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The Honors Option is designed to enable students to take courses not designated as Honors. The following guidelines apply to Honors Option Contracts:

• Honors Option Contracts are intended for Major courses where no Honors courses are designated.
• Honors Option Contracts are not intended for Core courses. Students should take scheduled Honors designated courses. Honors Option Contracts for core classes will be considered in extenuating circumstances.
• Students are responsible for coordinating with the instructor of the course before submitting the Honors Option Contract.
• To receive Honors credit, enhanced assignments or activities must be clearly and specifically outlined in the Honors Option Contract.
• Honors Option Contracts must be submitted no later than the second week of classes.
• All specified work must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the semester with the instructors’ confirmation.
• Students must receive a B or higher to receive credit for Honors.

Rationale for an Honors Contract

• It is important to stress that the Honors Option Contract is about quality not quantity of work. The important distinction of an Honors course is that it is an enhanced experience generally completed outside of the regular class setting.

This contract must be submitted electronically via the Honors Portal. 

Honors Option enhanced activities must include:

• A direct connection to one or more of the four Honors foundations of scholarship, interdisciplinarity, leadership, and/or service learning. All projects must specifically indicate the relationship to one or more of these principles.
• A direct connection to the selected educational outcomes for Honors.
• The possibility for submission to academic conferences such as the VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Timeline for Honors Option Contracts

Students should meet with the professor during advising to establish specific goals and mentoring for the activity. Honors Option Contracts are meant to build these relationships and not to engage students solely in additional academic work.

• In the first two weeks of the semester, Honors Option Contracts must be submitted with a detailed description of the activity including the connection to one or more of our foundational principles and educational outcomes.
• Once the contract is approved, students must complete the work two weeks before the end of the semester. It is the students’ responsibility to submit the work that has been assessed and approved by the course instructor.
• Upon successful completion of the terms listed above, the Honors designation will be placed on the student transcript.

Please complete the Honors Option Contract in the Honors Portal. Any incomplete forms will not be accepted. You will receive a confirmation that your form has been successfully accepted. For further information on faculty responsibilities, please review the Faculty Guide on Honors Option Contracts. 

The Honors Option Contract form is available at the following link: