Honors College

Combining real world projects with intellectual rigor, the Honors College at Southern Oregon University aims to provide a challenging learning environment. Our creative curriculum will take advantage of the university’s unique location by drawing on the rich natural, cultural, and artistic resources that are Southern Oregon. Southern Oregon University seeks to create a community of learners prepared for a lifetime of intellectual curiosity, inquiry, scholarship, and service.

Honors College Scholars at Southern Oregon University are admitted by invitation following a competitive application process. See http://honorscollege.sou.edu/apply.htm for details. Honors College Scholars are required to:

Maintain minimum grade point averages - These grade point averages (GPAs) vary slightly by academic year. The categories of, “freshman,” “sophomore,” “junior,” and “senior,” are determined by a student’s cohort year, and not determined by the number of completed credits.
- Freshmen:
  - 3.0 GPA in Honors College courses, figured cumulatively at the end of the academic year.
  - 3.5 GPA in all non-Honors courses, figured cumulatively at the end of the academic year.
  - If a grade of C- or lower is earned in any Honors College course, the course must be retaken.
  - Freshmen grades will be reviewed by the Honors College Director at the end of each quarter. The reviews at the end of the fall and winter terms will not be analyzed for potential probationary purposes, but will be a system to help ensure academic success in the following term(s). Freshmen not meeting the 3.0 GPA requirement at the end of fall term, or the end of winter term, will be required to develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) under the supervision of the Honors College Director and Honors Foundations Instructor. The details of the IEP will be based on the “Areas For Improvement” identified by the Honors Foundations Instructor or other appropriate SOU faculty members. All IEPs will be kept strictly confidential and compliance will be mandatory.
- Sophomores:
  - 3.25 GPA in Honors College courses, figured cumulatively at the end of the academic year.
  - 3.5 GPA in all non-Honors courses, figured cumulatively at the end of the academic year.
  - Freshman grades will not be figured into the sophomore cumulative GPA analysis, unless doing so enables the student to remain in “Good Standing” academically in the SOU Honors College.
  - If a grade of C- or lower is earned in any Honors College course, the course must be retaken.
- Juniors:
  - 3.25 GPA in Honors College courses, figured cumulatively at the end of the academic year.
  - 3.5 GPA in all non-Honors courses, figured cumulatively at the end of the academic year.
  - Sophomore grades will be figured into the junior cumulative GPA analysis.
  - If a grade of C- or lower is earned in any Honors College course, the course must be retaken.
- Seniors:
  - Graduating seniors will have the distinction of “Honors College Scholar” added to their transcript and diplomas if they graduate with a 3.25 GPA in Honors courses and 3.5 cumulative overall GPA (excluding Honors courses). Grades from Honors courses will only be figured into the 3.5 cumulative overall GPA analysis if doing so enables the student to reach the 3.5 GPA requirement and to graduate with the distinction of “Honors College Scholar.”
  - Graduation with the distinction of “Honors College Scholar” is dependent on the successful completion of the fifty credits in the Honors College curriculum. At the discretion of the Honors College Director, select credits in the Honors College curriculum can be considered satisfied with appropriate equivalents on a case-by-case basis.
  - Sophomore and junior grades will be figured into the senior cumulative GPA analysis.
  - If a grade of C- or lower is earned in any Honors College course, the course must be retaken.

Successfully complete all required Honors College courses - This equates to 50 total credits, which satisfy all University Studies (general-education) requirements, and count toward the 180 credits required to graduate. All Honors College students are required to earn a passing grade in at least one Honors College course per academic year, to remain in good standing in the Honors College, and maintain eligibility for Honors College scholarships.

Successfully complete the mentor/internship sequence - In their sophomore year, each Honors College Scholar is required to meet with a designated community mentor in his or her respective career-interest area for approximately eight hours per term. In their junior year, all Honors College Scholars are expected to participate in an internship, practicum, study abroad, or other substantive educational experience, as agreed upon by the student and the Honors College Director. The mentor/internship requirement can be adjusted in terms of sequence by the Honors College Director on a case-by-case basis.

Participate in all required Honors College co-curricular activities - Honors College Scholars are required to attend all “Essential Events,” which are designated in advance as mandatory. Freshmen must attend four “Pick and Choose Activities” each term and submit a one-page analytical synopsis at the end of each quarter, by due dates pre-announced by the Honors College Director. Sophomores must attend three “Pick and Choose Activities” per term, and none is required for juniors and seniors. In addition, each Honors College Scholar must successfully complete two “Take the Lead Projects” in his or her four years at SOU.

For more information about the Honors College, see the Honors College website http://honorscollege.sou.edu/, or contact Dr. Ken Mulliken at 541-552-7081 or mullikenk@sou.edu.

Programs

Honors College

Courses

Honors College