Honors Program

The College offers an honors program that provides qualified students with additional opportunities to expand their intellectual and artistic growth and to enrich their individual skills and abilities. The program promotes Herkimer College’s commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence and is available to students in all curricula. Students who successfully complete the Honors Program are given special recognition by the College. The Honors Program enables students who are enrolled full-time to work on an independent project in one-credit courses during two different semesters. The student selects the concentration area in which he/she wants to work independently, and the project is designed by the mentor and the student. During the fourth semester (spring), student must enroll in a required Honors Seminar course. This is a nontraditional, interdisciplinary course that provides students with an opportunity to use a variety of higher level learning techniques and to interact with other students who excel academically. Students in the Honors Program also meet periodically to attend cultural functions and to discuss special topics.

The following requirements should be noted by all students interested in the program:

  1. Students who enter college need a high school average of 88 to be eligible for the special section of First-Year Student Seminar. This section will augment the study of the topics by incorporating selected readings and other supporting material. Students will be nurtured for the Honors Program and counseled for entry into the program.
  2. Invitation letters will be sent to all students obtaining at least a 3.5 average during their first semester as well as to students who transfer in with at least a 3.5 average.
  3. Students applying for the program must complete an application and information sheet each semester. Applications will be evaluated by a reviewing committee to determine if the student will be accepted into the program. All applicants will be notified of committee decisions on acceptance or denial to the program via mail or email.
  4. A standard schedule of courses for a particular program as specified in the College catalog must be taken.
  5. Credits in Honors courses (notated with the prefix “HP”) must be above and beyond degree requirements listed in the College catalog.
  6. A student cannot withdraw from any course.
  7. A student with a reduced course load due to enrollment in developmental courses is ineligible to apply for the Honors program during the semester that developmental courses are taken.
  8. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA and an “A” or “B” in all Honors courses (HP 301, HP 302, HP 303) to remain in the program.