Guided by the College’s most distinguished faculty, you’ll find yourself taking your learning beyond the classroom through advanced course work, greater opportunities for self-directed study, special lectures and symposia, and a rich array of social events. Additionally, you’ll benefit from additional resources and privileges designed to propel you along your career path.
Applicants to the Honors Program may submit applications by either the January 3 or March 1 deadline. Decisions regarding Honors Program admission will be made and communicated within one month of each deadline (by February 3 or April 1 respectively). Students wishing to know about their admission to the Honors Program early should chose the January deadline, but there is no disadvantage to choosing the deadline that works for you; applications will be evaluated in the same way regardless of which deadline they are submitted.
With an emphasis on scholarly inquiry, your honors coursework will challenge you to "think big." You’ll have opportunities to collaborate with faculty and peers from other disciplines while gaining greater insight into your own major.
First Year HON 1700 Writing on Contemporary Social Issues HON 1701 Speaking on Contemporary Social Issues HON 1990 Honors First Year Seminar
Second Year Honors Liberal Arts Course HON 2990 Honors Second Year Seminar
Third Year HON 3955, 3956 Honors Directed Study Submit Thesis Proposal and Present Proposal at Fiat Lux
Fourth Year HON 4955, 4956 Thesis Writing Submit Final Thesis Present Thesis at Fiat Lux
Honors is a community of writers, artists, scientists, musicians, and business leaders who share a common thread of intellectual promise and self-motivation.
To apply to the Honors Program, students must:
* You are not required to have one from each section, just three from the overall list
3.92 weighted GPA. Has spent the last four summers as a camp counselor for younger children. Attended their state’s HOSA conference last year. Their high school reports rank in quartiles and they are within the top 25%.
3.59 weighted GPA. Second place at national school newspaper competition. National Honor Society member. Began a toy drive for foster children.
4.26 weighted GPA. Has worked on political campaigns for two years supporting an issue they care about. Spends most afternoons caring for younger siblings while parents work. Submitted a lab report to Honors committee from their AP Biology class.
4.10 weighted GPA. Has been highly engaged in their high school’s AVID program. Taught self to play the ukulele. Student body secretary.
3.79 weighted GPA. 1430 SAT score. Works 15 hrs/week at a local grocery store. Will have earned their AA through dual enrollment courses.
Honors classes are not more difficult in the sense that the material you are learning is more advanced. Honors classes challenge students to think differently, communicate with students in other disciplines, and work with faculty throughout the College. The interdisciplinary nature of the Honors Program is meant to make you think and apply materials to current events and topics, as opposed to the unilateral process of a course offered as a single topic.
Students who are already enrolled at Florida Southern and wish to apply to the program must do so by the end of their first semester at Florida Southern College. In order to be considered, students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.
Transfer students may also be eligible for the Honors Program on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they were honors students at their previous schools.
Several programs offer honors options, including Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion. Please contact your counselor for more information.
Honors students, as academic leaders on the campus, must maintain the highest standards of academic integrity and quality. Students must earn a ‘C’ or higher in all honors courses and maintain a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher to graduate from the Honors Program.
The Honors Program curriculum is 23 to 26 credit hours, in addition to required major hours. This means that Southern College’s Honors Program requires six semesters to complete, and students with plans of spending at least 3 years as undergraduates at Florida Southern are ideal candidates for the program. Students entering Florida Southern with substantial college credits who plan to accelerate their graduation timeline significantly (graduating in less than 3 full years) are encouraged to focus their talents within their academic program, research opportunities, academic honor societies, and other opportunities on campus rather than the Honors Program.
No, participation in the Honors Program itself does not come with any specific scholarship programs, and it does not add additional charges at FSC. However, many Honors Program applicants would be excellent applicants for the Prestige and Premier Scholarships, which offer additional aid opportunities.