events and extracurricular activities. Honors courses, which are designed to cultivate students’ ability to examine our complex world, are interdisciplinary in approach and are often team-taught. Classes are small, discussion-oriented and frequently enhanced by guest speakers and field trips.
The Honors Program includes the following requirements:
- FYS 101H and HON 102 taken during first year
- HON 201 and HON 202 taken during sophomore year
- At least one 300-level or 400-level HON course taken during junior year
- A second 300-level or 400-level HON course (or approved replacement) taken during the sophomore, junior or senior years
- HON 470 (the third upper-level HON course required) taken during the junior or senior years
- Demonstration of 202-level proficiency in a global language (other than English, Latin or ASL)
GPA Requirements
To remain in good standing in the Honors Program, first-year students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are required to maintain at least a 3.25 GPA. Students who have a GPA that falls below the minimum requirement will be placed on probation within the program or dismissed from it.
Grade Requirements
A grade of “C-” or better is required in each Honors course being used to satisfy the Program requirements.
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Any student who receives a grade lower than a C- in FYS 101H will be dismissed from the program.
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Any student receiving a grade lower than C- in HON 102, HON 201 or HON 202 may be dismissed from the program. If allowed to continue in Honors, the student will need to repeat that course the next time it is offered and earn a grade of C- or higher in order to fulfill the program requirements.
Global Language Requirement
Students in the Honors Program must demonstrate proficiency in a global language (other than English, Latin or ASL) through the 202-level. Proficiency can be demonstrated by successful completion of a 202-level course or by a placement exam.
First-Year Honors Experience
First-year students in the Honors Program take two Colloquium courses organized around interdisciplinary themes. In the first semester the course emphasizes the humanities. The second semester explores a theme related to the sciences.
- FYS 101H First Year Seminar-Honors Colloquium I
Sophomore Year Honors Experience
The sophomore year in Honors helps students to explore the nature of knowledge, cultural differences and the individual’s place in society.
During the second semester (HON 202) students combine scholarly research with experiential learning in the community.
Selected first-year students may begin the program at the end of their first or second semester at Hood. These students begin taking Honors courses at the time of their entry into the program and exempt earlier Honors courses.
Honors students may begin taking their upper-level Honors electives in the sophomore year. Because Honors electives are offered on a variable schedule, students who are particularly interested in a course are urged to take it the first time it is offered during their eligible years. Students who take an upper-level Honors elective in their sophomore year are still required to take HON 201 and HON 202 during their sophomore year.
Honors Experience in Junior and Senior Years
Students in the Honors program will complete at least three Honors courses (or approved replacements) at the 300-level or above. At least one of those upper-level HON courses must be HON 470 Seminar. HON 470 may be repeated once under a different topic.
Approved Replacements for Upper-Level Honors Elective Courses
Students who study abroad for at least one semester may count that experience as one of their upper-level Honors electives. Students who complete a two-semester departmental honors paper (499) may count that paper as one of their upper-level Honors electives.
Students who complete a 6-credit departmental honors paper (499) may count that paper as one of their upper-level Honors electives.
As an alternative to a departmental honors paper, students in Hood's Honors Program may elect to complete a 3-credit interdisciplinary HON 499 paper or project during the fall or spring semester of the senior year.
Relationship to the Core Curriculum
Students will receive one Methods of Inquiry Core Curriculum replacement for each Honors course completed in the 102, 201, 202 sequence. (Note: Honors credit may not be used as a replacement for the laboratory science requirement.) Successful completion of HON 201 also satisfies the Global Perspectives requirement of the Core.
Transferring into the Honors Program
The Honors Program welcomes qualified transfer students.
Those who have successfully completed two years of an honors program at another college or university before transferring to Hood may enter the Hood College Honors Program at the junior level. In order to complete the program, such students must take HON 470 and a minimum of two other upper-level Honors Program courses (or approved replacements). Students must also complete the program's global language requirement (see below).
Students who transfer to Hood without having completed two years of an honors program at another college or university, may also join the Honors Program. They must take a minimum of five Honors Program courses: HON 201, HON 202, HON 470 and at least two other HON courses at the 300-level or above (or approved replacements). Students must also complete the program's global language requirement (below). Sophomore transfers who complete HON 201 and HON 202 may use those courses to replace two courses from the Methods of Inquiry Core (other than laboratory science).
Global Language Requirement Students transferring into the Honors Program with an A.A., A.S., or AAT or who have earned A.A. equivalency may satisfy the global language requirement in one of the following ways:
Demonstrate proficiency in a global language through the 202-level (by coursework or placement exam)
or
Successfully complete any two global language courses
or
Complete one global language course and one of the following
AFPS 353, Contemporary African Political Thought
ANTH 302, Cultural Anthropology
ART 356, Art of Japan
GER 301, Berlin in the 20th Century
GLBS 301, Human Migrations: Refugees and IDPs
MEST 300, Cultures of the Middle East
Note: English, Latin and ASL cannot be used to satisfy the Global Language requirement of the Honors Program.
Students who place in and complete a 203, 204 or civilization course-level French, German, or Spanish course during the first semester at Hood with a grade of C or above earn 6 additional credits. No additional credits are awarded for students already awarded transfer credit for French, German, or Spanish 201 and 202.
Recognition of Honors Students
To graduate from the Honors Program, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25. Students who fulfill the Honors requirements will earn Honors Program recognition on their academic records.