Prerequisites
- You must be an Honors College member in good standing.
- You must have completed a minimum of 30 credits of college coursework.
- The class must be 200-level or above.
- The class must be taken for a letter grade.
- The class cannot be currently offered as an Honors course. You may request an exception to this requirement only if you have a scheduling conflict.
- No more than two classes may be "optioned" per semester.
Preferred characteristics
At least two of the following characteristics should apply to your Honors option:
- Allows you to pursue a particular topic of interest in significant depth.
- Furthers knowledge/skills in your major or minor.
- Extends knowledge/skills from an Honors area of emphasis.
- Enables investigation of potential capstone project topics.
- Furthers your progress towards developing a capstone project.
- Enhances knowledge/skills related to your academic and career goals.
Application process
The Honors College no longer accepts paper or electronic application forms for Honors options. All applications must be submitted through MyMadison.
Application Period: Honors options proposals will only be accepted through MyMadison the first day of the semester through the fourth Friday of the semester.
Before applying for an Honors option, you should contact the instructor of the course to discuss ideas for your Honors option project.
To apply, you must submit a detailed proposal which describes the proposed project, timeline for completion, and indicates which of the preferred characteristics of Honors options (see above) apply to your project. (Minimum 300 words.)
Apply for your Honors option through MyMadison by following these steps:
- In your Student Center, select Honors Option Application from the Other Academics drop-down menu.
- Select your Honors option course from the list of eligible courses that you are enrolled in. Click Continue.
- Upload your Honors option proposal. It must be a PDF and the file must be named accordingly: lastname-firstname-courseprefixcoursenumber.pdf. Example: doe-jane-HIST395.pdf.
- Answer the graduation question and click Submit. You may then submit a new request for an Honors option in a different course or return to Student Center.
Once submitted, your application will route to the course instructor and then to the Honors College Dean for approval. After approval, the Honors option designation will be added to the class in MyMadison and on your transcript.
Withdrawing from an Honors Option
If progress is not being made on your Honors option, you should formally withdraw from the Honors option through MyMadison by the semester withdrawal deadline. Please note that this does not withdraw you from the course itself. You can withdraw from an Honors option once during your time at JMU.
Completing your Honors Option
You must submit all work associated with the Honors option to the Honors College by the last day of finals week.
The faculty member will officially report the completion of your Honors option through MyMadison during grade submission at the end of the semester.
If you fail to complete an Honors option and have not withdrawn from the option prior to the withdrawal deadline, a grade of no-credit will be recorded in your Honors College file for that Honors option. The Honors option status of the course will be removed from the student system and will not be indicated on your transcript. You are limited to one grade of no-credit for an Honors option during your time at JMU without penalty.
Verifying and Withdrawing From Your Honors Option in MyMadison
Mon - Fri: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
