University Honors Program

The University Honors Program offers special opportunities for successful, confident and motivated students to pursue academic work that challenges their interests and abilities. The program is campus-wide, encompassing all undergraduate colleges in the University. As a result, honors students have access to the entire spectrum of educational resources available at Texas A&M. Honors courses and individualized research programs bring together outstanding students and faculty in an environment designed to encourage initiative, creativity and independent thinking.

Texas A&M's most selective, competitive academic scholarships are administered by the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships. These include the President's Endowed, Lechner and McFadden, National Merit, and Merit Plus Scholarships for incoming freshmen, the Hazelwood Scholarship for transfer students, and the Academic Incentive Award Scholarships for currently enrolled students. Texas A&M makes over 1,200 new awards of these prestigious scholarships each year in recognition of academic and leadership achievement. Academically successful Texas high school graduates may also qualify for the valedictorians' tuition waivers coordinated by the Department of Student Financial Aid.

The University Honors Program provides recognition for undergraduate academic success at Texas A&M and a full range of support services for participants in the honors curriculum and recipients of academic scholarships. The Honors Program functions much like a small college within a comprehensive research university.

Honors Curriculum

Each year, over 300 honors course sections are offered by academic departments across the University. Honors courses have limited enrollment and are reserved for highly successful and motivated students. As a result, they encourage participatory learning through the interchange of ideas between students and professors and among students themselves. In honors classrooms and laboratories, students work closely with many of the University's most acclaimed faculty and have the opportunity to explore course material in unusual depth. Small size (usually no more than 25) also allows honors classes to undertake activities and utilize facilities not readily available to undergraduate students. Honors classes may be special sections of regularly offered courses or courses developed specifically for honors students.

The University Honors Program is not a separate curriculum track. In fulfilling departmental, college and University degree requirements, honors students have the opportunity to choose the combination of honors courses and regular course sections that best meet their needs and interests. Typically, participating students register for one or two honors courses each semester.

For University Honors Program participants interested in pursuing an intellectually challenging sequence of honors courses and research opportunities within their major area of study, the Engineering Scholars Program, the Honors Plan in Liberal Arts and Mays Business School Honors Program offer special, structured honors experiences. The individual college entries in this catalog offer information about these honors study options.

There is no separate application for admission to the University Honors Program. Rather, students meeting the criteria described below are cleared for participation in honors course work semester by semester.

Qualifications for Participation

To be admitted to honors course work in the academic year 2003-2004, new freshmen must have graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class and present a composite score of at least 1250 on the SAT, 28 on the ACT, or be a National Merit Finalist, National Achievement Finalist or National Hispanic Scholar. Second semester freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors may enroll if they attain a cumulative Texas A&M GPR of 3.4 or above. Transfer students are considered for participation on an individual basis. To continue in the Honors Program each semester, a student must maintain a 3.4 cumulative GPR. Students with less than a 3.4 cumulative GPR will be dropped from honors courses.

Students who have completed 9 semester hours of honors course work with an overall GPR of 3.4 or higher are designated "honors candidates." Honors candidacy is a step on the way to graduation with honors and brings with it special privileges, including the right to apply for Honors Independent Study, Honors Contracting and selection as a University Undergraduate Research Fellow.

Honors Independent Study and Honors Contracting

The honors curriculum may be customized to fit individual needs through Honors Independent Study and Honors Contracting. Honors candidates may accumulate up to 15 hours of credit through a combination of Honors Independent Study and Honors Contracting, providing no more than three courses are taken in each category.

Honors candidates who meet regular requirements for honors registration may petition to enroll in Honors Independent Study, individualized instruction or research under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

With the approval of the course instructor and the University Honors Program, honors candidates may obtain honors credit by enrolling in a non-honors, advanced-level course and engaging in a written "Honors Contract" to undertake morechallenging work and to meet for individual instruction.

Graduate Courses for Undergraduate Honors Credit

Honors candidates who meet regular requirements for honors registration can receive up to 6 hours of honors credit for graduate course work taken at Texas A&M. To register for graduate classes and apply credit earned toward an undergraduate degree, a student must file a written petition for approval to the course instructor, the subject matter dean and the dean of the student's college. The petition should be initiated in the University Honors Program. Graduate credit hours earned toward an undergraduate degree may not be used again toward a graduate degree.

Honors Recognition and Graduation with Honors

All honors courses are designated on a student's permanent transcript, showing prospective employers or graduate and professional schools that the student has participated in an enriched curriculum. University Honors and Foundation Honors are conferred at commencement upon students who have completed a substantial body of honors course work and who hold an overall GPR of 3.4 or above and an honors course GPR of 3.25 with no grade less than a C in an honors course. Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude, University Honors, Foundation Honors and completion of the University Undergraduate Research Fellows are recorded on a student's transcript. Students may graduate with Foundation Honors, University Honors and as University Undergraduate Research Fellows.

University Honors

Students who have completed 36 hours of honors course credit, or 33 hours that include at least 3 hours of honors independent study, may qualify for graduation with University Honors. Each qualifying student must earn at least 6 hours of honors credit in the humanities, visual and performing arts, or social and behavioral sciences, and 6 hours in natural sciences or mathematics. A minimum of 12 of the 33-36 honors hours must be taken at the advanced (300-400) course level.

Foundation Honors

Completion of a 43 hour University Core Curriculum is required of all students seeking an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. Students who choose to fulfill 19 hours of University Core Curriculum course work through honors classes may qualify for graduation with "Foundation Honors" distinction. The 19 honors hours must include 3 hours from U.S. history and political science, 3 hours each in communication and mathematics, 4 hours including lab in natural sciences, and 6 hours from humanities, social and behavioral science, and visual and performing arts.

