Honors Program

Honors Program Contact

Honors Program Mission

The Honors Program seeks to enhance and deepen the education of bright students by increasing their analytic skills, providing them with classroom experiences that encourage them to take charge of their education, helping them to undertake international travel, and supporting them on the path to wisdom. The Program encourages higher rates of retention and graduation as well as acceptance into graduate and professional schools.

Program Overview

Participating in the Honors Program at Fairmont State University provides high-achieving students with a richer, more complete academic experience while in college. With academic opportunities, a close-knit community, and many other benefits, becoming a part of Honors will be a life-changing decision.

This enriching program includes priority registration, smaller class sizes, the chance at leadership positions, volunteer projects, a dedicated computer lab, a mentoring program, an annual trip to Washington, D.C., unique study abroad opportunities, and an array of activities and events. Honors students also have, because of their smaller class sizes, the advantage of getting to know their professors on a more personal level. 

By joining the Honors Program, you are connecting with a group of diverse people, who come together with the common desire to pursue beyond the bare minimum of learning and thinking.

Admission Requirements

First-year students are required to have a minimum ACT composite score of 26 or an SAT (new) score of 1180.

Full-time students, who have completed 15 credit hours with a 3.4 GPA, are required to have a composite ACT score of 24 or an SAT (new) score of 1110.

Transfer students with at least a 3.4 GPA from an accredited college and who are transferring no more than 36 hours are required to have a composite ACT score of 24 or an SAT (new) score of 1110.

Scholarships and Funding

Students who are eligible for the Honors Program typically qualify for the West Virginia PROMISE Scholarship as well as for prestigious scholarships, such as the competitive Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship or the J. Robert Backer Scholarship for Excellence in Honors.

Facilities and Opportunities Available

Honors students may make use of the Honors lab in 231 Turley Center. Honors students are also eligible to live in and participate in activities at Prichard Hall, which houses the Honors LLC.

Benefits for Honors Students

In addition to smaller classes, closer contact with faculty, and thought-provoking classes, students in Honors at Fairmont State enjoy other advantages and benefits, such as:

Membership in the Honors Association

The association fosters friendships among Honors students and provides both academic and social support to members.  Monthly meetings include lunch, socializing, and presentations.  

Working with a Peer Mentor

In your first year, you will be assigned a peer mentor, usually someone with the same major as you. Mentors help first-year students become familiar with the campus.  They are available to help first-year students with questions about classes and academic procedures.

Access to the Honors Lab

Located in 231 Turley Center, the Honors lab is equipped with six computers and a printer for students to use.  While academic work has priority, students find the atmosphere of the Honors lab to be a good place to meet friends and relax.

Priority Registration

Honors students are entitled to register for classes with seniors and veterans during the first days of registration each semester.

Opportunities to Travel

Honors students are eligible to take field trips to cities such as Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., where they can sample the rich cultural life of the nation’s major cities.  Ordinarily, there is no cost for these trips.

Students in Honors may also elect to sign up for study abroad trips.  In the past students have traveled to London, England; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; Brussels, Belgium, and Stratford, Ontario.  While students are asked to share the costs for these trips, Honors underwrites about half of the expense and provides academic credit.

Participation in the Honors LLC

The Honors Program has a Living and Learning Community in Prichard Hall, which offers a supportive community in which students can study and enjoy co-curricular activities with like-minded students.

University Honors Program Requirements

Students must complete the Honors Program Curriculum requirements and maintain a GPA of 3.4 or higher in order to graduate with an Honors designation. Students majoring in programs with special accreditation will have slightly different requirements as outlined below.

Transfer Student Honors Requirements (15-20 Credit Hours)

Students who transfer into the Honors Program from another institution with at least 60 credits must complete 15-20 credit hours in the Honors curriculum. Requirements include:

• Core Curriculum, major field of study, and/or courses with Honors designation prefix (6-11 Credit Hours)

• HONR 3350   Honors Seminar in Special Topics (Repeatable)

• HONR 4400   Honors Thesis Design (3 Credit Hours)

• Honors Thesis Project in Student’s Major Field (3 Credit Hours)
  Honors students will determine an appropriate project in consultation with the Honors Director and their faculty mentor. Students will be required to present their project in an appropriate venue upon its completion.

Nursing Honors Requirements (25-30 Credit Hours)

Students completing the RN-BSN Nursing degree will undertake the following program of study for their core Honors requirements:

• HONR 1100  Honors Seminar: 1 Credit Hour

• HONR 3350   Honors Seminar in Special Topics (3 Credit Hour)

• NURS 3380   Evidence Based Practice with Honors Designation (3 Credit Hours)

• Honors Core Curriculum Electives (13-18 Credit Hours)

Education Honors Requirements (25-30 Credit Hours)

Students completing Secondary Education degrees will determine in consultation with the Director of Honors and their academic advisor the best course of action for satisfying their senior thesis requirement.

• HONR 1100  Honors Seminar (1 Credit Hour)

• HONR 3350   Honors Seminar in Special Topics (3 Credit Hour)

• EDUC 3340   Instructional Design II with Honors Designation (3 Credit Hours)

• EDUC 3341   Residency 1: Teaching Practice and Assessment with Honors Designation (5 Credit Hours) 

• Honors Core Curriculum Electives (15-20 Credit Hours)