Honors College

The Honors College experience is designed to inspire, engage, and challenge the most motivated and intellectually curious students who attend Wingate University. A student can apply for the opportunity to become a part of the Honors College after being admitted to Wingate. Honors College students typically have an unweighted GPA of 3.6 or above or weighted GPA of 3.8 or above in high school. When reviewing applications, the Honors College dean and assistant dean consider a student's service and leadership involvement, awards and honors, an essay response, and other information a student provides in the Honors College application.

Honors curriculum can be completed alongside other degree requirements within two to three years, so students who plan to graduate early still have time to complete Honors work and graduate with University Honors.

What makes the Wingate Honors College remarkable?

Experiential Learning & Travel

The classroom can't show you what economic instability looks like in rural parts or the US. Nor can it taste like Italy.

Faculty & Peer Mentorship

You're not in this alone. A dedicated and driven faculty mentor will be by your side.

Leadership Initiatives

You have the opportunity to take center stage and lead with your peers, seminars, workshops, etc. Take the mic.

Research

Opportunities to investigate through academic research start when you're an undergraduate.

Honors College Curriculum

To graduate with University Honors, a student will complete 18-22 hours from 4 required categories. The range of 18-22 hours is due to different Honors credit options within categories 2, 3, and 4.

Category 1: Fall Seminar

Category 1: HON 101: Leadership & Civic Engagement Fall Seminar (1 hour)

Honors 101 will be a one-hour seminar class that will provide opportunities for first-year students to engage with and learn from leaders on campus and in the community. In HON 101, first-year students will also make connections with Honors peer mentors/guides and each other. HON 101 will replace Gateway 101 for Honors students. Topics covered in Gateway such as registration, student work opportunities, campus resources, and career advising will also be covered in this course.

Students who join the Honors College after their first semester at Wingate (e.g., as sophomores or as transfers) are not required to complete HON 101.

Category 2: Honors Elective Coursework

Category 2: Honors Elective Coursework (4 Honors courses or 12-16 hours

Students must take 4 Honors courses in General Education, Advanced Electives, or Honors contract work (contract work is in a student’s major or minor).

At least 2 Honors Electives must be Honors classes; students may take up to 4 Honors classes in this category. Honors classes are 100, 200, or 300-level honors courses that count toward general education credits for your degree or special topic classes that count towards advanced elective or major hours. Examples of these classes include:

Honors sections of Gen Ed courses that are Global Perspectives designated classes:
- Various examples include: HIST 117 Honors Modern Latin American History, PHIL 110 Honors The Good Life, Eng 205 Honors Global Literature, PSCI 220 Honors Comparative Politics, REL 140 Honors Food and Faith
Honors courses and Honors sections that count towards General Education requirements. For example:
- Honors 205 Ideas in Fine Arts (fine arts core)
- PSCI 341 Honors section: Music and Politics (fine arts core)
- Honors 210 Mathematical Masterpieces (math core)
- BIO 101 Honors section (science core)
- Other classes may be approved for Honors general education courses
Honors special topics classes that count towards a student’s major or advanced elective hours:
- Honors 300 The Making of the Modern Mind
- Honors 315 Special Topics, which is cross-listed with a major class, on occasion

Honors contract work could count for up to 2 classes for Honors Elective coursework:

Honors contract work is work within a student's major or minor in a 300-or 400-level class.
Honors contract work is approved by a faculty member teaching a non-honors course.
Examples of Honors contract work are provided to students and faculty. It is at the faculty member’s discretion as to whether Honors contract work can be completed in their class. A faculty member will work with the student to design a project that a student could complete in 10-15 hours of additional time for Honors credit.
Students are responsible for submitting the form for Honors credit.
Students who do not complete Honors work in the class and/or students who receive less than a B (80-89) in the class will not receive Honors credit but will receive a grade and credit for the course.

Category 3: Experiences

Category 3: Honors Community, Cultural, or Leadership Experience (1 to 2 experiences or 1-4 hours)

Honors students at Wingate can participate in a variety of community building, co-curricular, travel, and leadership opportunities. Each Honors student will have the opportunity to count at least one of the following as part of their Honors experience. The approval process for other options will be discussed in orientation and Honors advising.

Honors 220 seminar (1 hr)
W’International seminar (2 hrs)
W'Engage seminar (2 hrs)
Clinical or Applied Experience (2-4 hrs)
- Approved by the Honors dean or assistant dean based on different majors’ options
Other Options as approved

Category 4: Capstone/Thesis

Category 4: Honors Capstone and Thesis Options (1-6 hours)

Honors capstone and thesis options are tailored to a student's major and graduate school or career plans and interests.** Options include:

Lab Research (6 hrs): BIO 443 or Chem 491 & Chem 492
Business Research Methods (3 hrs): Bus 490 and Bus 491
Honors 451 Thesis or Creative Project (1 hr) for Humanities, Social Science, and Education: a student develops a thesis or creative project that builds off of work completed in a class within their major or minor.
Internship (3-4 hrs): INT 499 for exercise science, criminal justice, human service, education studies, and other majors
Clinical Research and Application: e.g., NURS 499 (3 hrs)

All Honors Capstone and Thesis work must be presented at Wellspring in the fall or spring semester. Students will also have opportunities to present their work at regional and national conferences.

