For additional questions about honors progress and requirements, please contact Allyson Brantley, Honors Program director, or Ryan Lee, the Honors Program assistant director.
- Question I’m currently a student at University of La Verne and would like to apply to the Honors Program. What do I need to do?
- Answer
We would love to hear from you! First, reach out to one of the honors directors, Allyson Brantley or Ryan Lee, to make an appointment and learn more about the Honors Program and its requirements.
Please note that currently enrolled students may apply after their first semester (16 units) and/or by the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year (64 units). An application essay and a GPA of 3.5 or above is required to submit an application. Your essay should outline the reasons for your interest in honors and what you will bring to the Honors Program and contribute to its mission. All applications will be considered on an individual, rolling basis, and final acceptance will be determined by the Honors Program director.
- Question How can I – or my advisor – know if I am in honors?
- Answer
At present, the best way to know if you are confirmed in the Honors Program is to check with Honors Program staff. The MyDegreeTracker (MDT) program does not, unfortunately, display a student’s status in the Honors Program. The best indicator is whether or not either Allyson Brantley or Ryan Lee are listed as secondary advisors on your MDT. If you are still unsure, reach out and we can confirm for you.
- Question How do I stay in honors?
- Answer
In order to remain in the Honors Program, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3 and complete at least 4 units of honors courses per academic year.
Students who fail to do so will be first placed on probation for a semester, and then they may be dropped from the program if they do not improve their GPA and/or begin taking honors courses more regularly. The honors director will communicate with all students regularly (each semester) regarding their status. No students will be dropped without prior notice and an opportunity to discuss a path forward.
- Question How can I register for honors classes? What should I take?
- Answer
As an honors student, you will be able to take advantage of priority registration (for every semester after your first semester). If you are in good standing with honors (see above for more), you will be able to register in the first time block each semester and you will be able to easily register for honors-only courses. For first-semester students, we recommend that you take an honors FLEX (HONR 111 and HONR 112, usually). After that – and for new transfer students – we recommend students take one course per semester. It is usually best to begin with a Global Ideas course (HONR 205 or 215) or an Honors Colloquium (HONR 370 or 380).
For more specific questions about courses, we recommend you reach out to an honors peer mentor and look for honors advising sessions, which are typically scheduled during the month before registration begins each semester.
- Question Can I still graduate early if I’m in the Honors Program?
- Answer
Absolutely! Many of our honors students do, in fact, graduate a semester or more early. They are able to do this by strategically taking honors courses that help them to fulfill general education (GE) requirements. In this way, honors does not add time to your degree.
- Question What do I need to do to graduate from the Honors Program?
- Answer
In order to graduate from the Honors Program – and to have this listed on your transcript and diploma – you will need to complete all program requirements and have a final GPA of 3.3 or higher.
To be cleared for graduation from honors, you must inform the director of the Honors Program; each semester, we will send out a Google Doc that you will need to complete in order to be cleared. This is not an automatic process; failure to complete the form may mean that you will not be listed as an Honors Program graduate in the final commencement program.
- Question I’ve been invited to join an honors society. Is that the same as the Honors Program?
- Answer
No. There are many different discipline-specific honors societies across the country – and at the University of La Verne – and these are not the same as our Honors Program. If you have been invited to join an Honors Society, this is typically an indication of your academic success in your major, discipline, or academic year and a significant achievement in and of itself. For more information on the various honors society chapters at University of La Verne, see our page “Honors Societies.”
- Question What about honors at graduation, like magna cum laude? Is that something that happens through the Honors Program?
- Answer
No. These honors are bestowed on all students who meet various GPA requirements, and this is a process that happens through the Office of the Registrar.