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:

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

Students who entered the Honors College prior to Spring 2008 must complete four Honors College courses; students who entered the Honors College during Spring 2008 or later terms must complete five Honors College courses to graduate with Honors College distinction. By completing all of the Honors College courses listed below as well as English Composition and Quantitative Methods requirements, you automatically meet the University Foundations of Knowledge and Gordon Rule requirements.  Students must complete Major Works/Major Issues and the Honors Thesis in order to graduate with the Honors College distinction.

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

If you are selecting a major within the School of Architecture & Community Design, Colleges of Education or Nursing, or if you plan to major in Mass Communications or Social Work, 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 satisfy the requirement (ENC 3246) through Honors Thesis.  Engineering students may be eligible for additional course waivers.  See an Honors College Advisor for details.

Foreign Language Requirement

As an Honors College student, you are required to show proficiency in two semesters of the same Foreign Language.   Sign Language is acceptable for Honors (but may not be for your major); computer languages are not acceptable. 

Options to fulfill Honors Language Requirement:

Contact the Language Department at 974-2548 or visit Cooper Hall (CPR) room 419 for specific information on placement exams.

Permits are required for the first level of Spanish, French, and German. Permits can be obtained at the World Language Department.

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 an Honors Advisor during their Fall semester prior to registering for Spring classes 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.

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. 

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.  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. Below is a list of programs offering Departmental Honors and their contact information. 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.

How do I change my major or declare a second major?

Any major changes or declarations within the College of Arts and Sciences can be completed on the CAS website.  Changing your major or declaring a second major within the college can be done using the Change of Major  form.  If you want to double major between two different colleges, complete the Double Major form for the CAS major. 

If you are changing your major from Arts and Sciences to another program, you will need to drop your CAS major using the Outside Change of Major form, and declare your major within the new college. 

Changing or declaring a new major within all other colleges must be done at the college advising office.  It is a good idea to speak with your Honors advisor and a department advisor before completing the paperwork to make sure you have met any qualifications.  College offices and phone numbers are listed below.