Current Honor Students
As a current Honor student, this page is your central hub for essential resources and information. You will find links to useful forms, including those for course registration and honors project proposals. Our Honors Code, which outlines the principles and standards expected of all members, is also available for your reference. Explore a wide range of honors courses designed to challenge and inspire you, and discover detailed information about the Honors Project, a cornerstone of our program. Additionally, stay informed about exciting co-curricular opportunities that enhance your academic journey and personal growth. Use this information to make the most of your Honors College experience.
Honor Code
Education is an opportunity to accept and overcome new challenges. As a member of the Texas A&M University Texarkana Honors College, I will dedicate myself to the pursuit of knowledge with integrity, diligence, respect, an open mind, and a devotion to service.
Maintain Your Membership
To maintain membership in the Texas A&M University Texarkana Honors College, a student must fulfill the following requirements:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher
- Adhere to university standards of conduct
- Complete at least one academic achievement per year
- Acquire at least four co-curricular points per year
Honors Courses
Honors courses can take one of two forms:
- Honors sections of existing courses (i.e. IS 1300 01H)
- Honors courses under an HONR prefix (i.e. HONR 497)
Honors courses need to be completed with a grade of C or better to count for credit towards Honors requirements.
Honors Sections
An Honors section of a course fulfills all of the requirements of the non-Honors version of the course, but also carries Honors credit for fulfillment of Honors college requirements. Each semester we try to offer Honors versions of existing core curriculum courses for Honors students to enroll in. These courses tend to be smaller than their non-Honors versions and are taught by Honors Faculty (who must be approved by the Dean of the Honors College). They provide opportunities for students to engage with the course materials in a more unique and interesting manner. We are always adding new courses, so if there is a class that you would like to see an Honors section of, let us know!
Honors Courses
The Honors College also offers stand-alone courses under the HONR prefix; these courses are often team-taught, interdisciplinary seminars covering broad, interesting topics. If you have ideas on topics to consider, or faculty to collaborate, please let us know!
Student Designated Courses
Honors students have the flexibility to create their own Honors curriculum! Through the use of student-designated courses and Honors projects, you can craft an Honors experience that is unique to your interests and desired outcomes.
The course needs to be completed with a grade of C or better to count for credit towards Honors requirements.
Student Designated Courses
An student-designated course is an agreement between the student and a faculty member that the student will take a non-Honors course for Honors credit. These differ from Honors sections of courses in that the course is "Honors" only for the student who designated it as such. The designation usually gives the student the opportunity to immerse themselves more fully in the course materials while also going beyond the course expectations. The form that this takes is up to the student and faculty member, but often takes the format of a project, paper, or presentation.
In order to designate a course, follow these steps:
- Email or meet with the Honors College when registering to confirm that the course satisfies the Honors College requirements.
- Meet with your instructor and discuss taking the course for Honors credit using the guidelines below.
- Summarize the agreement on the Student Designated Honor Courses form.
- Have the instructor sign the Student Designated Honor Course form.
- Get a signature from the Honors College Dean and you will be given a copy to give to the instructor, a copy for your records, and one will remain on file in the Honors College office.
- Complete this process by the second week of class.
- At the end of the course, if the student has fulfilled the requirements of the designation, the instructor will provide a final signature of approval
Honors Projects
An Honors project is the ultimate in student-directed curriculum. The student works with a faculty mentor of their choice on a project of their design. We have had students pursue a wide variety of projects, including developing independent research projects, building pedagogical tools for classroom experience, contributing to faculty research agendas, and producing works of art. We encourage you to discuss project ideas with faculty in your fields of interest.
Individual instructors and Honors College students will work together to develop learning objectives, learning activities, and the means of evaluation for the project.
While projects can take many forms, some previous examples include:
- A Nursing student working with the Dean of Nursing, Health, and Human Services on a co-authored publication
- Biology students working to raise chickens from artificially created environments
- History students designing historical simulations for use in middle and high school classrooms
- A Business student surveying regional CEOs on their use and implementation of various management theories
- A Nursing student designing a myocardial infarction simulation for use in the Nursing lab
- An Engineering student designing interactive teaching materials for Engineering classrooms
- A Mass Communications/History major examining how social media distorts the news
These projects are limited only by your imagination (and access to resources), so design away!
Honors Thesis/Capstone
If your academic program offers a thesis or capstone option, and you want to explore how to elevate it to an Honors thesis or capstone, please contact the Honors office (honors@tamut.edu).
Co-Curricular Opportunities
Almost everything you do in the Honors College accrues points towards the co-curricular requirements. In order to graduate from Honors, you need to amass at least sixteen points total by attending events, volunteering, presenting, etc.
Seals of Excellence: Students can demonstrate their own individualized path to an Honors designation through the accumulation of Honors College seals. These seals represent specific forms of achievement and they communicate to others a student's skills and expertise. Each seal is unlocked after gaining 12 points in designated activities (though a student must also graduate from the program to earn a seal).
Current seals include:
- Altruism
- Innovation
- Leadership
- Mentorship
- Public Speaking
- Research
- Stewardship
- Versatility
If you would like to propose a new seal, please contact us at honors@tamut.edu.
Graduate with Honors
There are multiple tiers to graduating from the Texas A&M University Texarkana Honors College. Depending on how many of the graduation requirements an undergraduate student completes, they are eligible for the following graduation designations:
Honors College Graduate
- Maintain a cumulative and institutional GPA of 3.25 or higher
- Adhere to university standards of conduct
- Complete at least four approved academic achievements
- Obtain at least sixteen co-curricular points before graduation
Exemplary Honors College Graduate
- Maintain a cumulative and institutional GPA of 3.25 or higher
- Adhere to university standards of conduct
- Complete at least six approved academic achievements
- Obtain at least sixteen co-curricular points before graduation
- Give at least one public presentation of Honors-related work in an approved format
Red River Scholar
- Maintain a cumulative and institutional GPA of 3.25 or higher
- Adhere to university standards of conduct
- Complete at least approved eight academic achievements, including an Honors thesis or capstone (or equivalent original projects)
- Obtain at least sixteen co-curricular points before graduation
- Give at least one public presentation of Honors-related work in an approved format
Honors Designation on Degree and Transcripts
All graduates from the Honors College receive an Honors College medal, an Honors College seal on their university diploma, as well as an Honors College designation on their official transcripts. Students also receive a separate Honors College certificate signifying their achievement and listing their specific Honors seals.