Honors Course Requirements

To graduate from the Honors College, you must:

The Honors distinction will be reflected on your diploma and transcripts, and you will be recognized at graduation. Honors College distinction is different from University Honors recognition at graduation, which is outlined below:

• Candidates with a USF GPA of 3.50 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.50-3.69 shall receive a diploma designation of cum laude (with honor).
• Candidates with a USF GPA of 3.50 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.70-3.89 shall receive a diploma designation of magna cum laude (with high honor).
• Candidates with a USF GPA of 3.50 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.90-4.00 shall receive a diploma designation of summa cum laude (with highest honor).

NOTE: The GPA is not rounded up when determining honors distinction and grade forgiveness is not applicable.

Fall 2008 (or prior term) admits (first time in college and transfer/continuing students) must complete four core Honors courses, including two semesters of Thesis.

Spring 2009 to Spring 2011 admits (first time in college and transfer/continuing students) must complete five core Honors courses, including two semesters of Thesis.

Fall 2011 and later first time in college admits must complete six core Honors courses, including Arts & Humanities, Acquisition of Knowledge, and two semesters of Thesis.

Fall 2011 and later transfer/continuing student admits must complete five core Honors courses, including two semesters of Thesis.

Below is the list of Honors College core courses:

• IDH 2010 Acquisition of Knowledge (3 hrs)
• IDH 3100 Arts/Humanities Honors (3 hrs)
• IDH 3350 Natural Sciences Honors (3 hrs)
• IDH 3400 Social and Behavioral Sciences Honors (3hrs)
• IDH 3600 Seminar in Applied Ethics (3 hrs)
• IDH 4000 Honors Major Works/Issues (4 hrs)
• IDH 4200 Geographical Perspectives Honors (3 hrs)
• IDH 5975 Honors Thesis - taken twice (3 hrs)

By completing the Honors College curriculum, students will fulfill Gordon Rule Communication and Exit (Capstone and Writing Intensive) requirements.

If you are selecting a major within Colleges of Education or Nursing you should plan to complete the Honors College courses needed to meet your Foundations of Knowledge requirements by the end of your second year.  If you are undecided, you may also consider doubling up on Honors courses while researching a major of study.

Business students satisfy the professional writing requirement (ENC 3250) through Honors Thesis. Engineering students also satisfy this requirement (ENC 3246) through Honors Thesis.

Cultural Experience Requirement

Students must also meet the Cultural Experience Requirement.

The advising staff is available to assist you with academic, personal and professional questions.  You will meet with an Honors College Advisor at Orientation and throughout your stay at USF.  We strongly encourage you to make an appointment with your Honors College Advisor each semester so we may get to know you and help you achieve your goals, both academic and personal.  Freshman must see your assigned Honors Academic Advisor during the Fall semester prior to registering for Spring classes and in the Spring semester to register for Summer and Fall in order to remove their Academic Advising hold. Advising through the Honors College does not replace advising through your academic department. Be sure to visit your major advisor as well.

• Make an appointment with an advisor by calling (813) 974-3087, stop by the office, or use the Honors online eScheduler

• Walk in advisors are available throughout the semester for quick questions (max of 15 mins). See the schedule below:

Registration

Honors students have priority registration privileges. It is in your best interest to meet with your advisor and have your schedule prepared in advance of the registration date so you can get into the classes you need before they are filled.  Permits and overrides should be requested before the registration date.

Who needs permits?

• Students with declared double majors need a permit for Honors courses every semester.
• All students wishing to take IDH 4000
• All students wishing to take IDH 5975.

Honors permits can be requested online. 

Permits required for non-Honors courses must be requested from the department which offers the course.  Most have permit request functions on their websites.  Honors Advisors cannot process these permits.

 

Withdrawals

At some point in your college career, you may consider dropping a class after the Drop/Add deadline.  Withdrawing from a course mid-semester will result in a W on your transcript, which will be seen by potential employers and graduate or professional school admissions committees.  Students admitted to USF are only allowed three (3) withdrawals during their first 60 hours. Please make an appointment with an advisor to talk about your options and to determine if that is the best choice.  If you withdraw from an Honors course, you will not be eligible to receive the Honors College Scholarship the following Fall or Spring semester even if you are registered in an Honors course. 

If you withdraw from another class, even if it drops you below 12 hours, you will still be eligible to receive the Honors College scholarship provided renewal criteria are met.  

Other scholarships may be affected by withdrawals, so please see a Financial Aid Counselor to see how the withdrawal will affect your aid package. 

Grades

Honors courses are graded using the University grading scale.  Receiving a D, F, or U may result in removal from the Honors College.  In addition, receiving a grade of C on the Honors Thesis is considered passing, but will not be accepted for Honors distinction; a grade of D or F is unacceptable. 

An “I” grade indicates incomplete coursework and may be awarded when a small portion of the student’s work is incomplete and only when the student is otherwise earning a passing grade.  The “I” will remain on the transcript until the coursework is completed, and is not factored into the GPA.  Students have two semesters to complete the coursework before the grade turns to an “IF” and is calculated into the GPA as a failing grade.

If you receive an “Incomplete” (I) in an Honors course, your scholarship will be withheld until the work is completed.

USF’s Grade Forgiveness Policy permits a student to repeat a course (taken originally at USF and repeated at USF) and have the repeated grade computed in his/her GPA in place of the original grade.  It is important to note that both course attempts remain on the transcript and both grades will be computed into the GPA for Honors College distinction, University Honors, and some graduate school applications.  If you are considering repeating a course for grade forgiveness, please make an appointment with an advisor to discuss your options. 

Honors College courses may not be repeated for grade forgiveness.

Departmental Honors Programs

Several programs at USF offer departmental honors to junior and senior level students. The departmental programs require separate applications prior to admission and have varying requirements for completion.  If interested, you should contact the individual department for admission and graduation information.

It may be possible to combine the departmental honors thesis with the Honors College Thesis; please speak with an Honors College Advisor for more information.