General Honors Program

The General Honors Program is designed for students who enter the Honors College with fewer than 30 completed credit hours. It is focused on both general education and major requirements. It takes 7 classes to complete the program. Distinction in major is an option that general honors program students can opt into.

General Honors Core Curriculum

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.
Honors students must take three 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.
Each Honors student must complete an ELE. These include:
- 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.
A 3-credit hour class designed as an upper-level colloquium focused on open discussion and oral presentation. This course is normally completed during junior year (3-4 semesters prior to graduation). 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).
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).

*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.

Distinction in Major (Optional)

Students may opt into continuing their honors studies within their major through 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 hours 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.

Students who have completed the General Honors Core Curriculum may double-count one section of UHC 396, UHC 398, or UHC 410 towards the Distinction in the Major requirements.

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

Core Curriculum Completion

Students who complete all General 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.

Core Curriculum and Distinction in Major Completion

Students who complete all General Honors Program and Distinction in Major 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 ______."