HONORS PROGRAM
HONORS PROGRAM
This information has been prepared by the College of Agriculture Honors Committee and is applicable to all departments within the College. The forms are Word documents.
The Honors Program in the College of Agriculture shares these objectives of the Iowa State University Honors Program:
A. To provide maximum educational opportunity and challenge for students of high ability.
B. To recognize both the special accomplishments and the special responsibilities of those students.
ISU Goals: The Honors Program in the College of Agriculture shares these goals of the Iowa State University Honors Program:
A. To provide maximum educational opportunity and challenge for students of high ability.
B. To recognize both the special accomplishments and the special responsibilities of those students.
COA Goals: The goals of the Honors Program in the College of Agriculture are:
A. To promote development of an individualized academic program of study for each Honors student through a thorough evaluation (and complete redesign if necessary) of the student’s curriculum to provide a wider range of subjects and/or to explore certain areas more deeply.
B. To stimulate independent study for the high-ability student and to provide an opportunity for full development of the student’s unique potential through completion of an Honors project.
C. To provide unique educational opportunities and promote the exchange of ideas among Honors students through Honors seminars, courses, and other activities in the College and University.
The College of Agriculture Honors Committee operates within the framework of the Basic Document of the Iowa State University Honors Program. The College of Agriculture Committee consists of five faculty members and a chairperson seclected from the faculty in the College and appointed by the College's Associate Dean for Academic Programs. In addition to the faculty members on the committee, three students representing the freshman, associate and full honors membership categories serve on the committee. A representative of the University Honors Program is an ex-officio member of the committee and the immediate past chair of the College committee will serve one year as an ex-officio member following his or her term as chair. Members of the Academic Affairs Committee of the College of Agriculture will serve as departmental liaisons to the College Honors Committee.
Freshman Honors Program
The Freshman Honors Program (FHP) is a one-year program administered by the University Honors Program Committee that establishes admission criteria, and selects and admits freshman students with the advice of the college Honors committees. Admission is by application and invitation only. This program and the privileges and activities of its members are described in publications of the Freshman Honors Program, available at the Honors Program Office in Honors Building.
Members of the FHP who are enrolled in the College of Agriculture are considered part of the Agriculture Honors family and are welcomed guests at meetings and activities of the College of Agriculture Honors Program. Contact is encouraged between Agriculture Honors faculty and students. Agriculture students associated with the Freshman Honors Program are encouraged to consider the benefits of the Agriculture Honors Program and to seek admission as Full Members as soon as they are eligible and have chosen a major within the College of Agriculture.
Membership in the FHP is not a prerequisite for admission to the College of Agriculture Honors Program and is not a factor in the acceptance or rejection of applications for such admission.
Associate Membership Application Form
The purpose of associate membership is to extend the benefits of Honors membership, during a time of academic planning, to applicants who meet the academic requirements and appear likely to qualify for full membership. Associate membership is not a prerequisite of full membership.
Associate Membership requirements
Associate membership terminates one year from the date of application. Associate membership also terminates at the time admission to full membership is granted or if the student resigns or is dropped from the program. A decision not to apply for full membership may be made without prejudice simply by failure to apply for full membership before the time the deadline for application passes.
The applicant must:
- be enrolled in the College of Agriculture at the time of application.
- have a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher for work done at ISU.
- have at least 48 credits to complete after the semester of application approval.
- apply using Associate Membership application form.
Associate Membership privileges
As an associate member, a student:
- may register for and attend Honors seminars and courses.
- may participate in all college and University Honors Program activities.
- will receive the Honors Program Newsletter.
- has access to the facilities of the Honors Building.
- is an automatic member of the Honors Student Board (HSB), the students' social and advisory arm of the Honors Program.
- may participate in Wingspread Foundation Fellows programs and other regional and national Honors Conferences.
- may live in Honors housing.
To apply for Associate Membership:
- fill out the Associate Membership Form
- deliver completed form to Chair of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee, Joan Cunnick, 383D Science I, 294-2070, jcunnick@iastate.edu
Full Membership Application Form
Full Membership requirements
The applicant must:
- be enrolled in the College of Agriculture at the time of application.
- have a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher for work done at ISU.
- have at least 48 credits to complete after the semester of application approval.
- apply using Full Membership application form.
Full membership privileges
As a full member of the Agriculture Honors Program a student:
- will have an Honors Curricular Advisor to assist in scheduling and completion of Honors Program requirements.
- may register for and attend Honors seminars and courses.
- may participate in all college and university Honors Program activities.
