- About the Program
- Advantages
- Requirements
- Program Activities
- Program Staff
- Graduate as a University Scholar
Advantages
The School of Honors offers an edge to those students who wish to excel both inside and outside of the classroom. When you join our team, you gain these advantages:
Consideration for scholarships and other financial support
There are a variety of scholarships available to the School of Honors. Additionally, being a member of the School of Honors makes it easier to find scholarships and various other means of financial support.
Innovative Honors classes that are small and conducive to learning
The answer to the common questions, "Will participation in Honors classes involve substantially more work or will it hurt my grades?" and "Is participation in Honors Classes required to stay in the Honors Program required?" is NO. Honors classes are not graded differently from other classes and outstanding work in the class will be rewarded with high grades. Honors classes often involve more discussion and interaction between professor and students; most Honors classes are not strictly lecture classes. Because of their small size, Honors courses allow students to read, write, and discuss issues that are beyond the scope of larger and more impersonal classes. In fact, some students consider many Honors classes to be more interesting and even easier than the regular classes. A current list of Honors classes is available here. Honors classes are only required if you want to graduate with an Honors diploma. To graduate with honors you must complete 25 hours of honors course work while maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher in those classes.
Close working relationships with professors
SFA prides itself on the small classroom setting that it provides. We believe that this setting allows for more in depth discussions and bonding between students and the professor. Honors takes that desire for one-on-one instruction a step further in providing Honors sections with professors who place much emphasis on the development of the student-teacher working relationship.
Early registration
First semester freshmen register for classes at Freshman orientation in the Honors Computer Lab where orientation leaders and Honors staff provide personalized assistance during the registration process. Every semester thereafter, Honors students register with the first group of SFA students to select classes. By registering first, Honors students can select their first choice of courses, their favorite professors, and times that work best with their schedules. This is considered by some students as the number one advantage of membership in the School of Honors.
Honors-sponsored extracurricular activities
The School of Honors is a great way to meet other students at SFA. There are many activities members can participate in or help out with. Some of these activities include an end of the year banquet, community service activities, and fund raisers.
Close association with other highly motivated students
Many "core" requirements have honors sections designated, and honors students find such classes more stimulating and give them a chance to meet other undergraduates on their "wave length."
Membership in HSA and option of living in Wisely Hall
All members of the School are automatically welcome, if they wish, to participate in the activities of the Honor Student Association. This is the social and charity volunteer wing of the program. Its great for building up the non-academic section of your vita and serves the inner drives and emotional commitments of highly motivated students. (Those who participate pay dues of $10 per year.)
Wisely Hall, the Academic Excellence Hall, is one of only two "Quiet Dorms" on campus. It is the most centrally located facility on campus (right behind the Austin Building), has larger and more comfortable rooms, and was among the first to have high-speed ethernet connections for computers. Here gather some of SFA's most committed and talented students on campus.
Use of computers, printers and other facilities in the Honors Suite (McKibben Education Building, ED 381)
Honors students have access to computers and laser printers in the Honors suite (McKibben ED 381). Free photocopying and faxing are also available. The computers are almost always available for class assignments and are usually available for personal use. The School of Honors also has laptop computers available that can be checked out for 48 hours during the week or 72 hours on the weekend. Other items of use in the suite are a refrigerator and a microwave. The suite is open weekdays, 8 am to 5 pm.
Honors Courses designated on transcript
In addition, every honors course completed is designated as such on the transcript, with the word: "HONORS COURSE." Once a student has completed the twenty-five (25) hours necessary for the completion of the Honors degree, they will be awarded a separate Honors diploma and cords.