Livingstone College

Students who have been accepted for admission to Livingstone College and meet the eligibility criteria may submit an application for membership in the Honors Program. Admission into the program is highly competitive and based on a limited number of openings each year.

First Semester Freshmen: Presidential and Board of Trustee Scholars are offered full admission to the Honors Program as freshmen.

Continuing Freshmen and Sophomores: Freshmen and sophomores with at least 15 completed hours of course work at Livingstone College and who have earned a minimum 3.5 GPA, may be admitted to the program by submitting a complete application. The latest point to enter the Honors Program is the first semester of the sophomore year.

Transfer Students: Upon admission, students who are members of an Honors Program at another institution at the time of transfer to Livingstone College are immediately eligible to join Livingstone College Honors Program. Furthermore, students attending community college who were members of Phi Theta Kappa are immediately eligible to join. The latest point to enter the Honors Program for transfer students is the first semester of the junior year.

Retention Standards: A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 must be maintained at all times. If a student’s GPA is below the minimum (but not below a 3.1) the student has one semester to increase the cumulative average to a 3.3 to remain in the Honors Program. Students who wish to resign from the program must submit a letter of resignation to the coordinator and conduct an exit interview by the end of the requesting semester. The Honors Program does not offer readmission.

The focus of the Honors Program course work is in the general education courses during the freshman and sophomore years. At the junior level, students must enroll in the colloquium course, and upon graduation, students must submit and defend a senior thesis project before a selected committee. The Honors Program requires twenty-one (21) hours of classes including the senior thesis project. Fifteen (15) of twenty-one (21) hours must be in General Education. The remaining six (6) hours are Junior Colloquium and Senior Thesis. Students whose majors do not allow extra course work or majors that require a Senior Thesis, may “contract” these courses. Students will not graduate “with Honors” if they have not successfully completed a colloquium course and a senior thesis project before graduation. All grades for honors courses must be given at the end of the semester.

There are three types of Honors courses.

Straight: All students in a course are enrolled in the Honors Program.
Dual-roster: Honors students are enrolled in traditional courses, but partake in special assignments and activities.
Customized: Honors students may contract a 300/400 level course (in lieu of Junior Colloquium) with an instructor to complete special assignments and activities as part of a traditional course.