University Undergraduate Research Fellows

Honors candidates may apply to participate during their senior year in the University Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, a two semester, independent research experience culminating in a senior honors thesis. This is the most challenging research opportunity available for undergraduate students and provides participants with access to faculty supervision and research resources usually extended only to students pursuing graduate degrees. The Fellows Program features a close, master-apprentice relationship between student researchers and faculty advisors and involves both in interdisciplinary seminars to foster scholarly community. Participants are selected for the Fellows Program based on their academic record and faculty evaluation of a formal research proposal.

Honors Student Services

Participants in honors study at Texas A&M qualify for academic and career counseling aimed at high-achieving students by the University Honors Program. They have opportunities for recreation, involvement in Honors Program development, and campus leadership through the Honors Student Council. Honors Program academic advisors identify and prepare candidates for major national scholarship competitions, including the Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, Marshall, Mellon, Udall and National Science Foundation scholarship programs. Participants may also request assignment in Clements Honors Residence Hall.

President's Endowed, Lechner and McFadden Scholarships

Approximately 200 four-year President's Endowed Scholarships, each worth a total of $12,000, and 150 Lechner/McFadden Scholarships, each worth a total of $10,000, are awarded annually to incoming freshmen who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents or who graduate from accredited U.S. high schools. Out-of-state recipients also earn a non-resident tuition waiver for the duration of the scholarship. Scholarships are merit-based and are awarded without regard to financial need. Eligibility for competition: 1300 SAT I or 30 ACT or Semi-finalist or Commended standing in national scholarship competitions sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation or College Board.

Achievement Awards

Approximately 280 four-year scholarships are awarded each year to incoming freshmen who are Texas residents, who have overcome significant adversity and who, despite the difficulties, have performed well academically. Overcoming adversity may mean being the first in the family to go to college, difficult economic circumstances or overcoming a significant personal hardship. Students will be selected from the pool of students who have a completed admissions application on file by January 9, 2004. No separate scholarship application is necessary.

National Merit Scholarships and Merit Plus Awards

Students named Finalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition who designate Texas A&M as their first choice college to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation under guidelines established by the Corporation are assured a four-year National Merit Sponsorship with a total value of at least $2,500. National Merit Finalists who name Texas A&M as their first choice college may also earn a Director's Excellence Award valued at $10,000 over four years.

National Merit Semifinalists enrolling at Texas A&M for their freshman year of study will be granted a one-year $2,000 Merit Plus Award. Designation as a National Merit Finalist, of course, will qualify the recipient for an additional National Merit Sponsorship as described above.

National Merit Scholars needing a fifth year of study may receive a Director's Excellence Supplement Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. Recipients of National Merit, Merit Plus Scholarships and Director's Excellence Awards may combine them with other scholarships, including Texas A&M awards. Holders of these awards are assured on-campus housing in residence halls as long as they request it for their freshman year of study and maintain continuous on-campus residence. They also are eligible for a $1,000 stipend applicable for participation in Texas A&M's Study Abroad Program.

Valedictorian Tuition Exemption

Valedictorians from accredited Texas high schools are entitled to a tuition exemption during their freshman year at Texas A&M University. To receive this award, the student must be certified as valedictorian and Texas A&M must be the first college or university of full-time enrollment. No formal application is required, but qualified students must present their official valedictorian declaration to the Department of Student Financial Aid at the new student conference or the beginning of their first semester.

College and Departmental Academic Scholarships for Freshmen

A number of colleges and departments at the University award scholarships on a merit basis to incoming freshmen interested in particular major fields of study. The sizes of the awards vary, and the term of scholarships range from one to four years. Out-of-state recipients of scholarships valued at $1,000 or more per year qualify for a non-resident tuition waiver. Selection criteria are determined by each awarding college and department. Students may enter college or departmental scholarship competitions in their proposed field of study by submitting the 2004 Freshman Academic Scholarship application no later than January 9.

Hazelwood Scholarships

The Hazelwood Scholarship program provides competitive academic scholarships for a select number of students transferring to Texas A&M from other four-year colleges and universities. The award begins in the fall semester and is open to those students who have completed one or two full years of undergraduate course work. The scholarship consists of a one-year stipend of $1,000 and is awarded based on current college Grade Point Ratio, college course work and high school academic record. Minimally, a 3.6 cumulative Grade Point Ratio in all college course work is required to be considered for an award. After completing one fall semester at Texas A&M, recipients of Hazelwood Scholarships may compete for the Academic Incentive Award Scholarships administered by the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships and the Academic Excellence Awards administered by the Department of Student Financial Aid. Applications for Hazelwood Scholarships must be received at the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships no later than April 1. Out-of-state scholarship recipients qualify for a non-resident tuition waiver during the duration of the award.

Academic Incentive Awards

Each spring, students who will achieve sophomore, junior or senior standing by the following academic year and who have attained a cumulative GPR of at least 3.4 and are enrolled in an honors course are invited to compete for Honors Program Academic Incentive Award Scholarships. These one-year scholarships are valued at $1,000. The awards are merit-based and competition for them is keen. To qualify for consideration, a student must have been enrolled in honors courses and not hold other Texas A&M scholarships with a combined annual value of $1,000 or more. Recipients must enroll for at least 12 hours of courses during each of the two semesters that they hold the scholarship. Recipients are eligible to reapply in successive years. Applications must be received by the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships no later than March 1. Applications are available online only at www.faid.tamu.edu.

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