- may participate in the Wingspread Foundation Fellows and other regional and national Honors Conferences.
- will receive the Honors Program Newsletter.
- has access to the facilities of the Honors Building.
- will receive priority scheduling at registration.
- may apply for funds to support Honors projects.
- qualifies for extended loan privileges at the Parks Library.
- will be recognized as an Honors Program Graduate at graduation if all requirements are met.
To apply for Full Membership:
- fill out the Full Membership application form
- meet with your academic advisor and create a program of study using the Program Worksheet (included in the application form)
- list all course substitutions, waivers, or additions and define where these changes apply to your degree audit using the Degree Audit Revisions Form (included in the application form). These changes will be applied to your degree audit as per these instructions and the revised degree audit will become your contract for graduation. Make sure the Program of Study includes the 490H credits for your Honors project (minimum of 3 & maximum of 6 credits) and the appropriate number of Honors seminars (at least 1 seminar per year in the program) as additions to your program requirements. An Honors Option area will be added to your degree audit following approval of your application; Independent Study (490H) Honors credits, Honors seminars and any other appropriate courses should be added to this area. The number designating this area will always be the number preceding the current Electives area.
- submit a copy of your most current degree audit along with the Full Membership application to the Honors Curricular Advisor for your curriculum (listed on cover page of the College of Agriculture Honors Guide). The Curricular Advisor will be responsible for working with the student and their academic advisor to ensure that the program of study meets the criteria for admission to the Honors Program
- obtain signatures of your advisor, departmental curricular advisor, and department head or chair
- submit degree audit and completed application with signatures to the chair of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee, Joan Cunnick, 383D Science I, 294-2070, jcunnick@iastate.edu
To make changes in your program of study (POS):
- list all course substitutions, waivers, or deletions and define where these changes apply to your degree audit using the Summary of Changes in Program of Study. These changes will be applied to your degree audit as per these instructions and the revised degree audit will become your contract for graduation
- submit a copy of your degree audit along with the Summary of Changes in Program of Study form to the Honors Curricular Advisor for your curriculum (listed on cover page of the College of Agriculture Honors Guide). The Curricular Advisor is responsible for assuring that the changes do not impact the ability of the student to retain full membership in the Honors Program
- obtain signatures of your advisor, departmental curricular advisor, and department head or chair
- submit degree audit and completed form with signatures to the chair of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee, Joan Cunnick, 383D Science I, 294-2070, jcunnick@iastate.edu
REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
To qualify for graduation in the Honors Program, students:
- Must attain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.35. If the GPA for an individual semester is below 3.35 but the cumulative GPA is still above 3.35, the student may remain in the Honors Program. If the cumulative GPA is requirement is not met, the student may be dropped from the Honors Program. The College of Agriculture Honors Committee deals with grade problems on a case-by-case basis.
- Enroll in at least one Honors seminar (Honors 321, 322, 323, 324) for each year of participation in the program. Enrollment in seminars is controlled by the University Honors Program.
- Complete the program of study outlined in the Full Membership application form. The goal of the program of study is to promote development of a highly individualized academic program for each Honors student through a thorough evaluation (and complete redesign if necessary) of the student's curriculum to provide a wider range of subjects and/or to explore certain areas more deeply. The revised program of study must provide both depth and breadth of academic experiences comparable to (and hopefully exceeding) the academic requirements of the curriculum, the College of Agriculture, and the University. However, the Honors Program will follow a liberal policy on the waiving of requirements for graduation (except for the fixed total number of hours required) for Full Members of the Honors Program. The revised program of study, once approved, will become the graduation contract of the student and supercede all curricular, college, and(or) university requirements. Any changes to the revised program of study must be approved by the Chair of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee by submitting a Summary of Changes in Program of Study form. If these changes represent a major change of direction in the program, they must be approved by the committee before the courses are begun.
- Complete an Independent Study Project - 490H as described below.
An important part of an Honors student's program of study is the independent study project for academic credit. It is designated as a departmental 490H course, is usually done for 3 to 6 credits, and these credits must be listed in the proposed program of study (on the degree audit form) submitted as part of the application for full membership. The Honors Project Proposal form is required.
Project Topic
You are responsible for finding a project topic and a project advisor. This topic does not need to be chosen at the time you apply for full membership. However, you should choose your topic and have it approved by the College of Agriculture Honors Committee before you begin work. In general, the topic should further your educational goals. Some suggestions are listed below:
Honors Project Goals
Though there can be many goals that can be achieved in completing your Honors project, the principal one is to be able to plan, execute, and complete a project on your own. It is self-directed, and you set the deadlines.
