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Honors Program
Winthrop University's Honors Program is designed to enrich the college experience for highly talented and motivated students. Through interactions with outstanding faculty and peers, a vital community of scholars is created that embraces the pursuit of knowledge for the enhancement of intellectual and personal growth.
The Winthrop Honors Program has evolved into one of the university's most exciting offerings. The program requires completion of at least 23 hours of honors courses and a service learning course/project. To receive honors credit for a course, the student must complete the course with a grade of B or better. A cumulative GPA of 3.30 is required to enroll in honors courses.
Application
Process
Honors Program
Application forms (MS
Word) (pdf)
Freshman Applicants
Freshman admission into
the Honors Program is based upon the applicant's
high school GPA, test scores and essay. All
admitted freshmen with an ACT score of 27 or SAT
score of 1200 (excluding writing scores) and a
cumulative GPA of 3.5 will be invited to apply for
Honors Program admission. Applicants must also
submit with their Winthrop University Application
for Admission a one-page essay on the following
topic:
Winthrop University
recently hosted the Southern Regional Honors Council
Conference "Curiosity: The Spirit of Honors
Inquiry," the title for which comes from the
writings of Foucault. He suggests . . . "it
(curiosity) evokes 'concern;' it evokes the care one
takes for what exists and could exist; a readiness
to find strange and singular what surrounds us . . .
a fervor to grasp what is happening and what passes
. . ."(Foucault, 1980). In a one-page essay
please reflect on the significance of curiosity and
its relevance to your participation in the Honors
Program at Winthrop.
Invitations to apply to
the Honors Program are extended beginning in
January.
Transfer and
Upperclass Applicants
Transfer and upperclass
applicants who are interested in participating in
the Honors Program should contact Dr. Kathy Lyon at
the link on this website or by telephone at
803-323-2320.
Requirements for the Honors Program Degree:
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General Education Component: HMXP102H, CRTW201H (6 credit hours).
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Coursework Component: Completion of 15 credit hours of honors coursework with a minimum of 6 credit hours in the major and 3 credit hours outside the major.
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Cultural Component: One honors symposium must be completed (1 credit hour).
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Independent Study Component: A senior thesis/project must be completed in the student's major (may count as part of the 12 credit hours in the major or as HONR450H - Honors Thesis for 3 credit hours) and completion of HONR451H Thesis Symposium (1 credit hour) at the time the thesis is written.
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Service Learning Component: A service learning class/project must be completed.
In addition to the Honors Program Degree, Winthrop encourages honors students to participate in international study abroad opportunities by offering an Honors Program Degree with International Experience.
Requirements for the Honors Program Degree with International Experience:
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Same Components as for the Honors Program Degree above.
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International Experience: Completion of an extended experience outside the U.S. in a learning environment. A semester of study abroad in an exchange program, or other university program, is the best and most common way to accomplish this. An equivalent total duration comprised of multiple short experiences, each at least three weeks, can also meet this requirement.
Distinguishing features of Winthrop’s Honors Program courses include:
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Symposia which bring together talented students and exceptional teachers in a small group setting.
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Interdisciplinary learning which often bridges seemingly disparate areas of study.
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Instructional alternatives such as team-teaching, guest lectures, or visits to sites or events associated with the subject of study.
Honors Courses Categories
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Honors sections of regular courses are smaller, more selective versions of standard courses. For example, instead of a lecture class with standardized tests, honors sections may consist of 15 students graded on the basis of in-depth essays and contributions to class discussions.
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Special topics courses are generally interdisciplinary in nature, sometimes taught by two faculty from different disciplines. Food and Power: Politics, Public Policy and Hunger, The Films of Orson Welles, and the Arthurian Tradition are examples of recent special topics courses. Such courses make it possible to cover subjects of particular interest to current honors students.
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Contracted honors courses allow students to earn honors credit in subjects for which no formal honors courses are available. Any course is eligible, provided the student contracts with the professor to do work of sufficient sophistication, either in place of, or in addition to, the regular requirements of the course. A written agreement must be drawn up within the first few days of the semester and approved by the Honors Committee.
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Independent study, in the form of research or creative work, is required for an honors degree at Winthrop. Prior to the beginning of the semester in which the work is to be undertaken, a prospectus must be approved by the faculty project director, the appropriate department chair and dean, and the Honors Committee. A creative project will result in a public exhibition or recital. Student researchers are encouraged to submit their findings to the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference, a meeting that brings together scholars from honors programs throughout the United States, or to the Southern Regional Honors Council Conference, a meeting of honors programs in the Southeast.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Kathy Lyon, Director
Honors Program
(803)323-2320
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