Honors and Graduation

Dean’s List Policy for Full-Time Students

The Dean’s List contains the names of those students whose grade-point average for the work of the semester has been 3.5 or higher and who have completed at least 12 semester hours for the semester, at least nine of which received a letter grade. While the credits for developmental or remedial courses cannot be counted toward 12 semester hours, the grades in these courses are counted toward the GPA.

Graduation Honors

• Latin Honors will be granted to a student in the bachelor’s degree program on the basis of cumulative average. For “cum laude,” the student must have attained a cumulative average of 3.5; for “magna cum laude,” 3.7; for “summa cum laude,” 3.9. The degree “summa cum laude” shall be conferred only by special vote of the faculty. A transfer student in the bachelor’s degree program may be considered for Latin honors if they have satisfied the requirements in a Wilson College program with a minimum of 60 semester hours and approval of the Committee on Academic Procedure. Transfer students must meet the grade-point average requirement for courses completed at Wilson and for the overall academic record (Wilson courses and transfer courses).
• Distinction will be granted to a student in the associate degree program who has attained a cumulative average of at least 3.5. A transfer student in the associate degree program may be considered for “distinction” if they have satisfied the requirement in a Wilson College program with a minimum of 15 semester hours and has received approval of the Committee on Academic Procedure. Transfer students must meet the grade-point average requirement for courses completed at Wilson and for the overall academic record (Wilson courses and transfer courses).
• Students in the bachelor’s degree program who have completed fewer than 60 semester hours at Wilson will be awarded the honor of “Distinction” if their cumulative GPA is 3.5 or higher. Transfer students must meet the grade-point average requirement for courses completed at Wilson and for the overall academic record (Wilson courses and transfer courses).

Notation of General Honors in Commencement Program

For notation in the commencement program, honors will be calculated using grade information through the previous Fall semester. Students who have the required GPA will be noted in the program. After senior grades are posted, official honors calculations will be completed by the registrar. These official honors will be noted on the student record and transcript.

Only students who complete their graduate requirements in the Fall have honors officially calculated before commencement. Students who complete requirements in May and Summer have honors designated in the program based on the criteria stated above.

Honors in the Major: Courses 459, 460 Senior Advanced Study and Research

Honors in the Major is the highest achievement Wilson students can attain in their major. Honors in the Major is awarded by faculty members to students who, at the invitation of faculty, have successfully proposed and completed an honors thesis or honors capstone project. Honors in the Major is different from college honors (e.g., summa cum laude, magna cum laude, etc.). While invitation to Honors in the Major is a condition of participation in the Disert Scholarship competition, students may earn Honors in the Major without competing for the Disert Scholarship.

Eligibility

Students who, in their junior year, have completed at least one semester at Wilson College and have shown a high degree of scholarly interest and/or creative achievement in their academic work may be invited by a faculty member in their major to propose an honors project. Individual major areas may develop more specific criteria for eligibility as well (e.g., GPA, aptitude for independent work, a faculty interview, etc.). A student from any discipline may be invited to seek Honors in the Major. It is not restricted to major areas that require a senior thesis or capstone project.

Proposal and Project Completion Process

The proposal and completion of the honors project follow the schedule below.

