Five Critical Activities

Honors academic activity occurs in your tutorials, colloquia, classes, and research efforts. There are five activities, however, where it is essential that you work with the staff in Honors.

The five activities are:

1. Application to University Honors
2. Course of Study Planner and Meeting
3. Review of Progress Survey
4. Declaration of Honors Diploma
5. Application for an Honors Diploma

Failure to complete each of these steps in the required manner and in the required time can result in a student being excluded from Virginia Tech University Honors.

1. Application to University Honors

If you haven’t already applied and been accepted to Honors, visit the receptionist in Hillcrest 137 or call 231-4591 for further information. For most of you, the application process for Honors has been completed.

• More about applying to Honors

2. Course of Study Planner and Meeting

The Course of Study Planner (COSP) is due for entering freshmen on the first day of fall classes. For students transferring into Honors will be notified of the COSP due date. Failure to return the Course of Study Planner on the date specified results in being dropped from
Honors. There are no exceptions to this rule. When the Course of Study Planner is returned to Honors, a date will be set for a meeting with a member of the Honors staff to discuss the planner.

• More about the Course of Study Planner

3. Review of Progress Survey

Prior to course registration in October of a student’s sophomore year, he or she will be prompted to complete an on-line survey to indicate the extent of their progress obtaining Honors credit to apply toward his or her Honors degree. Students who have not completed, or are not enrolled in, Honors credit by the end of September of their sophomore year will be dropped from Honors.

4. Declaration of Honors Diploma

All Honors students must declare which Honors diploma they are seeking.

Students entering Honors their Freshmen year must declare their degree prior to the last weekday in September of their second year. For all other students, the Declaration of Honors Degree must be made no later than the last weekday in the first September they are enrolled in the Honors Program. Failure to file the Declaration of Degree will result in the student being removed from Honors. Students may change their declaration at any time by filing a new one.

• More about Honors diplomas

5. Application for Honors Diploma

Students often assume that we can keep up with changes in their plans without ever telling us. The Application for Degree is our last chance to be sure that the student is graduating with the degree that he or she declared and for which he or she was admitted to candidacy. This is the meeting in which we actually fill out a form to notify the University Registrar of the degree designation for the student’s transcript and diploma. If you have made changes we do not know about and the wrong diploma is ordered, you will not receive the diploma until it can be reprinted with the correct degree designation. Therefore, failure to apply for the Honors Diploma will result in our not forwarding your name to the Registrar for the Honors
designation.

Major Issues Concerning Graduation:

• If your expected graduation date changes, you must notify University Honors.
• Should you not complete your Honors degree either by grade point average or completion of requirements and you wish to have a non-Honors diploma issued, you must sign a form at the Registrar’s Office.

Final Comments

This structure is intended to provide you the maximum freedom possible while permitting us to keep up with what is happening. As we noted at the beginning, it is your responsibility to make sure you meet the deadlines specified above. When in doubt, make an appointment to see us. Do not assume that your choices are self-evident. We enjoy our work and the students with whom we work. Please come to see us.