Graduation Requirements

Honors College Course Requirements 

Note, scores of 4 or higher on AP exams and scores of 6 or higher on IB exams will count for Honors course credit.  

• Students Entering with 15 or less Credit Hours 
  Complete at least 23 hours of Honors course credit by completing Honors courses and/or converting regular courses for Honors credit, including at least 6 hours at the 3000/4000 level 
• Students Entering with 15-29 Credit Hours 
  Complete at least 21 hours of Honors course credit by completing Honors courses and/or converting regular courses for Honors credit, including at least 6 hours at the 3000/4000 level 
• Students Entering with 30-44 Credit Hours 
  Complete at least 18 hours of Honors course credit by completing Honors courses and/or converting regular courses for Honors credit, including at least 6 hours at the 3000/4000 level 
• Students Entering with 45-59 Credit Hours 
  Complete at least 15 hours of Honors course credit by completing Honors courses and/or converting regular courses for Honors credit, including at least 6 hours at the 3000/4000 level 
• Students Entering with 60+ Credit Hours 
  Complete at least 15 hours of Honors course credit by completing Honors courses and/or converting regular courses for Honors credit, including at least 6 hours at the 3000/4000 level 

Honors College Graduation Requirements 

First Year Requirements 

• XIDS: 2002 Topical Seminars 
• Participate at least 3 times with Peer Mentor group per year
• Participate in at least 3 Academic Enhancement and/or Career Enrichment opportunities per semester (see examples in Table 1 below) 

Second Year Requirements 

• Participate in at least 3 Academic Enhancement and/or Career Enrichment  opportunities per semester (see examples in Table 1 below) 
• Participate in at least 1 one-semester long Personal Community Involvement opportunity per year 
• Participate in the one Honors Mentor group session per semester 
  Submit to the Honors College a resume and declaration of major and discipline 

Third Year Requirements 

• Participate in at least 3 Academic Enhancement and/or Career Enrichment opportunities per semester (see examples in Table 1 below) 
• Participate in at least 1 one-semester long Personal Community Involvement opportunity per year  
• Participate in the one Honors Mentor group session per semester 
• Identify a Faculty Mentor to advise during capstone project 

Fourth Year Requirements 

• Capstone Project Seminars* (1 per semester 4th year totaling 3 credit hours)    
• Meet with Honors College Dean to review Capstone Project (1st semester) 
• Present Capstone Project 
• Submit Final Capstone Project to Honors College (see below or the Honors Student Handbook (pdf) for specifics about the Honors Capstone Project)

 

Examples of Honors College Approved Engagement Opportunities 

*Students in specific disciplines may need to exempt capstone course. Work with Honors College advisor for Honors Course conversion and exemption documentation.

All Honors College graduates receive recognition of their academic achievements and successes through the following:

• Honors College distinction on all Official Transcripts
• Honors College seal on Diploma
• Honors College Medallion
• Official recognition during Commencement Ceremony and Program

All Honors capstones will include a formal written component and formal oral presentation. Different types of projects might be conceived as follows:  

Written Component 

Honors Thesis 

• Scholarly Research Paper: A paper that uses original and secondary published sources to formulate a question and make a creative contribution to the literature. The paper may be a review and synthesis of the literature or an original research paper.  
• Research Paper: This is a paper that includes primary data from experiments, clinical research, surveys, and other data sources or secondary data that is subjected to rigorous analysis. It may entail quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods approaches to data analysis. It may include laboratory or field work and/or research or surveys including human subjects (with the guidance of an advisor trained in human subjects research and formal approval of the Institutional Research Board). Other approval may also be required for projects involving the use of animal subjects or controlled substances. Students will be guided by their faculty advisor for such approvals.  

Experiential Learning 

• Experiential Learning purposefully engages faculty/ mentors and learners in a direct experience (i.e., “learn by doing”) and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop student’s capacity to contribute to society. 
  Experiential learning activities can include, but are not limited to, internships, practicums, clinicals, field exercises, case studies, undergraduate research, and hands-on laboratory experiments.  These direct learning experiences must be well-planned, supervised, and assessed through reflective writing.   

Original and Creative Works 

• Fine Arts display or performance: Presentation of a student’s creative artistry (e.g. music and vocal recitals; art, film, theatrical performance, and photography exhibits). This option includes a formal reflection paper.  
• Portfolio: Primarily for Fine Arts majors. A formal compilation of a student’s artistry created as part of their fine arts classes. This option will include a formal reflection paper.  

Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program (ABM) coursework 

• UWG offers several different Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree programs where students take graduate level courses.  Honors College students must complete two graduate level courses (six credit hours) and complete a reflection paper.  
• UWG ABM Programs include: Biology, English, Sport Management, Public Administration, and Digital and Social Media Communication 

Formal Reflection Paper:  Students who seek to complete an Honors Capstone Project in the Experiential Learning, Original and Creative Works and/or Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master's program categories must write and submit a reflection paper. Reflection papers must include 1) a description and explanation of the topic area and reasons for choosing it; 2) the steps taken to complete the project; 3) a description of the final work, including reflections on when and how they applied any knowledge and skills they learned through their coursework; 4) an assessment of the importance of the activity and how it contributed to the learning process and/or prepared the student for graduate school, profession and/or career; and 5) a brief reflection about the overall experience and how the Honors College supported and prepared the student for this project and future endeavors. 
 
Oral Presentation 

The Honors capstone project oral presentation is a valuable opportunity for students to showcase formally their research and original work to their advisor, faculty members, fellow students, and the Dean of the Honors College. This presentation can be completed through one of the following: Honors Showcase, Scholars’ Day and/or a regional or national conference. Below are specific prompts/components for the presentation: 

Presentation Components: 

• Introduction (Name, Faculty Mentor, and Project Title) 
• Capstone Project Type  
• Reflection (reflect on how this experience has impacted your academic and professional development) 
• Learning Experience (share two key elements from this experience) 
• Honors College Impact (share how the Honors College assisted and contributed to this work) 

 

Coordinating the Honors Capstone Project with Discipline Specific Major Requirements  

Honors students are encouraged to align their Honors capstone project with major requirements, such as a departmental capstone project, clinicals, or student teaching. In some cases, a major requirement can be augmented to satisfy the Honors capstone criteria. Alternatively, students may pursue independent research, creative, or applied projects or enroll in an independent study course. It is important to note that students who pursue the project within a regular course must include an additional component to convert a major requirement into an Honors capstone project.  Students cannot simply double count a departmental/major requirement as the Honors capstone project.  

 

Honors Capstone Project Faculty Mentor 

Selecting a faculty mentor is as important as selecting a capstone project and topic. Students work closely with a mentor throughout the capstone experience, relying on them to guide the creative work's direction, review and edit the capstone project itself, and assist with preparing for the capstone presentation. The capstone mentor is responsible for regularly meeting with the Honors student.  

To be a faculty mentor, the faculty member must: 

1. Work at UWG as a regular full-time, regular part-time, or Emeritus faculty member above the rank of instructor (Lecturer, Assistant, Associate, or Professor)  
2. Be an active faculty member during the semester in which the student will be submitting the capstone project. 

Honors College capstone experiences are typically structured with the following courses during the student’s year of graduation:  

HONR 4102: Capstone Seminar I.   

Honors students enroll in this course during the first semester of their final year of college. Students will have identified a discipline-specific faculty mentor at the end of their third year, and they will take this course to prepare and work on their final capstone project. Students will select a capstone project option, thinking about how scholars ask research/creative questions to answer discipline-specific or societal problems. Honors students will develop a project proposal and submit it to the Honors College and their faculty mentor by the end of this course. 

HONR 4103: Capstone Seminar II. 

Honors students enroll in this course during their last semester of their final year in college. Students will work on their identified capstone project with their faculty mentor while in this course. They will also spend time working on formatting and how to communicate or present their work. The project does not have to be completed within HONR 4103.  While some students may complete all the necessary components of the capstone requirement in HONR 4103, some students will complete some or all of them independently before or after completion of the course. Final projects are submitted to the faculty mentor/advisor and Dean of the Honors College by the last day of classes of the semester in which the student will graduate. 

Capstone Project Assignments and Timeline

• Capstone Project Proposal due at the end of HONR 4102. 
• Faculty Mentor/Advisor approves and signs off on the project by the end of HONR 4102. 
• Students must meet with Honors College Dean by the midpoint of first semester of final year in college. 
• Capstone Projects are due on the last day of semester that student intends to graduate. 
• Students must present during the last semester of the intended graduation year. 

Submission of a completed Honors capstone project is required for Honors graduation. Written research papers, theses, and reflection papers should be submitted according to the following guidelines:  

1. An electronic copy of the research paper, thesis, or reflection paper should be emailed to the Honors College email address at honors@westga.edu, the Dean of the Honors College, the Program Manager of the Honors College, and the student’s faculty mentor.  
2. The electronic copy must be accompanied by the formal Honors College Capstone Project Cover Sheet and the Honors Capstone Project Signature sheet, both modified to reflect the student’s name and title of their project. The signature sheet must contain the electronic signature of the student’s faculty mentor.  
3. Honors capstone projects must be submitted to the above contacts no later than 5:00pm on the last day of classes in the semester the student intends to graduate. Students who choose the creative works option will submit some form of permanent record of their creative activity (e.g. video, portfolio, audio CD, etc.) and an electronic copy of the typed formal reflection paper. 
4. The Honors College Dean will review all capstone projects and sign the signature page after submission and will contact students and their mentors with any questions. 

The Honors College Capstone Projects are a culminating academic experience, highlighting the original, exceptional work, skills, and talents of Honors students.