Program Requirements

How the Honors Program works:

The University Honors Program is designed to work with every major at A&M-Texarkana. We put you in control of how you complete the requirements of the program, and that flexibility gives you a unique and personalized Honors experience. By successfully completing curricular (courses, projects, etc) and co-curricular (colloquiums, workshops, tutoring) activities, you will gain points towards the total needed to graduate from the program. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to earn badges (see below under Perks) that reflect your particular achievements, including in public speaking, stewardship, research, and teaching.

NOTE- YOU NEED 16 ACADEMIC POINTS AND 16 CO-CURRICULAR POINTS TO BE ELIGIBLE TO GRADUATE FROM THE PROGRAM.

As the Honors program gives you the flexibility to shape your experience, it is up to you which of these opportunities to pursue. Most students do a combination of courses and projects to reach the points needed, but the path is up to you! (A minimum GPA of 3.25 is required to remain in good standing in the Honors program)

Requirement	Specifics of requirement	Points per Completion
Honors designated section of a typically non-honors course	Must have grade C or better.	2
Honors course (has prefix HONR)	Includes: ● HONR 345- Advanced Academic Argument ● HONR 497- Special Topics (recurs with different content) ● Must have grade C or better	4
Supervised Honors projects	Requires working with a faculty member as a mentor. The final product must be deemed satisfactory by the faculty mentor. Project points may count towards a Research Badge.	4
Honors Thesis	This is the most ambitious undertaking in the program. Each discipline does this differently so contact the Honors Program Director for more information. Project points may count towards a Research Badge.	8
		Points Needed for Graduation: 16

As with the academic requirements, the co-curricular path is yours to forge. You can focus on honing your research and presentation skills if you wish, or to give back to the campus through tutoring and stewardship, or a combination of all of them- the choice is yours!

Category	Activity	Points per Completion
Student Research	Attend a Colloquium	1
	Facilitate an Honors colloquium	2 Applies towards Stewardship badge
	Present at the Honors program Showcase	4 Applies towards Research badge
	Present an Honors Colloquium	4 Applies towards Public Speaking badge
	Present at approved academic conferences	6 Applies towards Public Speaking badge
Tutoring and Coaching	Attend an Honors workshop	1
	Lead an Honors workshop	3 Applies towards Teaching badge
	Serve as an official Honors program tutor-	6 per semester Applies towards Teaching badge
	Serve as a Program FYE Coach-	6 per semester Applies towards Teaching badge
Program Stewardship	Serve as an Honors Program Ambassador. This can include: ● volunteering at Eagle Open House, SOAR, and other recruitment events ● Multi-modal interaction with social media	2 Applies towards Stewardship badge

Honors Program Perks:

Degree Enhancement: Students can add value to their education and degree through rigorous project-based learning and campus engagement. Students emerging from the program have enhanced knowledge and skills, and have an Honors designation that sets them apart. Students participate in Honors-specific courses together, and also work one-on-one with faculty to complete advanced Honors projects.

Badges: Students can demonstrate their own individualized path to an Honors designation through the Honors Program Badges. These badges represent specific forms of achievement and they communicate to others what skills and expertise a student gained in the program. Each badge is unlocked after 12 points (though a student must also graduate from the program to earn a badge).
Current badges include:

Public Speaking
Research
Stewardship
Teaching

If you would like to propose a new badge, please contact the Honors Program Director.

Perks: Honors students receive several “perks” from departments on campus, including:

Enhanced borrowing privileges at the library
National tutor certification opportunities
Priority class registration for Honors students

For more information, contact honors@tamut.edu