ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program, open to students in all undergraduate divisions of the university, is administered by the Honors Council and the director of university honors. Minimum requirement for acceptance into the program is a composite score of 26 on the ACT (or ACT residual) or an 1250 on the SAT. The student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher to be inducted into the program in the spring of their freshman year. All interested in the University Honors Program must send an application to Dr. Fulmer’s office in room 117 of Eldridge Hall. Students must maintain a 3.25 to graduate as a University Honors Scholar.

The University Honors Program is open to all students, including those attending ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé University on international student visas. For more information and guidance, please contact the Associate Provost and Dean of First Year Studies, Dr. Hal Fulmer, in 117 Eldridge or by phone at 334-670-5747.

The purpose of the University Honors Program is to offer academically superior students an engaged and interactive Honors experience, rather than a static Honors curriculum. Students will have a flexible general studies program that will be designed to meet their personal interests. The University Honors Program is designed to allow students to engage in activities that will make them more marketable when working in their chosen profession.

The Honors Program also has an honors house on campus which houses both male and female students. Students should consult with the director of the University Honors Program and the director of University Housing for availabilities and stipulations. The house serves as a residence and a focal point for meetings and activities with the Honors Alliance, faculty and staff in the Honors Program.

The official student voice within the program is the University Honors Alliance. Membership to the University Honors Alliance is offered to any student with a 3.25 grade point average or higher. There is an annual membership fee as well.

University Honors Program Requirements

1. Honors 1101 & 4400
   Students inducted into the Honors Program will take HON 1101 in the Spring of their Freshman year. This class does not replace TROY 1101, which all Freshmen students must take in the Fall semester. Students will need to have approval from their adviser before registering for this class. Students are also required to take HON 4400 in their senior year. This class can be replaced by LDR 4400 if there is no availability.
2. University Involvement
   Honors students are expected to be involved in at least one of three University affairs: Completion of significant service work through the John. W. Schmidt Center for Student Success or another non-profit organization, a study abroad program offered throughout the year, and/or be a member of a faculty-led research group.
3. Thesis
   At the end of their time at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé, Honors students must create a thesis that will examine a specific topic of interest. This does not have to be in written form, but can be created in a way that suits a student's area of study. These theses will be presented publicly.

HONORS GENERAL STUDIES COURSES

Minor in Civic and Community Engagement

(18 Hours)

After completion of IDS 2210, student must select an additional 9 hours from advisor-approved electives in content areas of focus. Once declaring the minor, students must submit a course plan for approval to the advisor in the Office of Civic Engagement in Eldridge Hall 122

English as a Second Language Program

ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé’s English as a Second Language program offers intensive English language instruction for non-native speakers. This program addresses the needs of students who plan to pursue further university study in the United States or who wish to sharpen their language skills for personal or professional reasons. In addition to improving listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities, ESL classes also increase students' understanding of American culture and university life. Up to six credits of level VI and/or VI+ courses can be used to fulfill the free elective course requirement towards an undergraduate degree, pending evidence of proficiency. For further information contact the Director of the ESL Program on the ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé Campus.

The ESL program is available on the ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé Campus. For more information, see the Academic Regulations section of this catalog. For information about the terms of instruction, contact the Center for International Programs at (334) 670-3335.

English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are described in the course descriptions chapter of this catalog.

ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé offers students who have finished ESL classes at mid-term, but cannot register for academic classes due to unavailability or scheduling issues, an option to take VI-Plus classes. Academic students who need more English practice may also take the VI-Plus classes. You must have completed all six levels in ESL (I-VI) or have passed the TOEFL or IELTS to qualify for VI-Plus classes.

These classes are grade bearing and are calculated in the student’s grade point average (GPA). These classes follow the University’s policy of assignment of an FA (Failure to attend) designation for enrolling, but not attending, the classes. Student grades for these classes are included on the ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé academic transcript as non-credit courses. Students may request a review of these classes via a University Course Substitution form available through the ESL Director’s office. Following the University’s review process, it may be possible to use a total of six academic hours from the Level VI and Level VI-Plus courses as academic credits. These hours will be transcribed as general unrestrictive electives for the student and can be used as part of the student’s overall degree requirement of at least 120 hours needed for graduation.

Experiential Learning Credit

CROSS DISCIPLINE COURSES (CDC)

Experiential Learning Assessment (ELA) Credit

Experiential learning assessment (ELA) is a process used by ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé to evaluate prior college-equivalent learning attained by students outside the classroom and not transferable through any of the standard methods of accepting non-traditional credit. Each student prepares a portfolio that is a carefully organized folder documenting learning outcomes (not learning activities) for the purpose of earning credit for a specific college course or courses. The procedure for students interested in requesting assessment of prior experiential learning is as follows:

1. The student enrolls in CDC 3301 Portfolio Development for two semester hours of credit. A student may enroll in CDC 3301 only once and should plan to develop all materials for receiving academic credit for experiential learning from this one-time enrollment. The instructor for this course:
   
   
   1. Provides an overview of the experiential learning assessment program,
   2. Assists in determining whether or not prior learning is appropriate or adequate to request academic credit,
   3. Provides the guidance necessary to prepare an educational portfolio, and
   4. Evaluates the portfolio to determine if the content is sufficient to approve submission for faculty assessment.
   
