Many universities offer honors programs, but Massachusetts has initiated an innovative collaborative approach to honors education that gives all qualified students the chance to receive an intensive and prestigious learning experience whose high standards are held in common by all participating honors programs in Massachusetts public universities.
For students who love learning and have strong interests in research and artistic creativity, Worcester State University presents an honors program committed to excellence that shares in statewide opportunities for conferences, distance learning, and joint research and cultural activities.
The mission of the Honors Program is to offer students a high quality undergraduate experience that emphasizes courses developed to include new pedagogical methodologies and techniques specific to successful Honors Programs. Its purpose is to encourage each participating student to become an active, confident, lifelong learner.
• Structure
• Advantages
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact
STRUCTURE
The university-wide Honors Program consists of 24 semester hours or seven courses that emphasize the values of liberal learning and are interdisciplinary and multicultural in nature. These eight courses are taken during the Honors students' freshman and sophomore years and partially fulfill the general education requirements.
First year students entering the university are selected during the admissions process based on high school GPA and SAT scores. First year students and sophomores already enrolled in the University may apply for admission if they have a GPA of over a 3.5. All transfer students who took part in a university-wide honors program (NOT an honors society or honors within a single major) at another Massachusetts public university, and took honors courses there, are eligible to take part in honors at WSU, provided they have at least a 3.0. Transfer students from honors programs at private institutions should contact the honors director if they wish to join the program. Note that transfer students ultimately must take six general distribution courses within honors. You must have room in your schedule for these courses. Please see Honors Director, Lisa Krissoff Boehm, for details.
Honors students are required to take their honors courses in the following sequence:
FIRST YEAR
Fall semester: 2 Honors courses
Spring semester: 2 Honors courses
SOPHOMORE YEAR
Fall semester: 2 Honors courses
Spring semester: 1 or Honors courses
JUNIOR OR SENIOR YEAR:
Commonwealth Honors Project--3 Credits
(Each course must be passed with a grade of "B" or above. Honors courses cannot be taken pass/fail.)
COMMONWEALTH HONORS PROGRAM
A student in the Honors Program can become a Commonwealth Honors Scholar by fulfilling the requirements of the university-wide program, maintaining a GPA of 3.2, and completing a three-credit capstone course in the junior or senior year.
ADVANTAGES
• An exemplary education certified as comparable to all the prestigious
Honors Programs at the other public universities in
Massachusetts.
• Recognition at graduation and on the transcript of successful
participation in a challenging, high quality honors program.
• Innovative courses created especially for the Honors Program by
outstanding scholars/teachers.
• Small classes emphasizing active student participation and intensive
faculty guidance.
• A challenging and interdisciplinary alternative to traditional General
Education courses.
• A scholarship that continues for four years, if the student persists in
good standing as a member of the university-wide Honors Program
and maintains a GPA of 3.0.
(Tsongas Scholars must maintain a 3.3 GPA.)
• Resources for individual student research.
• Cultural activities on and off campus, such as visiting speakers and
trips to cultural events and sites.
• An honors lounge providing space for study, small gatherings, and
the pursuit of research using computers and an electronic library
installed and compiled exclusively for the use of Honors Students.
• An opportunity to be a part of a community energized by intellectual
and artistic excitement.
FAQS
Why should I take honors courses? Will they make it harder for me to maintain my GPA?
Honors courses are not designed to be more difficult than other courses. They are designed to offer you greater interaction with your fellow students and with selected faculty. Typically, honors courses are less likely to be pure lecture, more likely to be participatory.
Will I receive any special recognition for having taken honors courses?
Yes. For students who take and pass seven required Honors courses, the official transcript prepared upon graduation will bear the notation "Honors Program Graduate."
Do these courses count as part of my distribution requirements?
Yes.
What must I do to retain my president's honors scholarship?
Two things:
• You must take two Honors courses each semester of your freshman
and sophomore years and earn a grade of "B" or better in each of
these courses.
• You must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better throughout the
4 years of your eligibility for this scholarship.
CONTACT
Lisa Krissoff Boehm, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Urban Studies
Director, Commonwealth Honors Program
Worcester State University
Sullivan 129 C
486 Chandler Street
Worcester, MA 01602
508-929-8669
lboehm@worcester.edu