Honors Program in General Education

• Faculty
• Course Work
• Honors Program
  • Admission
  • Requirements
  • Continuation in Honors
  • Transfers

Faculty

Albanese, Bakhash, Bergmann, Bergoffen, Boettke, Burr, J.R. Censer, J.T. Censer, Cheng, R. Clark, R. Davis, Deshmukh, DiCaroli, Dick, Ehrlich, Fox, Francescato, Gifford, Gilbert, Guagnano, Hamdani, Harbour, Hazen, Hodges (associate director), Holt (director), Horton, Jacobs, Jann, Johnsen-Neshati, D. Kaplan, Kaufmann, Kelso, Kuebrich, Kulesza, Landsberg, Mattusch, Melosh, C. Nguyen, O'Malley, Peterson, Platt, Ricouart, Rutledge, Shapiro, S. Smith, Stewart, Struppa, Sypher, Tangney, Taylor, Todd, Trafton, Trefil, Wan, Weitzman, Wilkins, Yadav, Young, Zagarri, Zoltek

Course Work

The Honors Program in General Education offers all course work designated HNRS in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog.

Honors Program

The Honors Program in General Education provides highly qualified students with an integrated foundation for their future studies. It consists of a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum that satisfies general education requirements for graduation and prepares students for their majors. Administered by the College of Arts and Sciences, the program is intended for students who are willing to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and make connections that transcend the limits of conventional subjects. Through intensive discussion in small classes led by outstanding faculty members, students learn to probe the foundations of knowledge, develop new skills in addressing complex issues, and think independently, imaginatively, and ethically. The program offers students special access to the technical, intellectual, and artistic resources of the university and the national capital region and seeks to develop among its students a sense of intellectual community with the faculty and a commitment to lifelong learning.

Admission

Admission to the Honors Program in General Education is limited and competitive. Applicants are evaluated on the strength of their entire academic record, including the rigor of their high school curricula, GPA, standardized test scores, and leadership qualities as identified through their application portfolios. Admission is by invitation only; there is no formal application in addition to the general application to George Mason University.

Requirements

Not a major in itself, the Honors Program fulfills a core of general education requirements for every major. Requirements of the individual departments in regard to their majors are updated annually and are available in the offices of the Honors Program and the departments. Students in the program must earn a minimum GPA of 3.000 in all courses designated HNRS to successfully complete the program. Students whose cumulative GPA falls below this level may complete the program but will not receive honors recognition on their transcripts.

Continuation in Honors

Students in the program who are placed on academic warning because their GPA falls below 2.000 (1.800 in the first or second semester) may be transferred out of the program.

Students who, for any reason, leave the Honors Program before completion must meet the general education requirements of their particular degree programs. On leaving the Honors Program and before registering for general education courses, students should be advised on equivalencies between the honors courses they have completed and their general education requirements.

Transfers

Within George Mason: Because of the sequential and integrative nature of the program, honors courses do not correspond exactly to other courses used to fulfill general education requirements. A list of equivalencies is available in the offices of the Honors Program.

Outside George Mason: The Honors Program may meet the general education requirements of other universities. As in all transfer situations, however, the general education requirements of one institution may not precisely match those of another