   
   NOTE: No more than 25 percent of the degree may be earned by using experiential learning assessment credit or portfolio-based credit. Academic credit earned through experiential learning will not count toward the University’s residency requirement.
   
   
2. The student prepares the portfolio, which includes
   
   
   1. A statement of the student’s educational goals;
   2. A chronological record, with external documentation, of the student’s education and work experiences;
   3. A clear statement of the specific knowledge and skills not learned in college for which the student desires to receive academic credit;
   4. Information that links the specific knowledge and skills to the student’s goals and educational degree program;
   5. Information that links the specific knowledge and skills of the student to specific learning outcomes of the specific courses for which the student wants to receive equivalent academic credit; and
   6. Documented evidence that substantiates the student’s claim to learning.
3. Faculty assessment.
   Once the portfolio is submitted to the faculty for evaluation, the faculty member uses several methods of assessment, which include product assessment such as an original computer program, interviews, oral or written examinations, simulations, performance tests, and/or essays. The faculty member makes a recommendation to award or not award the hours of credit. This recommendation is made to the dean of the college for which equivalent academic credit will be awarded for experiential learning activities and to the associate provost/dean of undergraduate studies for final approval and confirmation of awarded credit to the university registrar.
4. Fee Payment
   The tuition and/or fees for CDC 3301 is charged whether or not experiential credit is earned. In addition to tuition charges, a per hour charge for credit awarded is also charged to the student’s account.
5. Credit is then posted to the student’s transcript by the University Registrar.

Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies

(120 Hours)

Area I-IV Requirements

Area V Requirements (18-19 hours)

Electives (14-15 hours)

Major Requirements (54 hours)

Course Requirements for three ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé minors (18 hours each).

Electives (6 hours)

*Only one contract minor may be used in fulfillment of the major program requirements.

*Prerequisite courses for the selected minors may be completed as part of Area V in General Studies.

Military Electives

Military electives may be taken from credit earned through the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations, Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), or military credit from regionally accredited institutions. For additional information regarding the military science leadership minor, please consult the index of this catalog.

Pre-Professional Careers

Students who are interested in preparing for careers in the professions will find many such opportunities at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé. Considered among the best available, ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé’s pre-professional programs feature small classes, special academic advisers, free tutors, exceptional laboratory facilities and an outstanding and well qualified faculty.

Pre-law

Admission to accredited professional schools of law requires from three to four years of college preparatory work with preference given to applicants with the bachelor’s degree. Law schools generally do not prescribe a particular major or course of undergraduate study as a prerequisite for admission. All such schools emphasize the important of excellence in whichever course of study is pursued. For students planning to enter the profession of law, it is recommended that a student pursue a bachelor’s degree giving emphasis to such fields as English, history, political science, criminal justice, social science, speech communication or business. ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé offers an Accelerated Law Curriculum (3 year option) for interested students. Students will complete the requirements for the Social Science major—General Science concentration by the end of their third year of study. Students may then apply to a partnered institution’s law school program. After 30 semester hours of law courses outlined by the partnered institution, students may be awarded a Bachelor of Science in Social Science with a minor in Legal Studies and have completed one year of Law School. Students applying for early admission must meet the requirements set forth by the partnered Law School program. For individualized advice about courses appropriate for law school, students may consult with the advisers for the Pre-Law Society.

Pre-engineering

Program requirements among the professional schools of engineering vary, although certain courses are common to most such schools, particularly during the first two years’ work. Students may complete selected course work at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé within their first 1-2 years of study before transferring to a professional school. The choice of the professional school and the particular field of engineering will determine the required course work and the most appropriate time for transfer. Students who are interested in pursuing this route to a professional engineering degree should meet with their assigned pre-engineering academic advisers prior to registration each term.

Pre-health Professions

Courses required for admission to these professional schools are available at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé University. Admission to these schools is highly competitive. ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé recommends that students who plan a career in healthcare such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, chiropractic medicine, veterinary medicine, or osteopathic medicine follow a program which leads to the bachelor of science or bachelor of arts degree. Although professional schools require many common courses, they d differ slightly for a small number of specialized courses. For this reason, students should consult with their pre-health advisors to identify these courses.

Pre-veterinary Medicine

Programs leading to the doctor of veterinary medicine degree normally require four years of preparatory college work and four years in the professional school. Four years of the preparatory work may be taken at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé.

Pre-agriculture and Forestry

Students who plan to follow courses of study leading to degrees in agricultural engineering, animal or poultry husbandry, dairying, farm management, horticulture, wildlife, agriculture education, or forestry may complete as much as the first year’s work at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé. Certain courses required during the second year also are offered, but before continuing into the second year, the student should carefully examine the requirements of the professional school selected.

Other Pre-professional Career Paths

ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé also provides appropriate courses of study for a number of other professional and vocational fields, including pharmacy, home economics, land surveying, physical therapy, public administration, seminary training, etc. These programs require general preparation (as required for the bachelor’s degree) as a prerequisite for admission to the professional or graduate school.