Program Overview

Graduating Seniors

The University of Arkansas Honors Program requires students to complete specific steps to graduate with Honors Distinction.

Requirements for Graduation with Honors Distinction

To graduate with Honors Distinction, students must complete 15 total honors credit hours, consisting of 9-12 honors course credit hours and 3-6 honors thesis credit hours. They must also complete an honors capstone research or creative project, culminating in a written thesis that documents the project, while maintaining a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

Honors Designations

Students who have completed no less than half of their degree work at the University of Arkansas and have demonstrated exceptional academic performance while completing the Honors Program in the Bumpers College will be recognized at graduation with the following honors designations:

• Cum laude : a cumulative U of A GPA of 3.5 to 3.74
• Magna cum laude : a cumulative U of A GPA of 3.75 to 3.89
• Summa cum laude : a cumulative U of A GPA of 3.9 to 4.00

Steps to Graduation

The following steps must be completed to graduate with honors:

1. Apply for Graduation: Apply for graduation through Workday at the completion of 90 credit hours.
2. Complete Required Honors Thesis Credit Hours: Complete 3-6 honors thesis credit hours. To enroll, complete the Request to Enroll in Honors Thesis Credit Form with the Honors Thesis Mentor and submit it to the Bumpers College Waldrip Student Center by the add/drop deadlines for the term.
3. Complete the Honors Thesis: Work with the Honors Thesis Mentor to complete the honors thesis, following the guidelines provided on the Bumpers College Honors Program website.
4. Defend the Honors Thesis: Coordinate with the Honors Thesis Mentor and committee members to schedule an honors thesis defense meeting. Provide the committee with a copy of the completed honors thesis at least one week prior to the defense date.
5. Incorporate Revisions and Edits: Incorporate all revisions and edits to the honors thesis provided by the committee during the defense meeting.
6. Submit the Honors Thesis to the UA Library: Submit a copy of the honors thesis to the UA library after it has been approved by the committee and the Honors Thesis Mentor, and has undergone a formatting review.
7. Submit an Article to the Discovery Journal: Undergraduates conducting research in cooperation with a faculty mentor are encouraged to submit a journal article to the Discovery Journal, following the journal's article guidelines.