University Honors Program
Mission Statement
The mission of the Dallas Baptist University Honors Program is to fulfill the Dallas Baptist University Mission Statement by providing transforming “Christ-centered quality higher education” for students who are intellectually gifted who desire enriched academic experiences equipping them to be servant leaders in their respective callings.
Goals of the Honors Program
To provide a superior education grounded in the biblical worldview, moral formation, and Christian tradition.
To promote a high level of independent learning, contextual insight, and critical thinking through study, research, and the exchange of ideas.
To provide a challenging interdisciplinary experience that amplifies and complements the liberal arts mission of DBU and that stimulates curiosity, imagination, integrity, and faith.
To assist students in building friendships and community by participation in enrichment activities outside the classroom setting.
To encourage students to pursue leadership roles within the campus community as preparation to be outstanding future contributors to the church, society, and the world.
To promote Honors student-faculty mentor relationships that foster interactive learning.
To help students cultivate a desire for God's truth, goodness, and beauty as expressed in the creation and in human culture.
University Honors Program Options:
The University Honors Program offers two tracks of study:
• Honors General Studies Track requiring 12 hours.
• Advanced Honors Program Track requiring 24 hours.
Honors General Studies Track
Admission
For incoming freshmen, a minimum SAT score of 1150 (old format), 1220 (new format), an ACT score of 25, or a CLT score of 80, and two high school faculty recommendations are required for admission to the Honors Program. For returning students to DBU, a 3.5 overall GPA at DBU and two faculty recommendations are required for admission to the program. Transfer students must have at least twelve hours of credit at DBU with a minimum DBU GPA of 3.5 and two faculty recommendations for full admission to the program. All applicants must also submit a 250-to-500-word letter of interest. Transfer students who are members of an academic organization such as Phi Beta Kappa at their previous institution may apply for first-semester acceptance. No student with more than 70 hours may be admitted to the Honors Program.
Requirements
The Honors General Studies Track is designed for students wishing to pursue an advanced level approach to the study of the Old and New Testaments and the biblical worldview, as well as an interdisciplinary approach to history and literature. The Honors General Studies Track is ideal for those students who enjoy but are unable to fit the 24-hour University Honors Program into their degree plan.
The 12-hour General Studies Track is fulfilled by completing the following:
course | ||
|---|---|---|
DCM 2301HR - Honors Developing a Christian Mind RELI 1301HR - Honors Old Testament Survey RELI 1302HR - Honors New Testament Survey | ||
Choose one of the following Great Texts Courses: | ||
HNRS 2301 - Great Texts of the Greco-Roman World HNRS 2302 - Great Texts of the Ancient Christian World HNRS 3301 - Great Texts of the Medieval World HNRS 3302 - Great Texts of the Renaissance/Reformation HNRS 3303 - Great Texts of the Early Modern World HNRS 3313 - Great Texts of the Age of Revolutions HNRS 3304 - Great Texts of the Twentieth-Century | ||
While in the program, freshmen will also enroll in HNRS 1001HR Freshmen Enrichment during the fall and spring semesters, sophomores will enroll in HNRS 2001HR Honors Enrichment 1 (fall) and HNRS 2002HR Honors Enrichment 2 (spring). These are zero-credit, no-cost courses in which the student attends a limited number of lectures on faith and culture. |
Advanced Honors Program Track
Admission
For incoming freshmen, a minimum SAT score of 1150 (old format), 1220 (new format), an ACT score of 25, or a CLT score of 80, and two high school faculty recommendations are required for admission to the Honors Program. For returning students to DBU, a 3.5 overall GPA at DBU and two faculty recommendations are required for admission to the program. Transfer students must have at least twelve hours of credit at DBU with a minimum DBU GPA of 3.5 and two faculty recommendations for full admission to the program. All applicants must also submit a 250-to-500-word letter of interest. Transfer students who are members of an academic organization such as Phi Beta Kappa at their previous institution may apply for first-semester acceptance. No student with more than 70 hours admitted to the Honors Program.
Requirements
To be recognized as a University Honors Program graduate at DBU, a student must have successfully completed 24 hours in honors classes, including 12 hours in Great Texts courses. Honors Great Texts courses (HNRS 2301HR, HNRS 2302HR, HNRS 3301HR, HNRS 3302HR, HNRS 3303HR, HNRS 3304HR, HNRS 3313HR, HNRS 4303HR) fulfill the general education course requirements for History and/or English in all majors and are equivalent to HIST 1301, HIST 1302, HIST 2301, HIST 2302, ENGL 2301, or ENGL 2302.
