Advising Honors Students

The Honors Program includes, per the Academic Catalogue, five requirements: 

  1. A first-year Honors course in the fall of their first year (which will always count towards a core education category.) Students who drop the first-year course must arrange for an alternative through an appeal to the Honors Council.
  2. An HONS 201 or 202 section taken in the sophomore year (or second semester of the first year if desired). Many sections will count for a core education category. Students may appeal to take the course in the junior year (to the Honors Council, then to Executive Committee) if study-abroad or course schedules
  3. HONS 301 (1 credit) to be taken in the fall of the junior year. Students may appeal to use an alternative to craft the honors proposal (for example, through summer research, independent research credits, etc); this must be approved by the Honors Council and Executive Committee.
  4. An honors elective. This may be selected from:
    1. An additional HONS 201 or 202 seminar.
    2. Three 1-credit HONS 261 or 261 reading seminars.
    3. A summer research experience. (Students should notify the honors director in advance if this option is taken. Additional information may be required in some cases.) 
    4. A 3-credit independent research course. (Students should propose the topic to the Honors Council in advance.)
  5. A two-semester capstone project.
    1. A proposal must be submitted and accepted, normally the spring of the junior year.
    2. The capstone is normally undertaken in the senior year (fall and spring), but students with special circumstances (e.g,. early graduation) may appeal to undertake it over a spring and finish in the fall. See the Honors Capstone page for more details.
Freshman Year First Year Honors Course (replacing a core education course)
Sophomore Year Sophomore Honors Seminar (may replace a core education course)
Individualized Track: pick one option Second Honors Seminar Summer Research or Independent Research 3 1-credit Honors Readings courses
Junior Year (fall) HONS 301: Capstone Proposal (1 credit)
Senior Year Two-semester Capstone Project

The Honors Program Handbook      Honors Program Advising Checklist

What class does my first-year advisee need if they’re in the program?

The honors director recommends that first-year advisees be placed in an honors section of a general education class, taking into account the student’s interests, placement recommendations, and high school transcript. Honors first-year courses will be designated in their title (although TigerWeb cannot search on this basis).

What if my first-year advisee wants to drop their honors course?

If, after discussion, the student is firm in wishing to drop the course but does want to stay in the program, they have a couple of options:

  1. Naturally, if there is room, they can switch to the other course.
  2. They can drop the course and appeal to the Honors Council to substitute a different honors course. This is usually HONS 201-202; this means the student would need to take a minimum of two HONS 201-202 courses plus HONS 301 and an additional means to fulfill the elective requirement. (E.g., a student cannot use an HONS 201 to count both for a dropped first-year and another requirement.)
  3. If the Honors Council agrees, they will need to appeal to the executive committee (given that this is a catalog requirement.)

My advisee isn’t in honors; can they join the honors program?

Students already enrolled at Hampden-Sydney College may still join the program. Students with a 3.5 after their first semester and a 3.3 after their second semester will be invited to join. (In other cases, contact the honors advisor to discuss the case). 

Please encourage your advisee to contact the Honors Director, in case there are special circumstances! 

GPA and GPA warnings

Students need a 3.3 CGPA to successfully complete the program. If a student falls below this requirement, a GPA warning will be sent.

If in the best estimation by the Honors Director a student does not seem likely to graduate with a 3.3 CGPA, the director may contact the student (and advisor) recommending the student withdraw.

Students with less than a 3.3 CGPA will be strongly discouraged from proposing an Honors Capstone project and may be removed from the program. Any student below the grade threshold at the end of their junior year must submit a written letter to the Honors Director making a case to continue in the program, specifically indicating why they envision their last two semesters will see their GPA rise while undertaking a significant, two-semester project.

Students with a CGPA less than 3.3 who successfully petition to pursue an Honors Capstone project will earn College Honors only if they raise their CGPA to meet the minimum 3.3 requirement by the time of graduation.

Student appeals

In some circumstances, students may wish to appeal an aspect of the program. Typical appeals may include:

  • If graduating early, requesting to undertake the capstone in the junior spring and senior fall.
  • Requesting to take HONS 201-202 in the junior year due to conflicts with sequence courses in the major(s).
  • Requesting to substitute an independent course in place of HONS 301.