Honors Project Advisor
Your Honors project advisor(s) may be any person (or group of persons), inside or outside the University, but must include at least one faculty member, who will be responsible for assigning the grade. Your advisor(s) should be willing and able to provide significant guidance during the term of the project. Some examples would include:
Financial Support
Funds are available for you to use with your Honors project. The University Honors Program has several opportunities to compete for the limited funds that are available to support Honors research projects, including University Honors grants and Stewart Research Awards.
Guidelines have been established for eligibility, application, and award, including a list of items that may be funded. For further information, pick up a copy of the guidelines at the Honors Building.
Project Credit and Grading
The number of credits for the project is to be determined by you and your project advisor(s). You and your project advisors should work together to decide the amount of input required for the credits to be earned, depending on the scope and complexity of the project. Your project advisor(s) will be responsible for assigning a grade for the project.
Project Output and Deadlines
There are three required outputs associated with your Honors project and each has a deadline:
1. Honors Project Approval Form
Complete this form and have your Honors project adviser sign it. It should be submitted to the chair of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee prior to the time you register for the term during which you will do the work. You will be requested to come to a College of Agriculture Honors committee meeting to explain your proposal and obtain final approval.
2. Poster Presentation
You are required to present a poster at a University Honors poster presentation. The University Honors Program Committee and the Honors Student Board host a poster presentation near the end of each semester. The time and location of this presentation are determined by the University Honors Program by the middle of each semester and an information packet is sent at that time. The College Honors Committee will review and critique your poster and oral presentation.
3. Written report
A written report is due at the end of the term in which you complete your Honors Project 490H credits. You need to distribute copies as follows:
A. one copy to your project advisor.
B. one copy to the chair of the College of Agriculture Honors committee. After review by the committee, it will be forwarded to the Honors Program Office, Honors Building.
C. two additional copies to the Honors Program Office if you received a University Honors Research Grant; three additional copies if you received a Stewart Award.
Papers need to be typed and double spaced (no larger than 12 point font), excluding references and title page. ALL margins should be no more than 1 inch. The title page should include the title of your Honors Project report as it will appear on your poster and your name.
Make sure you have all your references listed on the last page of the paper and that the references match the source cited in your paper.
Though the exact form of the paper may vary due to the variability of the subject covered, it should follow a technical report format and must include an abstract of not more than 200 words on a separate page. Sample reports are available for examination at the Honors Building.
You are being asked by an Honors student in the College of Agriculture to serve as an Honors project advisor. In order to help you understand your responsibility as a project advisor, the Agriculture Honors Committee has developed the following guidelines.
The Honors Project may serve either as a way for a student to do in-depth research or creative work in the area of their major discipline or it may be a means for the Honors student to learn more about a topic that is not in their major discipline.
The project should be a substantial piece of quality work. It can be a part of a larger project, or it can stand on its own. It is expected to culminate in a paper or other significant creative work. Further, and most importantly, the project is expected to be of high academic quality demonstrating individual creativity. Some Honors project reports have been published in refereed journals. We urge you to consider this as you work with the student to set up project objectives, and to assist the student in publishing the paper if the work is publishable. Your role, as an expert in the field, is to aid the student in producing a project worthy of Honors designation. This may entail referrals to resources, editing and other directive tasks. Finally, when you approve the finished project, this approval is taken as your acceptance of the project.
The College of Agriculture Honors Committee, composed of faculty and students, reviews each project proposal and may make suggestions as appropriate. However, we clearly are not experts in every field. Therefore, we rely on the faculty to monitor a project's quality. We intend to promote the project as an opportunity for the Honors student to challenge his/her intellectual and creative abilities. At the same time, we recognize that the project is being done in conjunction with other academic responsibilities and, therefore, the objective and scope of the project should be within the appropriate constraints.
We appreciate your willingness to work with our students and our program in this important undertaking. If you have any questions concerning the guidelines or the specific project proposed, please contact the chair of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee.
Responsibilities of the College of Agriculture Honors Committee
The College of Agriculture’s Honor Committee:
- Provides information and advice to all College of Agriculture students who desire to be in the Honors Program. This includes conducting informational meetings for eligible students during both fall and spring terms.
- Approves Programs of Study submitted by students. Final approval is given by the Associate Dean for Academic Programs.
- Reviews and approves Honors project proposals. If schedules allow, all students meet individually with the Agriculture Honors Committee to discuss their proposals and to receive suggestions for improvement.
- Monitors GPAs of Agriculture Honors students for compliance with 3.35 minimum requirement.