University Honors Program

The University Honors Program at Jacksonville University aims to challenge academically talented, highly motivated students to develop intellectual curiosity and rigor, independent reasoning and creativity, superior communication skills, leadership, and a system for ethical decision-making. The program enables students with strong academic records and a desire to excel in the pursuit of knowledge to join with select faculty to form a community within the University that supports outstanding scholarship, personal growth, and service. The curriculum exposes students to interdisciplinary experiences and encourages them to make connections among domains of knowledge; fosters leadership; guides students to assess and reflect on their beliefs and values; encourages students to identify and assess personal, academic, and professional goals; provides opportunities for individual research and creativity; and encourages participation in cross-cultural and international experiences.

Entering students may register for honors courses if they have attained at least a 3.5 GPA at the secondary level and a combined SAT score of 1290 or better (reading & mathematics), or ACT score of 27 or better. Returning and transfer students may register for honors courses if they have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Qualified students may take as few or as many honors courses as they wish.

Fulfillment of the requirements for the University Honors Program entitles participants to graduate with University Honors at commencement. Requirements include:

Filing an official acceptance of the invitation to join the Honors Program with the director of the Honors Program. Students then are designated University Honors Fellows. Students, who remain in good standing in the Honors Program, as determined by the director, are eligible for priority registration.
Successful completion of at least 25 credit hours in honors courses, including a one credit hour colloquium and at least one honors seminar.
Attainment of a 3.5 cumulative GPA and a 3.5 GPA in honors course work at the time of commencement.
Completion and presentation of a significant research project.
Completion of at least one internship.
Completion of a service learning opportunity offered as part of the Honors Colloquium.
Enrollment in Honors courses each semester. (Two consecutive semesters of enrollment in no Honors courses results in the student being designated “not in good standing” in the Honors Program.)

Students transferring to JU may transfer honors credits received from accredited community colleges and four-year colleges and universities into JU’s Honors Program. However, to graduate with University Honors, a transferring student must complete a minimum of 13 credit hours in honors courses at JU, including the honors colloquium and an honors seminar, and a total of 60 hours of graded credit at JU.

Students may earn in various ways the honors credits necessary to graduate with University Honors:

Students entering with Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam scores, which exceed the requirement for AP or IB credit at the University, may apply those credits toward the minimum of 25 honors credits needed to graduate with University Honors.
Honors Colloquium – A required three-credit honors orientation course for first-year honors students focusing on educational planning, values exploration, and personal development.
Honors sections of courses carrying zero (0) to eight (8) credit hours each.
Interdisciplinary honors seminars – Honors seminars carrying two to five credit hours each, the topics of which are specified in the Schedule of Classes. Topics vary by semester.
Add-on one honors credit – One hour of honors credit in addition to regular course credit. Students participate in extra projects or research in a particular course under the supervision of the instructor. Approval of the director of the Honors Program is required.
Departmental Honors courses – At the upper levels, Honors Program students are expected to propose and conduct research or creative projects within their major fields carrying two to six credit hours of independent study per semester. Students seeking University Honors credit should apply for departmental honors as specified (see Academic Awards and Scholastic Honors in this section) and simultaneously submit their prospectus to the Director of the Honors Program. Upon approval of the completed departmental honors projects or creative productions for honors credit by the students’ departmental supervisory committees, students in the Honors Program will be awarded both departmental and University Honors credit. Students are required to present findings in a public forum such as the Undergraduate Research Symposium, scheduled each year in the spring.
Undergraduate Research— Honors Program students are expected to propose and conduct research or creative projects within their fields of choice. The course work involved may include independent study carrying two to six credit hours per semester. This is closely related to the Departmental Honors courses discussed above but need not necessarily be related to academic major or to pursuit of Departmental Honors designation. The proposal and project must be approved by the director of the Honors Program as well as by the faculty mentor who will oversee the project.
Internship – On rare occasion, when certain criteria are met, an internship may carry honors credit.
Education Abroad – Coursework carries honors designation only as determined by the Director of University Honors.