The Honors Program

Levels of Honors
Students may earn one of three participation levels of Honors recognition in their major, dependent on the number of Honors courses they have completed.

• High Honors in the Major – 18 hours of honors credit
  - Complete a minimum of 12 hours of honors credit
  - Complete honors project while enrolled in 395 and 499 for a minimum of 6 hours
  - Maintain 3.3 cumulative GPA, 3.3 within the major GPA
• Honors in the Major – 12 hours of honors credit
  - Complete a minimum of 6 hours of honors credit
  - Complete honors project while enrolled in 395 and 499 for a minimum of 6 hours
  - Maintain 3.3 cumulative GPA, 3.3 within the major GPA
• Scholar in the Major – 6 hours of honors credit
  - Complete honors project while enrolled in 395 and 499 for a minimum of 6 hours
  - Requires strong recommendation from an instructor, advisor, or the department chair.

Honors students complete an independent project in research or creative activity, usually spanning their junior and senior years. Your research can take you just about anywhere - in the lab or library, in the community, or in the U.S. or abroad!  With the number of programs offered at Wayne State, the potential topics for research are endless.

A sample of recent project topics include:

• "An Examination of Flex Time and the Effect on Workplace Equity and Motivation"
• "Cordial Pen: Creating a Font that Lies Between Handwriting and Type"
• "The Differences and Similarities Between Atrial Fibrillation and Supraventricular Tachycardia"
• "Enhancing Web Development through Accessibility: A Comprehensive Guide"
• "Investigating the Role of HCMV US18 in Viral Infection"
• "Musical Movements: Songs of Nineteenth-Century Nationalism and Abolitionism"
• "Policing in America: A Necessary Source of Crime Control"
• "School Shootings: How an Individualistic American Society has Failed its Children"
• "Sneaker Resale Dynamics and Athlete Performance"

Honors research classes serve as a capstone for Honors Program experience and provide the opportunities for honors students to delve further into an academic interest.

395 Independent Study
Students are required to participate in at least 3 hours of Independent Study (395) to be eligible for the Senior Honors Colloquium (499). Participation in Independent Study (395) will be limited to one independent study of 1 to 3 hours per semester with 6 credit hours being the maximum allowable over any number of years.

499 Senior Honors Colloquium
The 499 Senior Honors Colloquium is open to students who have earned at least 3 credit hours in 395 Independent Study, and who have an overall GPA of 3.3 and a minimum of 3.3 GPA in their major. The Honors Colloquium is required for graduation with honors

How to join

If you meet the program requirements below, you can apply for the program online with your WSC username and password. Upon acceptance to the program, honors students are immediately eligible to begin taking honors courses.

Apply for the program

Program eligibility

The Honors Program is open to qualified freshmen, transfer, and current WSC students.

Incoming first-year students

• High school GPA 3.5 or higher
• Minimum ACT score of 25 or SAT score of 1100

Current WSC students

• Cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher at WSC

Transfer students

• Complete all transfer work at community college
• Minimum community college GPA of 3.5
• Cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher at WSC

Program continuance

In order to continue in the Honors Program, students must maintain at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA, and at least a 3.3 GPA in honors courses. If a student falls below either of these, he or she will be placed on a semester probation. If the GPA criteria are not met by the following semester, the student will not be permitted to continue in the program. The student may apply for reinstatement into the program at a later date but must meet the criteria set forth for a non-honors student. To apply, please log in to the honors application with your WSC username and password.

You can reap the rewards of your achievements if you are selected for our generous merit scholarships. Among them is the John G. Neihardt Scholarship, the most prestigious scholarship awarded by Wayne State College. Neihardt Scholars are required to participate fully in the Wayne State College Honors Program. In addition to all the benefits of the Honors Program, if you're awarded this scholarship, you'll receive:

• Paid tuition for up to 128 credit hours
• On-campus double room waiver for four years
• Annual stipend of $500 for a maximum of four years

Learn more about the Neihardt Scholarship