University Honors Program
The College of Business Administration and the University Honors Program welcomes qualified students to join the honors program at any point in their academic career in which they become academically eligible for admission into the University Honors Program. The University Honors Program is intended to recognize the high achievements of outstanding students who go beyond the curriculum requirements for a given degree program to meet the challenges of completing advanced study, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship activities that are embodied in the honors program.
University Honors Program Requirements
The University Honors Program, or the UHP, encourages students to grow in the intellectual craft of scholarship. Through cultural and performing arts events, skill-development workshops, travel opportunities, and challenging course work, UHP students will increase their intellectual curiosity about the world, its wonders and its complexity. The UHP will challenge students to reach their full potential as scholarly, competent and fulfilled leaders.
Admission requirements
The general criteria for admission to the UHP are as follows:
- ACT composite of 29 or greater.
- A high school GPA of 3.75 or greater (weighted or unweighted).
- Completion of the UHP application through the Honors Administration Link.
Students who have notable extracurricular experience and/or leadership activities and who, for whatever reason, do not quite achieve the GPA and ACT scores are still encouraged to apply. All components of the application are used to reach a final decision.
Current students wishing to enter the UHP should have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 (K-State grades only) and are encouraged to visit with the UHP staff.
Because of the high quality and number of applicants, meeting the above criteria does not necessarily guarantee admission.
Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA to remain in good standing and to graduate from the UHP.
University Honors Program - Completion requirements
1. Orientation: One (1) introductory course –1 credit
UHP students will complete the following course:
XXX189 Introduction to University Honors Program [XXX indicated students will enroll by college. All 189 sections will have the same content and format]
2. Courses: Four (4) for-credit academic courses – 12 credits minimum
At least four UHP-eligible courses must be completed for credit for a minimum of twelve credit hours. UHP students will have the flexibility to choose from a menu of three eligible options:
- UHP-designated courses (e.g., Honors Chemistry, Honors Introduction to the Humanities) that carry course credit.
- Contract courses (i.e., a regular for-credit course where the student and instructor agree upon additional scholarly expectations and outcomes).
- Course credits taken for undergraduate research.
3. Experiences: Three (3) co-curricular experiences and/or additional for-credit academic courses – total credits will vary: no minimum.
This requirement accommodates multiple forms of experimental learning, co-curricular enrichment, and/or additional UHP-eligible coursework. Eligible co-curricular experiences will include items such as study abroad, International Service Teams participation, undergraduate research, internships, participation on a university competition team, and work as a teaching assistant.
The UHP will develop and maintain guidelines for what constitutes a qualifying experience, including a menu of options. Other experiences may also be proposed, pending the approval of the relevant College coordinator and the UHP staff.
In brief, eligible experiences will require students to intentionally reference and integrate knowledge from their curriculum in an applied fashion and involve active accountability (supervision, mentorship, instruction, etc.). Thus, eligible co-curricular experiences are not intended to encompass routine participation or leadership in campus clubs or “student life” activities.
Students may also choose to complete additional UHP-eligible and for-credit academic courses in this category.
4. Project: One (1) independent UHP scholarly project – 0-3 credits.
Students can select one of four tracks to complete their UHP Project. Each track emphasizes integrative, independent learning and skill development.
- a. Research track – A traditional “honors thesis” where students complete research under the supervision of faculty members.
- b. International track – Project based upon study or service abroad for a minimum duration of ten weeks.
- c. Professional track –Project based upon a full-time internship or co-op experience for a minimum durations of ten weeks. Two distinct internships with a single employer may also be used as the basis for a project, provided they total at least ten weeks (with UHP approval granted before the second internship).
- d. Creative track – Project based upon the creation of original creative work, principally for students in the fine and performing arts for whom artistic production is an essential scholarly activity.
All four tracks will require a significant intellectual product that is supervised and approved by a K-State mentor with appropriate expertise. All proposals and completed projects must also be approved by the mentor, the College coordinator and the UHP.
Project approval must be obtained prior to beginning the proposed project.
Additional Notes:
- Students may not “double dip” by counting any single course or activity in more than one UHP requirement category.
- In both the “Experiences” and “Project” categories, experiences such as internships, if they are required parts of a student’s declared major, may only satisfy a UHP requirement if an additional enrichment and/or intellectual product is agreed upon and verified.
- Transfer students who completed Honors coursework at another institution will have the opportunity to petition the UHP Director to apply those credits towards the completion of UHP course requirements.
- The completion of graduate-level coursework above and beyond the stated requirements of the student’s declared major may be counted for UHP credit through the process of course contracting.
For more information
www.k-state.edu/ksuhonors
E-mail: ksuhonors@k-state.edu
Additional Learning Opportunities
Distance Education
The major in general business is a 63 credit hours degree completion program offered through the K-State Global Campus and is available only to off-campus students.
The degree is suitable for individuals who have an associate of science degree, who are employed full time and want to continue their education, or who have family responsibilities that make it impossible to take courses in a traditional on-campus manner.
Admission to the program requires the student to have completed at least 45 hours of the Business Pre-Professions Program (BAPP) with a GPA of 2.5 or higher on the first 12 hours of K-State course work. Application for admission to the general business degree program should be made through the K-State Global Campus, non-traditional studies program, at 1-800-622-2KSU or on the website.
Experiential Learning
The College of Business Administration, through the internship program, study abroad, and service learning, offers opportunities for students to obtain experience in business and industry as part of their college education. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of one or more of these opportunities during their academic career at K-State and should work with their academic advisor to determine how for-credit experiential learning can be applied to the student’s degree requirements.
Pre-Business Education
Pre-business education majors are enrolled in and advised by the College of Education. Students interested in teaching business education at the high school level are instructed to refer to the licensure requirements for details.
Pre-Law
Law schools emphasize various objectives in pre-law study for the development of basic skills and insights. These objectives are: the acquisition of skills in comprehension and expression; understanding human institutions; and the ability to think clearly, carefully, and independently. A pre-law student enrolled in the College of Business Administration not only achieves these important goals, but also obtains a broad business background that is desirable preparation for study of the law.
