Honors Program

Director of Honors and Undergraduate Scholarship
Stephanie Gray Wilson
Renner 137
Phone: 614-236-6894
Email: honors@capital.edu

Since its founding in 1830, Capital University has been recognized for its strong tradition of academic excellence, whether through formal courses in the classroom, independent scholarship or service learning projects, internships, study away and study abroad opportunities. The Honors Program continues this tradition by providing challenging opportunities for enhanced learning and intellectual and personal growth.

Honors Program Mission Statement

By providing a unique learning experience in an intellectually nurturing climate, the Honors Program inspires students to become independent learners and thinkers, and responsible members of the community.

Honors Program Goals

Students who participate in the Honors Program will cultivate their ability to question, analyze and exchange ideas. Students will also be encouraged to critically evaluate their own beliefs and further develop their love of learning.

About the Honors Program

Students in the program take Honors sections of General Education courses or other courses designated as Honors. These courses are generally limited to 15 students and are designed to foster active student engagement and interaction with the professor. In addition, Honors students have opportunities to engage in social, cultural, and educational events as well as service learning projects. Most of these events are organized by students themselves, working together with the Honors director.

Requirements for entering the program: The Honors Program is open to all traditional undergraduate students. To be considered for entry, students must complete an application and must have achieved an ACT composite of at least a 28 or SAT 1250 from the critical reading and math scores or higher, or have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher from one or more semesters of full-time coursework at Capital. Students, whose ACT/SAT score or cumulative GPA is below the required level, may still apply to the program if they provide a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher (for incoming students) or a Capital professor (for current Capital students).

To stay in the program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. In order to remain in the Honors Program and to register for the fall semester of the junior year, students must have completed at least two honors courses or petition the Honors director with the plans to complete the Honors program.

Requirements for completing the Honors Program: Students must complete four Honors experiences (through Honors sections of general education courses or departmental courses that are designated as Honors). Study abroad and study away (internships, service learning projects, etc.) may be counted as one of the required four experiences with the submission of a learning portfolio. Students must also complete an Honors Capstone Experience, which is divided into two parts: HONS 305, where students develop a capstone project proposal, and HONS 405, where students complete their capstone project, both under the guidance of a faculty advisor. It is preferred that these two courses are taken as a sequence during the students’ junior or senior year.