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The Bluefield State Honors College offers an exciting opportunity for high achieving students interested in an advanced level of academic engagement both inside and outside the classroom, making them more prepared and competitive in their future graduate studies and careers.

Benefits

Students admitted to the program will receive last-dollar scholarships (in which official Expected Family Contribution and financial aid packages totals are less than the total cost of attendance) covering remaining costs for books, tuition, and fees.


All scholarships will be contingent upon meritorious academic performance during the year of the award (sustaining a 3.50 GPA), and successful completion of augmented curriculum courses.
Participants will benefit from an enhanced curriculum and close mentorship from faculty in honors courses and senior research projects. They will also have opportunities to enrich their learning experience beyond the classroom.


Honors Scholars who have successfully completed the program will receive an honorific designation on their transcript and diploma and acknowledgment at commencement.


Although there will be variations by discipline, instructor, and class, honors-enhanced courses should provide students with the opportunity for an enriched academic experience, i.e., creative and active learning that augments the honors student’s depth of engagement with course content.

View the program requirements.

Eligibility

Incoming students are eligible to apply if they have earned a minimum GPA of 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale). Students who are currently enrolled at Bluefield State University will be eligible; however, Regents Bachelors of Arts students and any students who have earned more than 30 hours of college credit are not eligible for entrance into the program.


Honors Scholars may major in any four-year degree program, excluding the 2 + 2 programs in the College of Health Sciences.

Grade Requirements

Honors Scholars must

  • maintain an overall GPA of 3.50 on a 4.0 scale (BSU 4.0 scale) throughout the program, else be subject to program probation:
  • earn a grade of B+ or higher in an honors core course and/or honors-enhanced course in order to earn honors equivalency program credit for the course;
  • Honors Scholars who fail to successfully complete the honors-enhanced requirements for a course will still receive credit for the course, but that credit will not be counted toward the honors requirements. The course may be retaken for honors equivalency credit; however, the honors student need not retake the same course; he or she may select another course for enhancement in a subsequent semester.

Honors Curriculum

Although there will be variations by discipline, instructor, and class, honors-enhanced courses should provide students with the opportunity for an enriched academic experience, i.e. creative and active learning that augments the honors student’s depth of engagement of course content. View the program requirements

Honors College Application Process

All of the following must be completed by the applicant before the required deadline of March 1st. Please note that incomplete applications either to Bluefield State University or the Honors University will result in a denial of admission:


Nota Bene: Only four-year baccalaureate programs in the College of Arts, Education, and Social Sciences, the College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math, and the W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business are eligible for application to the program.

Students who change their major to a program that does not allow for honors courses (i.e. Nursing) will be required to withdraw from the program.

All applicants will be notified of their acceptance or denial by email. Students accepted to the program will receive a letter of welcome and be contacted personally by the Honors College Director or the Director of Admissions.