Honors Option

The Honors Option provides honors scholars and subject-area honors students the freedom to design a portion of their curriculum. After their first college semester, students may use Honors Option to earn honors credit for any non-honors upper level (200 or above) JMU course not regularly offered as an honors course. There is no limit to the number of Honors Options that honors students may attempt, but no more than two Honors Options should be attempted in any given semester. 

Within the first two weeks of class the student should submit an Honors Option form to the Honors Office. The  Honors Option form is found on our website and must be typed and printed for signatures. (Handwritten forms will not be accepted.) Students should meet with the faculty member in whose class the Honors Option is planned, agree on a set of requirements they think would qualify the course for honors credit, complete the form and return it promptly to the Honors Office for approval by the Director of the Honors Program. If the proposal is approved, the work may be undertaken for honors credit. Copies of the proposal are sent to the faculty member.  At the end of the semester, the faculty member reports to the Honors Office the successful completion of the Honors Option and the Office of the Registrar is directed to award the student honors credit for the course.  

• lead class discussion on a topic of particular interest

• complete an extra or extended paper or project

• complete readings for tutorial sessions

• complete a literature review or annotated bibliography

• keep an academic journal

• interview appropriate professionals

• do a challenging lab experiment or observation

• create a computer program related to the course content

• apply the principles of the course through volunteer service