The Philosophy Department offers Honors programs for both the PHILOSOPHY and the SEAL majors. The program requires students to maintain a high GPR while taking a challenging selection of classes and high-impact experiences. Also, all Honors students are required to complete a year-long research project (or a project of equivalent rigor). Most students satisfy this requirement by writing an honors thesis in their junior or senior year and co-enrolling in LAUNCH’s Undergraduate Research Scholars program, which earns them an additional honors distinction.
Members of the Honors program are able to register for specifically designated Honors classes. They also permitted to register for classes a bit earlier than their peers. The Department has a modest grant program to help support honors students in pursuing special opportunities (such as conference travel or study abroad).
Program Requirements
The Honors program requires students to collect 18 “honors credit hours” and to complete a year-long research project (which counts for 6 of those 18 credit hours). Credit hours can be accrued from (a) courses listed formally as H courses in the course catalog, (b) courses for which you have completed an honors contract, (c) graduate courses, (d) TAMU-faculty led study abroad courses, and (e) for those students who are co-enrolled in the University Honors Program, Honors Experience Points. Of these 18 credit hours, 12 must count toward the requirements for the major specifically. (For SEAL majors, this includes both of your minors as well as the courses on the theme “society, ethics and law.”) At least 3 of these hours must be at the 400-level. Students must also maintain an overall GPR of 3.5 and a GPR of 3.25 in the course they count as their honors credits. Students are also required to satisfy the highest standards of academic integrity at Texas A&M.
Program Admissions
Students will be admitted by invitation of the Director of Undergraduate Studies on the basis of excellent performance, either during their high school careers (for students entering as first-semester freshmen) or their coursework at Texas A&M during their freshmen and sophomore years. If you have not received an invitation, but believe you are qualified, please contact the Director or your advisor.
Probation and Dismissal from the Program
- No student with an F* (indicting academic dishonesty) on their transcript is eligible for Departmental Honors.
Continuing Honors Students who fail to meet any of these requirements will be given a semester of probation to correct any deficiencies. While in the probationary semester, a priority registration time will not be assigned. Honors Students who fail to meet requirements after a semester of probation will be dismissed from the program.