Honors Requirements

Brinson Honors College Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the Brinson Honors College a student must have a cumulative WCU GPA of at least 3.5 at the time of graduation. Students starting the Brinson Honors College in the summer or fall of 2020 and beyond must have completed 27 credit hours with honors designation OR 24 credit hours with honors designation and completion of DegreePlus Level 3 in any one area at the time of graduation. Students who started the Brinson Honors College prior to summer 2020 must have completed 24 credit hours with honors designation at the time of graduation.

Students who complete the requirements and graduate from The Brinson Honors College receive the specially designed Brinson Honors College diploma, the Honors medallion, and they walk at the head of the undergraduate class at commencement.

Requirements to Remain in Good Standing with the Brinson Honors College

USI 101 Requirement for Honors Students:

Successful completion of USI 101 Honors Forum is required. Honors Forum is a 1 credit hour University Transition course. The course traditionally meets in a hybrid format with in person class meetings once per week and online supplementary material. The course also includes a menu of outside-of-class events and activities that help the student to further explore The Honors Path at WCU. These outside-of-class events include significant emphasis on community engagement – starting with a signature program, the Conference on Undergraduate Regional Engagement. Students earn the “SLC” course designation for USI 101, as well as Honors designation. Students receive a copy of the Honors Handbook in this course.

Honors Hours Requirement for Honors Students:

All students are required to maintain at least 3 Honors hours per term until they have completed all Honors hours needed to graduate. Honors Students have many choices when it comes to completing the Honors Hours Requirement. Honors Students typically earn credit hours with honors designation through a combination of Honors Courses and Honors Contracts. Students can also earn honors designation for Study Abroad.  NOW – students can also choose a new track in which they can use completion of DegreePlus Level 3 to help meet this requirement! More information on how to earn Honors Hours can be found on our website and is a topic of focus in USI 101.

Students who are transferring to WCU from a Brinson Honors College or Honors Program elsewhere may be eligible to have some Honors hours transfer as well. Students can inquire about this by contacting the Brinson Honors College Office.

GPA Requirements for Honors Students:

• First year students (1-30 credit hours) must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3
• Sophomores (31-60 credit hours) must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.4
• Juniors and Seniors (61+ credit hours) must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher

Conduct and Academic Integrity

As an Honors Student in the Brinson Honors College at Western Carolina University, you know that you are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct. Please review the BHC Student Code of Conduct, Core Values, the WCU Student Code of Conduct, and the WCU Community Creed referenced or found elsewhere in the Brinson Honors College Student Handbook or WCU webpages in order to further understand Brinson Honors College conduct expectations.

In addition, BHC Students who are found responsible for violating the University’s policy on academic integrity may be sanctioned by the Brinson Honors College, in addition to any University Student Code of Conduct sanctions or classroom sanctions. The Dean of the Brinson Honors College will be notified when a BHC Student has been found responsible for a violation of the University’s academic integrity policy.