HONORS COLLEGE RECOGNITIONS & DISTINCTIONS

Honors College students are encouraged to work toward a special honors recognition that awards their mastery of the honors curriculum. Honors recognitions are recorded on transcripts and acknowledged during the Honors College graduation ceremony and the university’s commencement.
Students must be in good academic standing with the Honors College (minimum institutional GPA of 3.3 or higher) to receive Honors recognitions; no courses with grades of D or F may be applied toward the satisfaction of the requirements for honors recognitions. Students’ grades averaged across the entirety of their Honors coursework must also be 3.3 or higher.
Incoming first-year honors students are required to enroll in Honors 1000, a one-hour seminar that introduces students to research-based academic work in the disciplines.
Students admitted to the Honors College for fall 2019 and beyond will have the opportunity to work toward one of two newly created laureates.
The Honors Laureate is conferred to students who complete at least 24 credit hours* of Honors coursework at Georgia State. These hours must include:
- No more than 12 hours of 1000-2000 level credit.
- No fewer than 6 credit hours in HON-prefix 3000 and/or 4000 level courses.
*Students with most/all 1000-2000 level courses completed may fulfill the 24 Honors credit-hour requirement with 3000-4000 level Honors courses.
The Research Laureate is conferred to students who complete an honors thesis as part of the Honors Laureate requirements, plus one additional research activity as specified below. The Research Laureate does not require additional credit hours beyond the 24 required for the Honors Laureate; rather, it specifies that students take one or both research courses (HON 4870 and/or HON 4880) within the required minimum of 24 Honors hours.
Students who wish to be recognized as a Research Laureate would also need to complete one of three other aforementioned research activities:
- Present work at the Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference (GSURC)
- Present at a professional or student-oriented research conference
Students admitted to the Honors College prior to fall 2019 will continue to work on the previous catalogs’ distinctions.
Granted to students who complete at least 12 credit hours of course work in lower-division honors classes at Georgia State in addition to Honors 1000.
Upper level Honors courses cannot be used for this distinction.
Granted to students who complete at least 12 semester hours of honors course work at the upper division, plus two honors colloquiums. A maximum of nine hours of honors dimensions and a maximum of nine semester hours of graduate courses may be applied toward this recognition.
Lower level Honors courses cannot be used for this distinction.
Participating in undergraduate research will not only afford you the opportunity to enhance professional skills in your field, but also give you the chance to earn an additional distinction.Upon completion of the Advanced Honors requirement and an undergraduate honors thesis project, students will be granted the Research distinction. The undergraduate honors thesis project coursework consists of Honors Thesis Research (4870) and Honors Thesis Writing (4880).
If you have questions about the recognitions or distinctions, or which of these you should pursue, make an appointment with your Honors advisor. Contact the Honors College at (404) 413-5577.