Generally, the Council notes that requests to lessen or change requirements would need compelling justifications and may not be granted.

Any student appeal should be directed as a formal e-mail to the Honors Director, CC:ing your academic advisor(s). The director will submit appeals to the Honors Council with any additional supporting materials (the Council recommends a supporting letter from an academic advisor while the appeal is necessary). Documentation may be provided to strengthen the appeal.

If the Honors Council agrees to the appeal, it will be forwarded to the Executive Committee of the Faculty, as are all requests involving catalog language, for their approval. Successful appeals require approval of both the Honors Council and the Executive Committee.

While students may appeal requirements, the Honors Council expects that all students will fulfill the HONS 201 requirement, the elective, HONS 301 or an equivalent, and the capstone.

Expectations for advising capstones

Undertaking the advising of a capstone project is a significant commitment of time to mentor a student’s intellectual development. While the student has the ultimate responsibility in delivering a project of intellectual merit in a timely fashion, the advisor should mentor the student to aid this process.  

Advisors should anticipate helping to guide the student, working out a timeline for the project with clear expectations of what should be done as well, monitor deadlines and project quality, provide significant written (and oral) feedback, lead the faculty on the committee to ensure that the student is well supported, and enforce deadlines and standard of quality required to complete the project. Advisors should thus be prepared to raise concerns with the student (and committee members) if deadlines go amiss, the student does not complete work or the project lacks merit. 

Honors Capstone

Expectations for second readers

Second readers are proposed by the student (with approval by the advisor of the project), and appointed by the Honor Council. Serving as a second reader includes a commitment to attend multiple meetings over the school year (a minimum of three, plus the oral defense), provide significant written (and oral) feedback, and support the student as agreed with the advisor and student. 

Honors Capstone

How can I teach an honors course?

Each semester, faculty are encouraged to submit proposals to teach honors courses. In the fall, honors first year, HONS 201, and HONS 261 courses are solicited, to be taught the following fall; in the spring, HONS 202 and HONS 262 courses are solicited, for the following spring. (E.g., a call for courses in fall 2024 is a request for courses in fall 2025.)

For all three courses, priority is given to faculty; then qualified staff; then qualified other members of the community in how courses are selected and allocated.

First-year honors courses offered in the fall must be a course suitable for first-year students and meeting a requirement in the core-curriculum. (Honors sophomores or juniors may take such courses with permission to the instructor, after all first-year students have been placed.) Proposals are forwarded to the Honors Council, and should meet Honors Program SLOs and CLOs (for proposals taught in Fall 2025 and after).

HONS 201-202 proposals are forwarded to the Honors Council, which selects courses by considering the following:

  • The Council prefers that contingent faculty (faculty on fixed-term contracts awaiting renewal during the summer) offer HONS 201-202 courses in spring semesters.
  • Does the course meet Honors Program SLOs (for proposals starting with Fall 2025)?
  • Does the course provide a special opportunity for honors students and engage them in ways consonant with the goals of the honors program?
  • Is the course inter- or multi-disciplinary?
  • Does the proposal make a compelling case why the course is suitable, what honors students would gain from it, and how the course is interdisciplinary?
  • Looking to the proposing faculty member’s home department or program, has the department/program been underrepresented in Honors offerings in the past 5 years?

The Council welcomes courses that count for core requirements (pending approval by the Academic Affairs Committee), but does not formally use this as a criteria to judge courses.

The Honors Council supports team-taught courses, although such proposals are contingent on home departmental/program needs and whether the Dean of Faculty determines the annual budget can support this. Please secure approval from home departments or programs before proposing a team-taught course.

HONS 261-262 proposals are forwarded to the Honors Council, which selects courses based on the following criteria:

  • The Council prefers that contingent faculty offer HONS 261-262 courses in spring semesters.
  • Does the course meet Honors Program SLOs (for proposals starting with Spring 2026)?
  • Does the proposal make a compelling case why the course is suitable, what honors students would gain from it?

Student learning outcomes/course learning outcomes

The Honors Council, in consultation with recent program faculty, are developing goals for the program. In Fall 2025, all honors courses will incorporate core course learning outcomes, plus individual course outcomes as determined by the faculty member(s) teaching the course. 

More information will be provided as soon as possible.