Transfer between Programs
Students should be advised that they may have to satisfy specific
grade point average requirements for transfer into most specialized
curricula and some majors. Contact an adviser or the LAS Student Affairs
Office (270 Lincoln Hall) for specific information.
Honors Programs
Dean's List
Each semester students are recognized by the college for placement
on the Dean's List. Those students are eligible who meet the following
criteria and are in the top 20 percent of their classes. To be eligible
for Dean's List recognition, you must have completed at least 14 hours
of course work, excluding military courses and graduate-level courses
taken for unit credit. Of these 14 hours, at least 12 hours must be
earned in courses taken for traditional letter grades, which excludes
courses graded credit/no credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, and
test-based credit, which is graded pass/fail. Course work completed
through study abroad may be included in determining Dean's List eligibility,
subject to these same limitations. Students with work graded excused
or deferred are not considered for the Dean's List until grades have
been submitted for that work. These students should notify the honors
dean when such work has been completed if they expect to be placed
on the Dean's List.
James Scholar Program
The official honors program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
is called the Edmund J. James Scholar Program. This program allows
students with exceptional ability to pursue rigorous academic study
and provides the opportunity for those students to meet with faculty
members on an individual basis. There are honors advisers available
in some departments and an honors dean in the college office. James
Scholars register in some special honors sections and they arrange
individualized honors credit learning agreements for specific courses.
James Scholars have open access to the University Library stacks (ordinarily
open only to graduate students and the faculty); such access to library
stacks is particularly helpful for students involved in independent
study and/or undergraduate research projects. James Scholars also
have their program requests processed early to minimize conflicts
in scheduling honors courses.
Any qualified LAS student may become a James Scholar Nominee.
Entering freshmen in the top 15 percent of the admitted class are
invited immediately into the program as James Scholar Nominees.
In order to remain a James Scholar, students must maintain a cumulative
grade point average of 3.5 and must complete two honors courses
each academic year. Official certification of James Scholar standing
on the University transcript is made at the end of the academic
year (upon completion of these requirements).
Further information about the James Scholar Program is available
from the LAS Student Affairs Office, 270 Lincoln Hall.
Rogers Merit Scholar Program
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has established the Robert
W. Rogers Merit Scholarship program for highly qualified freshmen.
A freshman chosen as a Robert W. Rogers Scholar enrolls in any curriculum
in the college and is awarded $1,000 for the year; the award may be
renewed for the sophomore year if the student maintains at least a
3.5 grade point average and continues in the college. Admitted freshmen
with the highest qualifications are invited to apply. The selection
of a Rogers Scholar is made by a faculty committee and based on exceptional
scholastic achievement, high performance on either the ACT or SAT
examination, and evidence of leadership in the school or community.
No more than twelve new awards are made each year. Rogers Scholars
participate in selected campus activities drawing on some of the University's
academic and cultural resources.
Cohn Scholars Honors Program
The Cohn Scholars Program provides intellectual and financial support
and special academic opportunities for a small group of highly qualified
freshmen majoring in the humanities. Cohn Scholars enroll in a two-semester
course sequence in Western civilization offered by the Department
of History or the Program in Comparative Literature, with special
discussion sections. Cohn Scholars participate in special campus activities
designed to acquaint them with some of the University's many academic
and cultural resources. Each Cohn Scholar may also participate in
a yearlong independent study course in his or her field of interest
(or in a closely related field) with a faculty mentor from one of
the humanities disciplines. The independent study course offers each
student the opportunity to interact with a faculty member on an individual
basis through intensive study in a selected subject.
Applications to the program are invited in early spring from highly
qualified high school students who have been admitted for the following
year to one of the humanities departments or programs in the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Potential students are selected by
a faculty committee on the basis of an application, high school
class rank, and performance in a competitive entrance examination
(ACT or SAT).
Honors at Graduation
College honors at graduation are awarded on the basis of academic
excellence and satisfaction of one of the following: (1) successful
completion of 25 hours of honors courses (including work taken on
honors credit learning agreements); (2) successful completion of 35
hours of advanced hours course work; or (3) earning departmental distinction.
Provided that one of the requirements above is satisfied, the award
of college honors is made according to the following ranges: cum laude,
if the college grade point average places a student in the top 12
percent of the graduating class but not in the top 7 percent; magna
cum laude, if the college grade point average places a student in
the top 7 percent of the graduating class but not in the top 3 percent;
and summa cum laude, if the college grade point average places a student
in the top 3 percent of the graduating class.
Departmental Distinction
Students who have shown exceptional competence in one or more areas
of study may earn distinction in their major(s) or curricula. Criteria
for awarding distinction are established by the departments. Students
interested in working for distinction should consult their honors
adviser early in the junior year.
Phi Beta Kappa
Invitations for membership into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest
honor society, are sent to outstanding students in Liberal Arts and
Sciences each April. Eligibility requires rank in the top 7 percent
of seniors in LAS, as well as a minimum number of graded hours and
appropriate course distribution. Precise criteria and detailed information
may be obtained from the chapter secretary, Office of the Provost
and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Swanlund Building, University
of Illinois, 601 East John Street, Champaign, IL 61820, (217) 333-2353.
Awards
There are a number of prizes and awards available to outstanding students
in certain areas of the college. A department will generally notify
the student of the possibility of such an award; however, an interested
student may obtain information on the awards from the college office,
270 Lincoln Hall.
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