**An Honors student may also submit an approval form to have the following count as their Honors capstone or thesis work and present this work at Wellspring:

Competitive Summer Research Grant at Wingate or at another university
Community Engagement, Civic Engagement, or Collaborative Design project
Study Abroad for a semester or summer immersion program
Other competitive grants or opportunities may be approved

Admissions Process

Students admitted to Wingate are invited to apply to the Honors College. The application invitation will be sent in the fall. If an applicant is invited to join the Honors College, they will have opportunities for advising and orientation sessions in the spring or summer, and register for fall Honors classes to begin their Honors journey at Wingate!

The Honors College curriculum begins in the first year: new honors students take an Honors seminar focused on leadership and have honors offerings to choose from that count towards students' general education requirements. First-year Honors students also have the opportunity to live and room with other honors students in one of Wingate's newest residence halls.

Limited space may also be available in the college for current Wingate students and transfer students who may apply at the end of their first semester at Wingate. A transfer student who was in an Honors Program or Honors College at other institutions may petition the dean for up to six credit hours for Honors-designated classes taken at previous institutions.

Honors-Level Work

Honors students appreciate that many of these classes are more discussion-based than traditional courses. In addition to completing honors courses in three-credit hour classes, you also:

Take a one-hour leadership seminar
Conduct research, write an honors thesis, complete an internship or another honors capstone experience in your junior or senior year
Present your capstone project at the Wellspring Symposium
Honors Outings are supported by the Evelyn V. Taylor Honors Student Experience fund. Social, academic, and community engagement opportunities include:
- Participating in an Honors College trip to New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., the Outer Banks, or another city as part of the experiential learning class
- Presenting your research at at least one national or regional conference in the fall or spring
- Going to places in Union County and the Charlotte area. The Honors College funds Honors outings to dinner, the movies, off-Broadway performances, museum exhibits, escape rooms, indoor and outdoor parks, and more!

Honors plans are tailored to a student's major, course needs, graduation plan and career interests. The Honors Dean, Assistant Dean, and faculty advisor work with Honors students to design a plan for their Honors coursework and capstone.

Many Honors classes and Honors research experiences also count for general education requirements and/or major requirements, so Honors students graduate on time, and many Honors students graduate early!

An Honorable Presence on Campus

Honors students study, socialize and unwind in the Efird Memorial building located on the academic quad. The Honors College at Efird has a patio area, a small kitchen, and study areas for students. Honors staff and student workers are also in Efird for honors advising and meetings. There are also designated honors residence halls and apartments on campus. Honors students have opportunities to network with Wingate University administrators and connect with other students at honors gatherings. Students in the Honors College are asked to participate in discussion forums with speakers who visit campus.

FAQs

Do I need to maintain a certain GPA?

Are there grade requirements for honors credit?

For Honors classes, a student who receives a C in an honors section of a course will have provisional standing in the Honors College. More than one C in an honors course will result in the student being ineligible to complete the Honors College requirements. The student will still receive credit for the honors class on their transcript but will be ineligible to graduate with University Honors. A student with provisional standing must meet with the Honors College Dean.
For an Honors contract, a student must earn at least a B in a course in order to receive honors credit. The student will still receive credit for the class if the grade is lower than a B, but the class will not be honorized.
Grading procedures for capstone requirements vary depending on the major, but students should earn a B or higher on their capstone project or thesis to graduate from the Honors College with University Honors.

How many Honors hours are required?

How will my honors work be acknowledged?

Students who successfully complete the Honors College curriculum will receive the designation “University Honors” on their transcripts and diplomas, will be recognized at Commencement, and will wear an Honors medallion with commencement regalia. In addition, each honors course will carry the designation “HON” on transcripts and grade reports regardless of whether or not a student completes the entire Honors College curriculum.

What is "Honors Contract Work"?

Honors contract work is designed for one or two of a student’s 300 or 400-level classes that they take for their major (ex: BIO 380, NURS 325, FIN 350). Students typically read additional material and write a paper, conduct more lab research, make a class presentation and lead discussion, or extensively help facilitate class to receive honors credit in a non-honors class.

The Honors College sends out a form at the beginning of the semester that must be completed within the first few weeks of school by the student after they discuss the honors contract work options with the faculty member who teaches the course.

Where is the Honors College at Efird?

Efird is in the Academic Quad, conveniently located near all of your classes. The Efird Memorial Library building was the first library on campus and is located near the Ethel K. Smith Library and across from the science buildings. Efird has two study lounges, a small kitchen, a conference table, desktop computers, an outdoor patio, and other conveniences for honors commuters and residents. Your ID swipe is required for entry at the patio door. We are proud to have honors student studying, meeting, and socializing in the renovated reading rooms where Wingate students studied in the original library in the 1950s.

Who should I contact?

Questions?

Wingate Honors College
honors.college@wingate.edu