ARTS & SCIENCES HONORS PROGRAM

This Honors Program supports excellence in critical thinking, creativity in applying the Davenport University Excellence System to a career path, and recognizes the development of leadership skills in the Foundation of Excellence Program that is part of each degree program.

Program Entrance Requirements:

Students may start the Program

• Upon completion of a minimum of 9 credit hours of University coursework at an accredited institution, with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher at the time of starting the first Honors-designated course (HNRS151)
• A letter of recommendation from a DU faculty member supporting the student’s decision to enter the program

Arts and Sciences Honors are conferred upon completion of

• Five Foundation of Excellence courses (15 credits) in the College of Arts and Sciences at the 100 level or higher with a grade of “B” or better.
• Five courses affiliated Honors Projects with a project grade of “B” or higher. Students will be enrolled in a section of HNRS151-155 (0 cr) for each of the five affiliated projects upon approval of the project. The Honors Project grade will not count as part of the final course grade, but is required for the designation of Honors credit. Students failing to either receive a course grade of “B” or higher, or complete the affiliated project with a grade of “B” or higher, will earn course credit but no Honors designation.
• Three credits of Experiential Learning experience, which could include PROX 193   Service Learning Experience (3 cr), SABR 381   Study Abroad Experience (3 cr), or an approved internship. Students may complete this requirement at any time in the program, but must justify the timing of the Experiential Learning component to the Honors Program Coordinator. The Internship could be directly related to the student’s program or could encompass an affiliated or new field of study.
• Students must maintain an overall cumulative university GPA of 3.25 throughout their degree program. If the GPA drops below 3.25 in any semester, the student will be placed on Honors Program probation for one semester until the GPA is brought back up to 3.25. A second probationary suspension will result in being dropped from the Honors Program. If a student fails to complete an Honors Project affiliated with a course, the student will receive university credit for the course, but not Honors credit. If a student fails to complete an Honors Project for a second course, the student will be dropped from the Program.

Affiliated Honors Projects

• Students graduating from DU are expected to demonstrate mastery in nine Excellence System skills. Courses designated for Honors Program credit will include a project approved by the instructor and the Honors Program Coordinator that addresses either an excellence skill not covered in the course learning objectives, or significantly expands upon an excellence skill beyond the stated course Learning Objectives. Projects must be approved prior to completion of the first week of class. At least five of the nine Excellence System Skills must be addressed by completion of the five Honors-designated projects.
• The nature and format of the projects are flexible but should represent approximately 20-30 hours of work outside of class obligations to complete the project. Students must submit a form to the College of Arts and Sciences to outline the project for approval purposes.

Students interested in this program should visit the website https://my.davenport.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/college-of-arts-and-sciences/honors-program or contact the College of Arts and Sciences.