Honors Diplomas

Commonwealth Scholar

This diplomas is used by students who:

1. transfer from another university;
2. transfer into University Honors after their third semester; or
3. choose the BS/MS option

It is ONLY available to students who enter University Honors five semesters or less from graduation or who choose the BS/MS option.

In order to receive the Commonwealth Scholar designation, a student must:

• Complete 12 hours of Honors credits.
• Order your diploma with Tammy Craft and submit the Commonwealth Scholar Diploma Order Form to Hillcrest 137 during the first month of the semester you plan to graduate.

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Honors Scholar

In order to receive the Honors Scholar diploma designation, a student must:

• Complete 18 hours of Honors credit.
• Order your diploma with Michael Blackwell and submit the Honors Scholar Diploma Order Form to Hillcrest 137 during the first month of the semester you plan to graduate.

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in Honors

In order to receive the in Honors diploma designation, a student must:

• Meet with Russell Shrader in the fall of your junior year to complete the candidacy form and confirm plans for completing the diploma.
• Complete 21 hours of Honors credits including 6 credits of Honors Undergraduate Research.
• Meet the requirements of your major department(s) for this diploma.
• Some departments have additional requirements (e.g. public presentation or faculty committee approval) for the Honors diploma. It is your responsibility to consult with the Honors advisor in your department(s) about any special requirements.
• You must, in consultation with your faculty mentor, write an Honors thesis in the format of the discipline in which the thesis is written. If you are doing thesis research in a department other than your primary major department, a faculty member in the primary major department should serve either on the committee that evaluates the thesis or should read and approve the thesis in conjunction with the faculty mentor; and
• Once the thesis is complete, the faculty mentor must write a short letter stating that you have done Honors-level undergraduate research and that s/he approves the research and thesis for the diploma. The letter must be dated and signed. Or you may have the members of your committee sign the Thesis Approval Form.
• Order your diploma with Russell Shrader and submit the In Honors Diploma Order Form to Hillcrest 137 during the first month of the semester you plan to graduate.
• You must submit the final copy of your thesis and the letter from the faculty mentor or the signed thesis approval form to University Honors no later than the Friday one week prior to graduation by 5:00 p.m. Failure to submit the thesis and supporting letter will result in the diploma being held by the University Registrar.

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Honors Baccalaureate

In order to receive the Honors Baccalaureate designation, a student must:

• Have a minimum of two majors or one major and two minors.
• Meet with Christina McIntyre in the fall of your junior year to complete the candidacy form and confirm plans for completing the diploma.
• Create a committee of advisors with no less that two faculty members (one from each major if two majors). Consult with them about your thesis. Meet the thesis requirements of the department(s) of your major(s).
• Meet with the honors advisors in the department of your major(s) at least four semesters before graduation to discuss the specific thesis requirements of each department.
• Thesis requirements may vary by department and it is recommended that the student meet with the departmental Honors advisor to discuss specific requirements for the major (format, length, depth of discussion, presentation, defense, etc.)
• Complete a minimum of 6 credits of honors tutorials (UH 4974) with a member of the faculty.
• Complete a minimum of 6 credits of honors undergraduate research (UH 4994) with a professor in your major.
• Complete an additional 12 credits of Honors credits for a total of 24 honors credits.
• Write a thesis that is approved by a faculty member in each major in which you will receive the Honors Baccalaureate. The thesis approval form must be signed by the faculty members on your committee. NOTE: If the thesis is not relevant to both majors the Baccalaureate diploma will only be recognized for the major(s) for which the thesis applies.
• Order your diploma with Christina McIntyre and submit the Honors Baccalaureate Diploma Order Form to Hillcrest 137 during the first month of the semester you graduate.

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Scholar in Health Studies

In order to receive the Scholar in Health Studies diploma designation, a student must:

• Register your intentions to complete the diploma through the Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental advisor by opening a Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental folder and meeting with the Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental advisor.
• Meet with the Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental advisor in the fall of your junior year to complete the candidacy form and confirm plans for completing the diploma.
• Complete the check sheet for the minor in Medicine & Society, including UH 2984: Careers in Medicine and BIOL 3504H: Hospital Preceptorship.
• Submit the Scholar in Health Studies Diploma Order Form to Hillcrest 137 during the first month of the semester you graduate.
• A minimum of 12 credits in this minor must be Honors credit. Keep in mind that many of the courses for the minor are not Honors credit, but can be raised to the level of Honors credit through agreement at the beginning of the semester through formal documentation and with the approval of the professor and Honors office (see ways to earn Honors credit).

Note: Any substitutions must be arranged in advance and approved by the Pre-Med advisor.

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Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Program

Note: This program is currently under review by the Graduate School

Application to this program is open to students who:

• have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.50 and
• completed a minimum of seventy-five (75) hours of undergraduate work at the time of application.

It permits up to twelve (12) hours of graduate study while enrolled as an undergraduate student. In order to receive graduate credit, the student must be accepted for graduate study before taking the graduate courses. (Some colleges and departments may require that application be delayed until the student completes more credit hours of undergraduate study or require a higher GPA.) The graduate courses taken will be accepted in lieu of courses for the completion of the Bachelor’s diploma--meaning that the courses taken will count toward both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

The application must consist of:

• the general application for graduate study at Virginia Tech. (These can be picked up in Sandy Hall at the Graduate School reception desk.);
• three letters of recommendation as required by the application. (Please have writer place in envelope, seal, and sign over seal.);
• an official transcript;
• a program of study detailing what courses will be taken as a graduate student that will also be accepted in lieu of undergraduate courses. The student and the department must agree to specific graduate courses to be taken and which courses in the undergraduate curriculum they will replace. The department must approve this program of study BEFORE the application will be forwarded to the graduate school; and,
• a $45.00 check for the application fee.

Some restrictions are:

• There will be no exceptions to the 3.50 GPA rule or the 75-hour rule.
• Please note that the use of the name “5-year” is not meant to insure the completion of the Master’s in precisely five years. While in most cases this should be possible, the number of graduate hours completed while an undergraduate, the number of hours required for the Master’s, and the vagaries of thesis research may require a specific student to take longer than five years. A student should not seek to enroll in this program unless s/he is reasonably sure that such work will enhance and shorten graduate study.
• Colleges and departments may, at their option, increase the requirements for application to the program. For instance, they may require a higher GPA or more hours of undergraduate study before application.
• Departments and colleges may not reduce the requirements without the introduction of new legislation to the relevant Commissions and the University Council.

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