Honors Program
Jocelyn W. Jackson, Director
Ora Horton-Drayton, Program Assistant
(404)215-2679
The Morehouse College Honors Program (HP) is a four-year academic program for outstanding students, based in the liberal arts core and integrating the General Studies curriculum with specially designed traditional and cross-disciplinary offerings. Students of high intellectual ability, strong motivation, and broad interests are provided stimulating learning opportunities in the classroom and outside the regular academic environment. HP members take special sections of regular Morehouse courses, taught by Honors faculty members who are chosen on the basis of their reputations as outstanding teachers. Course enrollment is limited to approximately 20 students. The program is open to students in all academic disciplines and majors. Faculty members in the program nurture the Honors Program participant throughout his college life, in the areas of scholarly inquiry, independent and creative thinking, and exemplary scholarship. The program emphasizes leadership and social outreach to balance the student's academic pursuits.
ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM
Admission to the Honors Program is based on SAT and ACT scores (generally a minimum of 1770 and 27, respectively), high school GPA (a minimum of 3.0), and a profile completed by each prospective freshman; a typical student enters the four-year program as a freshman. Students enrolled in dual-degree programs at other institutions graduate from the Honors Program at the end of five years. Ninety-five percent enter as first semester freshmen. Second-semester freshmen and first-semester sophomores may apply for admission if they are not admitted at the beginning of the their freshman year. These students usually have been recommended by teachers or departmental chairpersons and have maintained a GPA of 3.25. In rare cases of promising freshmen whose entrance scores fall just below the minimum, admission is possible on a one-semester, conditional basis. Entering freshmen may petition for exemption credit based on AP, IB, and A-Level scores from high school programs, as well as on approved college credits received during high school.
LOWER-DIVISION HONORS (FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES)
Students on this level are enrolled in sections of English, world history, mathematics (either pre-calculus or calculus, depending on the major), world literature, French, Spanish, philosophy, political science, sociology, and psychology, over a two-year period. Each student takes other lower-division and major courses with members of the regular student body. During the first two years, each student is provided close guidance and advisement from the director of the program, who works closely with departmental chairpersons on matters of course selection and sectioning. In addition, upper-class Honors Program students serve actively as advisors, tutors, and role models for freshmen, from orientation week throughout the first year.
UPPER-DIVISION HONORS (JUNIORS AND SENIORS)
Students on this level are not required to take HP courses. However, they are expected to perform honors-level work in selected courses. The student will complete special course-related assignments, make presentations, participate in seminars, and focus on departmental research. One Honors Program interdisciplinary seminar is offered for seniors and selected juniors. During the senior year, each student will be expected to write and defend a senior thesis or project in his major department. The senior thesis is a staple of Honors Programs across the country and will be required at Morehouse after 2004. Currently under study at Morehouse, the senior thesis component of the Honors Program will provide excellent preparation for students desiring to do graduate or professional studies or to enter high-level positions upon graduation.
The following courses are offered in the Honors Program, in conjunction with the designated College departments:
Biology 111-112 and Lab
French 251-252
Mathematics 251-252
Psychology 101
Biology 320 (on demand)
History 111-112
Mathematics 351
Senior Seminar 340
English 103 (Composition)
Mathematics 100
Philosophy 201
Sociology 101
English 250 (World Literature)
Mathematics 154
Political Science 251
Spanish 251-252
At graduation, students will have a minimum of 10 Honors Program courses or their equivalent and a minimum of one cross-disciplinary seminar.
REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS
The Honors Program student must maintain a minimum GPA of at least 3.0 during his freshman and sophomore years. The minimum for juniors and seniors is 3.25. Any student falling below the minimum is placed on a one-semester probation in the program; he will have the following semester to raise his GPA and to resume his good standing in the program. If he does not attain the minimum, he will be dropped from the program. No first-semester freshman is dropped or put on probation, unless his GPA falls so low during the first semester (below 2.5) that it is impossible for him to recover in the following semester. Students who maintain high averages in the Honors Program are recognized throughout the academic year in special assembly programs, College-wide Scholars Day, special scholarships and internships, and recommendations from teachers in the program for periodic national awards and prizes.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE HONORS PROGRAM
The program is administered by a director, a program assistant, and an Honors Program Council, composed of the senior vice president for academic affairs, selected departmental chairpersons and core faculty members, three student representatives and the director.
THE HONORS PROGRAM CLUB
The Honors Program Club (HPC) is a chartered, student-administered organization of all students in the program. It elects its own officers annually, holds monthly meetings to plan and implement social and academic activities, works with other chartered organizations to present speakers and programs, and participates in activities with Honors Program students in other local colleges. The club is governed by the College’s regulations for campus groups and by its own constitution and by-laws. HPC members have close associations with program members at Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University, Spelman College and the University of Georgia. Honors Program Club members are encouraged to qualify for the California based national quiz bowl, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, which is sponsored by the Morehouse Honors Program open to any interested student.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILATIONS
Morehouse College holds institutional memberships in the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Southern Regional Honors Council, the National Association of African-American Honors Program, and the Georgia Collegiate Honors Council. Students and faculty members take out individual memberships in these professional associations. Each organization holds an annual meeting, which selected Morehouse faculty and students attend as delegates, present papers, and conduct workshops.
