How do I apply to the Honors Program?
What is General Education?
What is an integrated curriculum?
What are interdisciplinary courses?
What are the advantages of participating in the
Honors Program?
How do the requirements in Honors differ from
those in regular courses?
How does the Honors Program relate to departmental
honors programs?
Do I have to complete the entire program to receive
credit?
Can I fulfill certain honors requirements
with my prior exams or course work?
ADMISSION TO THE HONORS PROGRAM:
Candidates applying to George Mason who also want to be considered for the Honors Program do not submit a separate application. If your application meets the criteria for Honors, you will receive an invitation to the program shortly after you receive your acceptance to the university. Candidates are evaluated on the strength of their entire academic record, including the rigor of their high school curricula, GPA, and standardized test scores. To complete the admission process, students will need to follow the instructions in the letter of invitation to confirm their acceptance.
What
is General Education?
All universities set forth some statement about what they think are the "basics," the "fundamentals," or the knowledge one
needs as a foundation in today's world. To acquire such a foundation,
all students are required to complete a series of courses labeled General
Education. At George Mason, students are offered several alternatives
to fulfill the General Education requirements. The Honors Program offers
one such alternative.
What
is an integrated curriculum?
The Honors Program fulfills the university’s general education requirements
with an integrated curriculum. Unlike the conventional approach to general
education, which consists of a set of discrete or independent courses
that do not necessarily relate to each other, our integrated curriculum
is a set of courses that are connected and interdependent. Each course
links to and builds on others in the curriculum. In most instances, we
believe, a student derives a maximum benefit from taking the courses as
a package. This statement is provided to make our curriculum more comprehensible
to our students and to help them see the connections between and among
the various Honors courses and understand the relevance of specific courses
to the goals of general education.
The goals of the university’s general education requirements are stated in the university catalog. An integrated curriculum achieves these goals as a package. Each Honors course addresses several disciplinary goals. We teach writing, oral communication, and information technology across the curriculum in virtually every course we offer. The foundation requirement of quantitative reasoning is met by a combination of HNRS 125 or 226, 227 and 228. Core requirements – literature, fine arts, history, social and behavioral sciences, global understanding, and natural sciences – are met by combinations of Honors courses, or other specific alternative courses for math and science majors. While a one-to-one course equivalency cannot be drawn precisely, we publish on our Web site a “Transfer Guide” that identifies how each HNRS course equates to conventional university credit.
The integrated curriculum adds greater value to our students’
education by helping them make explicit connections between or among the
various bodies of knowledge – humanities, sciences, and social sciences
– embodied in the university’s general education goals. An
integrated curriculum is a valuable approach to teaching and learning
because it prepares students for a world in which issues or problems are
multi-faceted and thus require answers or solutions that integrate knowledge
from diverse fields. Issues do not present themselves in the context of
a single discipline. To grapple with the problems of the contemporary
world, students must not only be grounded in a discipline, but must have
absorbed the values of intellectual diversity and flexibility.
What
are interdisciplinary courses?
Most courses in the undergraduate curriculum are based on a single academic
discipline such as history, chemistry, or political science. The Honors
Program offers a set of courses that cut across discipline boundaries,
challenging students to make connections between or among sets of facts
or concepts, and thus to enjoy a more profound level of knowledge about
our world and our place in it. The Program's faculty are drawn from all
areas of the University to ensure that our students are exposed to the
entire range of ways of knowing—and knowing about—their world.
What
are some advantages of participating in the Honors Program?
The leading advantage of the Honors Program is the way it combines an
integrated curriculum, small classes, and exposure to many of the university's
master teachers and scholars. In Honors, students learn to probe the foundations
of knowledge, develop new skills in understanding complex issues, and
think independently, imaginatively, and ethically. In addition, Honors
students are provided numerous enhancements, such as their own lounge
and computer lab, as well as special programming that takes advantage
of our location near the intellectual and artistic resources of the nation's
capital. By being part of a small 125-member class and by taking many
of their courses within this group, Honors students will experience the
advantages of an intellectual community as well. Finally, there are administrative
advantages, such as access to their own floor in the University residences
and priority registration.
How
do the requirements in Honors differ from those in regular courses?
Students in Honors courses should expect to be challenged. There
will be significant reading and writing assignments in every course and
analytical assignments that require quantitative skills in many courses
as well. Like other George Mason graduates, honors students are expected
to be proficient in the use of information technology and capable of making
effective oral presentations to groups of their peers.
How
does the Honors Program relate to departmental honors programs?
The Honors Program meets the University's General Education requirements
for all students. In addition, each department may offer its own honors
course or courses for its majors only. Students should consult their major
department for more information on these programs.
Do
I have to complete the entire program to receive credit?
The Honors Program's integrated curriculum will be of maximum benefit
to students if they complete all of its courses. Students who complete
all courses designated to fulfill the Honors Program (may include non-Honors
courses) with a minimum GPA of 3.0 will receive the "Honors"
designation on their transcripts. Students who complete the above with
a GPA below 3.0 will have completed their General Education requirements
but will not receive the "Honors" designation. Students who
transfer to other programs within the university before completing the
Honors curriculum may receive equivalency
credit for their Honors coursework. Students who are placed on academic
warning may be transferred out of the program. Students who fail to maintain
a full-time enrollment status (minimum of 12 credits each semester) will
not be allowed to continue in the program.