Requirements for Advanced Honors Program Track:
COURSE | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DCM 2301HR - Honors Developing the Christian Mind (Spring) RELI 1301HR - Honors Old Testament Survey RELI 1302HR - Honors New Testament Survey | ||||||||||||||
If an honors student chooses to not take the Honors section of any of these required courses listed above (Developing a Christian Mind, Old Testament Survey, or New Testament Survey), those honors hours must be fulfilled with other honors classes. Honors Special Study Courses may be requested in the major to fulfill 3 to 9 hours of these required honors hours. | ||||||||||||||
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Admission
University Honors Program students may take no more than six honors hours per semester, without the UHP Director’s approval. Honors students are encouraged to take Honors Developing the Christian Mind (DCM 2301HR) in the spring.
All students must also regularly enroll in Honors Enrichment courses and complete an Honors Portfolio (HNRS 4001HR) before completing the senior thesis or project. Freshmen register for HNRS 1001 both Fall and Spring; sophomores register for HNRS 2001HR (Fall) and HNRS 2002HR (Spring); juniors register for HNRS 3001HR (Fall) and HNRS 3002HR (Spring); and seniors register for HNRS 4001HR during the senior year (offered Fall, Spring, and Summer).
The Honors Thesis or senior project is typically taken in the senior year under a professor in the student’s major and on a topic appropriate for their major. Students are required to complete a minimum of 3 credit hours of Honors Thesis or senior project. Most honors students, after locating a supervisor within the student’s major, will first enroll in HNRS 4180HR in order to conduct initial research, and then the following semester enroll in HNRS 4280HR in order to complete and defend the honors thesis (if necessary, students may receive approval to enroll in HNRS 4380HR). Certain majors may opt for an Honors senior project in association with their major's capstone course.
Probation and Suspension
Students must maintain a 3.2 grade point average in order to remain in the program. To be recognized as "University Honors" at graduation, a student must have a 3.5 average and have completed 24 hours of designated honors courses, including a senior thesis or project.
If a student’s average falls below 3.2, he or she will be placed on probation and be allowed two semesters to bring his or her grade point average back to a minimum 3.2 in order to take honors courses. Likewise, if a student earns a C- or below in an honors course, he or she will be placed on probation for a semester. During the probationary period, students cannot register for honors courses without special permission.
Students must also remain in good standing in Honors Enrichment to be allowed to register for honors courses.
If the student's GPA stays below a 3.2 after two semesters, the student will be suspended from the University Honors Program. Suspension occurs automatically if a student's GPA falls below a 2.0 or if a student fails and honors course.
Any student found guilty of multiple instances of plagiarism and/or collusion is subject to suspension from the University Honors Program.
Transfer Credit
Students may transfer into the University Honors Program up to twelve hours of honors credit from another college or university. Each course is subject to review by the Director and a consulting honors faculty member. Criteria for acceptance is determined by equivalency to DBU's own honors courses in terms of both coverage and rigor. Great Texts courses (HNRS 2301, 2302, 3301, 3302, 3303, 3304, 3313, 4303), the honors-level Developing a Christian Mind course (DCM 2301 HR), and the senior thesis or project must be taken at Dallas Baptist to be named a University Honors student at graduation.
Applicants should note that the transfer equivalency report prepared by the Registrar and the review process conducted by the University Honors Program do not constitute the same process. Courses that are accepted by the University in partial fulfillment of a student's degree plan may or may not be also accepted by the University Honors office as honors-level credit in the program.
Curriculum
The Honors Program curriculum supplements and complements the traditional curriculum of Dallas Baptist University. Components of the curriculum include honors sections of general studies classes, an honors section of the Developing a Christian Mind course, the Great Texts Honors core curriculum, honors sections of upper-level discipline-specific courses, Independent Study courses, and a Senior Thesis or Project. The online Schedule of Classes provides current course listings.
Special Study
Students interested in taking a 3000-level or 4000-level course for honors credit should contact the UHP director, who together with the student, will approach the professor with a proposal for attaching honors-level study for the course. This can be done a maximum of four times. Some restrictions do apply. Special study can be an excellent way to help prepare for the student’s senior thesis or project.
Recognition
Recognition of those students completing the 12-hour Honors General Studies track includes recognition on the transcript.
Recognition of those students completing the 24-hour Advanced Honors Studies track includes an Honors Program notation on the transcript and diploma, as well as special recognition at graduate.
Additionally, each year the Honors faculty will select an eligible student to receive Honors Student of the Year at the University Honors Banquet and be recognized at the annual Honors Day program.
Scholarships
University Honors Students are eligible for a $2000 scholarship each year they continue in the Honors Program. This scholarship will be added to the student's Presidential Award. The student must be enrolled in at least one for credit honors course each semester that the scholarship is awarded.