Earning
Beginning in 2012-13, students will apply to the Honors program when filling out admissions paperwork. Students who have ACT score of 26 or above and graduated in the top 15% of their high school rank will be the most competitive and should strongly consider applying.
Students who apply for admission in the 2011-12 academic year do not have to fill out an application but are considered Honors-eligible if they meet one of the following criteria:
· An ACT score of 30 or more and a high school class rank in the top 10%.
· An ACT score of 32 or more and a high school class rank in the top 15%.
· An ACT score of 28 or 29 by special application and review.
Also, students who earn a 3.4 cumulative grade point average after a minimum of 15 credit hours of non-remedial college courses are Honors-eligible. If you believe you are eligible to join the program, contact Honors Director Virginia Cope to be designated an Honors student and provided the benefits of the program—including being first in line for scheduling.
For details on how to fulfill GEC requirements with classes that meet the Honors Contract standards, review the Honors Guides to the GEC links on this page (http://aschonors.osu.edu/contract).
Maintaining
To maintain their status in the Honors program, freshmen and sophomores must maintain a 3.4 GPA and take at least 11 quarter credit hours of honors, honors- embedded, 500-level, or graduate courses per academic year. After these first two years, to graduate with Honors, students in Arts & Sciences (including History, English, and Psychology) choose between two options: fulfilling an Honors contract or writing an Honors thesis. The contract, designed by the student and advisor, lays out an academically rigorous program of study that earns the student candidacy for graduation “with honors in the Arts and Sciences.” Those seeking the thesis option work closely with a faculty member to complete an independent research project that allows the student to graduate “with honors distinction.” Because Honors requirements differ among colleges and departments, students work with their faculty advisor in their major to design their Honors program.
Those students planning to transfer to the Columbus campus should be particularly attentive to the requirements for Honors. Although they cannot seek admission to the Honors program in Columbus until applying for admission on that campus, it will be difficult for students to design an Honors contract unless they have taken Honors-level classes during their freshmen and sophomore years. If you have questions about the requirements for your area of study, contact the advisor for your major.