Accelerated Honors Program

The Accelerated Honors Program (minimum 19 credit hours) is designed for students who enter the Honors College with 30 or more completed credit hours. The program includes a primary emphasis upon the completion of major requirements and the production of a final distinction project in six or fewer semesters.

Accelerated Honors Core Curriculum

1) Complete 1 of the following:

UHC 110: Freshman Honors Seminar

A 2-credit hour class designed for first year students entering the Honors College at Missouri State University. This class is to be taken in the student’s first semester and fulfills the First-Year Foundations requirement of General Education. This is a special topics course with each hosting a unique and creative intellectual focus.
1 General Honors Course

Honors students must take one Honors-coded courses (HONR) throughout their career at Missouri State University. These classes can also fulfill General Education requirements. Honors sections are offered within each of the box requirements for General Education curriculum

OR

1 Experiential Learning Experience*

Experiential Learning Experiences take several forms:
- UHC 300: Honors Service Learning
- UHC 350: Honors Study Abroad
- UHC 396: Honors Independent Study
- UHC 398: Honors Undergraduate Research
- UHC 399: Honors Internship/Apprenticeship.
Students are only required to do one, but are welcome to do more! The experiences range from 1 credit-3 credit hours.

*To complete an Experiential Learning Experience, you must fill out the appropriate form and turn it into the Honors College within the first week of the semester in which you wish to complete the component. Find the forms on our Worksheets and Forms page.

See Course Offerings for current list of available honors courses.

2) UHC 397 Honors Colloquia

A 3-credit hour class designed as an upper-level colloquium focused on open discussion and oral presentation. Students select from a menu of 6-8 interdisciplinary courses offered each fall and spring.

When appropriate, this course may be cross-listed with departmental offerings (e.g. UHC 397/HST 397).

3) UHC 410 Senior Honors Seminar

A 3-credit hour class designed as a Senior Honors Seminar focused on research skills and written presentation. This course is normally completed during senior year (1-2 semesters prior to graduation). Students select a Seminar from a menu of 6-8 discipline based courses offered each fall and spring. When appropriate, this course may be cross-listed with departmental offerings (e.g. UHC 410/BIO 494).

4) Distinction in the Major (minimum 12 credits)

Accelerated students must complete Distinction in Major. It is a self-designed program focused on their interests within their major culminating in a final distinction project.

Students choose combinations of UHC 396: Honors Independent Study and UHC 398: Honors Undergraduate Research that best fit their needs for their honors research experiences.

Honors research experiences are commonly attached to a course the student will being taking the same semester as the research experience. In terms of credit hours, if you take a 3-credit hour course and attach the 1 credit hour UHC 396: Honors Independent Study that adds up to 4 hours of honors credit going towards completing distinction in major.
The Honors Distinction project is a 3-4 credit hour course focused on completing a capstone project based on the student's interests. Honors students consult with a faculty member of their choice from their major department to complete this project. This is an opportunity to create specialization within a student’s interests that may not be regularly taught at Missouri State.

The Honors Distinction Project must be submitted to the Honors College by the final day of classes prior to a student’s graduation. Students may repeat UHC 499 for up to eight hours in order to complete their project.

To complete any of the Distinction Components above, you must fill out the appropriate form and turn it into the Honors College within the first week of the semester in which you wish to complete the component. Find the forms on our Worksheets and Forms page.

Distinction Proposal

Students must complete a distinction project proposal under the guidance of a faculty member in their major department. The proposal must be approved by the Department Head for the major and by the Director of the Honors College before a student may register for honors course sections. Distinction proposals must be approved prior to the beginning of a student’s senior year.

Additional Requirements & Regulations

GPA Requirement

In order to remain in good standing in the program, a student must maintain a 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA or higher.

Full-Time Student Status

In order to remain in good standing in the program, a student must enroll in 12 or more credit hours per semester.

Progress Review

The Director of the Honors College will review the academic progress of all students at the end of each semester. Students who do not achieve the required 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA will be given one semester to achieve that level, provided it is mathematically possible.

Students who cannot achieve a 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA or who fail to reach a 3.25 for two consecutive semesters will be ineligible to continue in the program. Students who are removed from the program may apply for readmission after one semester if their academic performance satisfies program requirements. Students who are removed from the program a second time are not eligible for readmission.

Earned Credential

Students who complete all Accelerated Honors Program requirements and earn a final institutional GPA of 3.25 or higher are eligible to graduate from the Honors College after they satisfy all other University degree requirements.

Final transcripts and diplomas will include the notation "Bachelor of _______ (with possible grade point honors such as cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) in the Honors College with Distinction in ______."