• Invitation, Honors Project Committee formation and statement of intent: A faculty member invites a student to propose an honors project by late Fall or early Spring of the student’s junior year. If the invitation is accepted, the student and the faculty director form an Honors Project Committee, composed of the faculty director and two faculty readers – at least one of whom must be outside of the student’s major area. A statement of intent to propose an honors project, including a list of the Honors Project Committee members, is submitted to the registrar’s office by the end of the add/drop period in the Spring semester of the student’s junior year.
• Create the proposal: In coordination with the faculty director, the student should spend the early part of the Spring semester developing a proposal for an honors project. Though precise expectations for the honors proposal may vary across major areas, honors proposals typically possess (1) a clear and informed explanation of the thesis or capstone work, (2) an outline of the parts of the project and/or a discussion of the means of analysis or the creative process and (3) a bibliography appropriate to the project, including resources the student will use in completing the project and a tentative plan for conducting relevant research or creative preparations (e.g., practicing a technique in dance or photography). Samples of successful honors project proposals are on file in the college library.
• Approval of the proposal: A complete proposal should be submitted to the student’s Honors Project Committee in time for committee members to evaluate it, request revisions and approve changes, if necessary. Approved proposals should be submitted to the registrar’s office with the committee members’ signatures by the deadline for withdrawal from courses in the Spring semester of the student’s junior year. Students whose proposals are not approved by the Honors Project Committee are not eligible for Honors in the Major.

Note: The withdrawal date is also the deadline for Disert Scholarship consideration. Students who hope to have their honors project proposals compete for the Disert Scholarship must submit their signed proposals with an accompanying faculty letter of recommendation.

• The senior year: Students whose proposals are approved complete 50 to 60 hours of reading, study and/or preparation for Honors 459 (Fall) and 460 (Spring) in the senior year. Students enrolled in Honors 459 will – under guidance of the faculty director – complete research and/or creative work appropriate to their honors projects. Early drafts or presentations of work may be expected in this semester as well. Students who do not make adequate progress in Honors 459 will not be allowed to enroll in Honors 460: a grade of B or higher is required to continue. (Note: Students who fail to meet this requirement may still be required to complete a senior thesis or capstone project in order to fulfill their major requirements.) Students advancing to Honors 460 will continue the research, writing and/or creative processes necessary to the production of a quality honors project. Students should present their work to the Honors Project Committee in time for committee members to evaluate it, request revisions and approve changes, if necessary. Students may be asked to present their honors projects to the larger college community as well.
• Official transcript notation of Honors in the Major: Being enrolled in (or earning a passing grade for) Honors 459 and 460 does not guarantee Honors in the Major. In order to earn Honors in the Major, student work must be judged honors-worthy by members of the Honors Project Committee. Worthy projects must display thorough research and/or preparation and thoughtful analysis and/or creativity at a level approaching that of graduate or early professional work in the student’s major area. Student work meriting Honors in the Major will be signed (or otherwise indicated) by the Honors Project Committee Members and submitted to the registrar’s office by the last class day of the student’s senior year. Honors in the Major will then be indicated on the student’s final transcript. If student work merits Honors in the Major, a copy of the initial proposal and final project will also be filed in the library.

Policies for all Graduates

• A student must complete and submit a graduation application to the registrar by registration check-in day two semesters before the anticipated graduation date. A fee will be assessed for late applications. If a student fails to officially submit a graduation application, they will not be eligible for graduation.
• A student must officially declare all minors and/or additional majors by the last day of classes in the semester in which she/he intends to graduate. If a student fails to officially declare these, it will not be reflected on their official record and transcript.

Special Situations

December graduates:

• A student who completes their degree requirements at the end of the Fall semester will have their degree conferred on the first day of business in January. This date will be noted on the official transcript.

• December graduates will participate in and receive their diplomas at the following May commencement and be considered part of May’s graduating class.

Summer graduates:

• A student who completes their degree requirements during the Summer will have their degree conferred on the first day of the Fall semester.
• Summer graduates will participate in and receive their diploma covers at the preceding May commencement and be considered part of May’s graduating class.
• Diplomas will be released to the students in late September.
• A student who has not completed all requirements for graduation must petition the Committee on Academic Procedures by the last day to withdraw from classes in order to participate in Spring commencement if more than two course requirements (a maximum of eight semester hours) remain to be met. Further, the student must be registered for all remaining requirements in the subsequent semester.
• In the event that a student fails one or more degree requirements during the Spring semester of their graduation year, even if they have participated in the Spring commencement ceremony, they will not formally graduate until all requirements are completed.