National Collegiate Honors Council
The HONORS Program is designed to create a scholastic and social community for students who have proven themselves academically.
Eligibility
The following students will be invited to participate in the HONORS program:
- Incoming first semester (Associate's or Bachelor's degree) students with 90 or better high school average and 1200 or higher on SATs.
- Second semester (Associate's or Bachelor's degree) students who have successfully completed the first semester of work at SUNY Cobleskill with a 3.5 or higher g.p.a.
- Students (upon transfer/entry into Bachelor's degree program) who have completed an Associate's degree program with a g.p.a. of 3.5 or higher.
NOTE: Honors program participants may be either Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree students. Discretion of Director will be exercised where data may be incomplete (e.g. transfer & non-traditional students.)
Benefits
HONORS program students can register on the first day, that's the first, of pre-registration. This insures first choice of courses, days & times, and professors for all HONORS students' classes.
HONORS Program Graduate status is designated on transcript upon successful completion of degree program. This, of course, will help in transfer to other institutions and in competition for jobs. Also, each individual HONORS course is designated on transcript.
HONORS courses & colloquia place you one-to-one and in small group settings with professors who have specialties that match your interests. References and connections with professors to assist in transfer/job-search will hopefully be a significant result.
HONORS students learn and socialize with other students who share your strong interest in academic success.
Academic Programs for Honors Students
To successfully complete the HONORS program, a student must complete all respective degree requirements, and have at least nine HONORS credits and a g.p.a. of 3.5 or higher. The student's transcript will then state "HONORS Program Graduate." These nine credits must include at least two colloquia and the HONORS (Senior)/Capstone Project. If you wish to take additional HONORS courses, you may. All HONORS courses count towards completion of your program at Cobleskill (i.e. you do not take "extra" courses.) There are three types of HONORS courses:
(1) HONORS-Designation Courses (2, 3, or 4 credits) are regular curricular offerings within which the student designs and carries out a project on an individual basis with the professor, in addition to the regular coursework.
(2) HONORS Colloquia (1 credit) are small-group discussion-intensive courses on interdisciplinary or general-interest topics of value to students who will be tomorrow's leaders. Topics will vary each semester - past topics have included cultural relativism vs. ethnocentrism, Quebec, biotechnology and contemporary culture. Credits fulfill liberal arts and sciences elective requirements.
(3) HONORS (Senior)/Capstone Project (3 credits) is a capstone course that consolidates and builds upon previous coursework in the major. The student works with the supervising professor to design and carry out an independent project that involves some combination of reading, research, and writing. Credits count toward major field requirements.
To be in good standing, each semester much include at least one type of HONORS course. Here is how a typical HONORS program might look for an Associate's degree student:
Semester I: An HONORS Colloquium.
Semester II: An HONORS-designation course and an HONORS Colloquium.
Semester III: An HONORS-Designation course.
Semester IV: The HONORS (Senior)/Capstone Project.
HONORS students are expected to maintain a 3.5 or higher g.p.a. If the cumulative g.p.a. falls below 3.0, the student is dropped from the program; HONORS credits already achieved remain on the transcript.